The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1903-04-24

the shot that killed Gov. VIM. GoeDei
is again on trial at Frankfort, and be-
cause Of the universal interest in the
matter we publish below a synopsis of
the new evidence produced.
FRANK CEcGb OF BELL COUNTY
An important witness who hfs not
testified before is Frank Cecil a former
deputy sheriff of Bell county He ~is
nnder indictment for completely in the
assassination and only recently return
ed from California and surrendered to
the authorities He said he came home
because he was tired of dodging around
as a fugitive and also because his aged
father insisted upon his return.
Without promise Of immunity from
the Commonwealth, or the hope Of il,
Cecil went voluntarily upon the witness
stand aud told hisstory ina all Of its hor-
rible details. Cecil told the jury that
the only plan ever laid by the Republi-
cans headed by Taylor and Powers for
settlement Of the gubernatorial con-
test was to bring about the death of
Goebel; that no other plan was talked
Of. that the bringing Of the lawless
army Of / 500 men was 10 accomplish
no other purpose aud that he received
his information and knowledge Of the
intentions Of Taylor and Powers from
their own lips
! He told Of conversations had with
Taylor and Powers on the evening Of
the day before the fatal shot was fired,
and held in the executive Offices, in
which they told him Of the necessity for
the commission Of the crime the next
day to prevent the loss to them OF their
Offices and that the sum Of So 500, left
over from the Republican State cam
lpaign fund Of the year 1899, was in
iraylor's hands, and that he, Taylor
was ready to pay it to the man whc
could he secured To FIRE the shot that
would remove Goebel He said that
they assured him that the assassin, in
addition to getting this blood money
would receive free and full pardon
signed by Taylor as Governor and
would be given protection until HI
could get back to his mountain home
lin which it would be impossible to ar
rest him
Cecil says that in the conversation
had with Caleb Powers, which precede,
that had with Taylor by only a few
minutes, Powers said to him that h,
had an arrangement with mountain
man, who was due the next morning
to do the killing, but the necessity 70
putting Goebel out of the way on Janu
airy 80 was so urgent that he wanted t
arrange with Cecil to have this man
place supplied in the event Of his fail
ure TO arrive. This man, as the Con
monwealth claims did arrive in th
person Of jim Howard and did FIRE th
shot which robbed Goebel Of his life.
Cecil SAYS that Powers referred to
man across the hallway of the Execr
tive building mcaning Henry p You
s,y), aud said that this man had otfere
ta do the shooting but that he Powers
I had refused that offer, as the man wa
! not one whom he could afford to tru'
with such an important matter, Il
SAYS toward the close Of the conyersi
tion which he had with Taylor and NJ
on his telling TAYLOR that he would n,
! undertake to assassinate Goebel, Tayl'
0 said to him that ne must never te
\ what had occurred between them, for
g he did tell of it, he, Taylor, would $,
/ that the witness never lived to tell
a agaiu in the courtroom.
o Cecil is a typical mountain man
. appearance has strong face and clea
eli features and sharp eye. He to
his story in calm way, without I
y least excitement or annoyance, ey'
under rigorous cross-examination- a
IS was altogether the coolest man in I
o. courtroom during the recital. He q
=, swered all questions addressed to h
without the slightest hesitation and i
, pressed his hearers with the idea IL
W he was telling the truth. His story,
l. the whole and in detail, fits in so uic,
a' with all the other important eyidel
l. which the Commonwealth has gather
to in these Goebel murder cases that il
to convincing The witness didn't kn
n that Henry Broughton, of Bell coun
had recommended him as n good m
:. 10 kill Goebel, but told of Powers sci
ing for him a few days later and pra'
~ cally offering him the job of assass
with pay and full pardon in advance
- On discrimination Cecil told W
re the same frankness as he displayed
in direct examination, all about hims
al and his part in the matter shield
he nothing.
IA Cecil did not deny that for mon
49, before he ran away from Kentucky
with others in the mountains, init
y dated witnesses sought by the Comm
'n- wealth in these cases, in efforts to k
OF them from giving the officers any I'M
I'm nation. He said that living in the
m hon of Kentucky from which he col
he is dangerous for a man seen in CON
ence with Commonwealth officers
ar. these cases, or who has once bee
y Commonwealth's witness before
courts of this district
He cited as an instance the Shoot
in the courthouse at Pineville Inst "
of Brantley Smith, Commonweal
witness and a man who has been ol
sistance to its officers in these ca
ing smith, he said, was shot by Jim Hor
.vrr United Sintes Deputy Marshal,
ths difficulty growing out of Smiths IL
ras, est in the Goebel case. He said
isIn Horine, for the same reason attcm
and to shoot Ike Hopkins, another Conn
NJ, wealths witness, Outside the &C
49,. f,...l t..I1 80 a., utfa,.,,.t ,.,uf