The representative., 1900-05-17
POLITICAL GRIMES
In KENTUCKY
THE CONSPIRACY. CONFESSION AMI
41.1sz.s INDICTMENT.

William Goebel, Democratic candidat
for governor of Kentucky, was assassin
ated on the 3Oth of last January.
1t was at once thought to be politica
| crime, as Goebel had been contestin'
w. s. Taylor's election as governor a
the last November state elections.
Goebel was on the eve of winning hi
case before the state legislature. whicl
was in session at Frankfort, when h.
was assassinated by some concealed per
son.
Though shot completely through tn,
lungs Goebel lived for i've days. During
this time the -legislature declared Gov
ernor Taylor,s~election void, and ordered
the oath of Office administered to Will
liam Goebel This was done the day
following the assassination, while tn.
victim was propped up in his bed to &c
through the Inauguration ceremony.
Three days later he died.
Governor Taylor had refused to abdi-
cate the governorship, declaring the leg
islature's action unconstitutional.
: He had called out the state militia i'm
mediately after the assassination, and
held the reins of power by force of arms
and by possession of the state house.
After Goebeps death truce was ar
ranged by which he retained the gov
ernOrship. .~.s4ss.....
After three months detective work in
unravelling the most complicated po-
litical murder conspiracies ever known
in this country, the judicial authorities
of Kentucky have now indicted ten men
for the crime, among them the governor
of the state.
The fatal shot was fred while State
Senator Goebel was walking in front of
the court house at Frankfort. The bull
let which passed through his body was
taken from the tree in which 1t lodged.
From the direction in which it was fired
1t was apparent that the assassin must
have been inside the state house at one
of the upper windows, most likely in the
Office of the secretary OF state, Caleb
Powers.
A popularity Of this .3S calibre bullet
was that it was made of steel, evidently
specially selected so as to pierce the
coat of armor worn by Goebel beneath
his waistcoat, as he was in constant fear
of being shot.
BY line of detective work worthy Of
a Sherlock Holmes, the exact Marlin
rifle from which it was fired has been
traced to the state auditors Office,
though the rife itself, up to within few
days ago, had not been secured by the
prosecuting attorney. This weapon was
the property of man of high political
standing, Grant Roberts, brother of
Samuel Roberts, collector of internal
revenue at Lexington.
The Cincinnati dealer who sold the
steel bullet cartridge was also found, and
the man who bought them identified as
Henry e. Youtsey, young man of good
family and high political connections in
Kentucky.
Besides buying the smokeless powder
steel bullet cartridges for the assassins
use, Youtsey admits that he paid over
Il 900, which was the price agreed upon
or the man who should do the shooting.
From the Investigations before the
grand jury at Frankfort, which resulted
n finding ten indictments for the mur-
Ter Of Goebel, and from the confessions
# the militia sergeant, F. Wharton
Golden, and w. H. Culton, clerk in the
state auditors Office, the whole murder
>lot has been laid bare.
After it had been decided to assassin
lte Governor Goebel, proposition was
made to "Tallow Dick" Combs and Mas
n Hockersmith, the negroes, to do the
work. One reason why they did not fire
he shots Is because one OF the leaders Of
he Republican party, whose name IL not
,nown, objected, saying he was not will
ng to trust such matter to negroes.
1e wanted one Of the regular mountain
eudists."'
On the Sunday preceding the crime
;aleb Powers had conference with
I'm Howard, one Of the most notorious
eudist mvrderers in the mountains.
They met ct London, KY. and It was
rranged that Howard should g =
III