Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-10-04
DEATH PENALTY IMPOSED.
Ill OF Guilty, with the DEATH
Penalty, i'm the Case OF
james Howard.

Frankfort, KY. Sept. 27.-The jury
In the case of James Howard.trIed for
! alleged completely in the Goebel as
sassination, returned its verdict at
DAB a. IN. The court room was
crowded with spectators lmost
trembling with suppressed excite
ment. Foreman Crutcher of the jury
passed the written verdict up to the
clerk. Deputy Clerk Elliott read the
verdict, which found the defendant
guilty and affixed his punishment at
death.
Howard occupied a seat by his at
torney. He did not display the least
agitation, and was apparently neon
cerned.
The verdict was a surprise, as the
general public were led to believe
hat the jury was divided on the
question of the guilt or innocence of
the defendant. 1t developed that the
delay in reaching a verdict was over
the degree of punishment, some OF
the jurors favoring the life imprison-
ment, while others stood out for the
death penalty, and finally won their
associates over.
One of h jurors, after h jury
had been discharged, stated that a
number of ballots were taken, but
the first ballot resulted in a unan-
imous verdict of guilty. After that,
the ballots were as to the degree of
punishment, and on several ballots
ten members voted for the death pen
atty, while two voted for life impris-
onment. This was while the jurors
were in the jury room Tuesday af-
%ternoon. The. first ballot Wednes-
day resulted in a verdict. The two
jurors who had voted for life impris-
onment gave in to the majority and
voted for the death penalty.
After the jury had been discharged
Howard was taken back to the Jail,
and there for the first time he be-
trayed emotion. He called for a pen
and paper and wrote a long letter to
his wife, during which tears coursed
Town his cheeks. He was joined, Ia
ter, by his attorneys, who spent a
good part of the day in conference
with him in regard to the motion for
a new trial, which will be filed to-day,
and other matters in connection with
the case.
w. H. Culton, who is under indict-
ment as an accessory to the Goebel
murder, and who gave damaging evil
dence against both Howard and Caleb
Powers, was released on bail yester-
day afternoon, and his case was con-
tinued until the January term. His
bond was fixed at $4,000, and his
brother-in-law, E. E. Hogg, of Owsley
county, and j. f. Halcomb and John
Johnson, of jackson county, became
his sureties.
Howard was represented by Exon.
gresham w. C. Owens, of George
town, and Carl Little, of Manchester.
The prosecution was represented by
Acting Commonwealth Attorney Will
Jams, T. c. Campbell, of Cincinnati,
and Ell. B. Golden, of Barbourville.
Jim" Howard, as he is commonly
known in the mountains, is a striking
ly handsome man, A years of age, and
would be one of the last to be pointed
out by a stranger as the man on trial.
He had the record, however, of be-
ing the leader of the Howard-White
faction in the Baker-Howard feud in
Clay county, in which numerous lives
were taken. He had killed George
Baker, and was suspected of the as
sassination of Tom Baker, who was
killed after the same fashion as the
Goebel murder, and Towards friends
believe hat these facts had much to
do with the making of the verdict
sentencing him to the gallows.