Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-07-21
THE CASE OF CALEB POWERS

THE CASE OF CALEB POWERS.
He 10 to be Tried Now In the Federal
Court.
In January. 1900. the town Of Frank
fort, KY, which is the capital Of the
state, was in a condition bordering on
riot There was tremendous excitement
and the streets were filled with desper-
ate men, some Democrats, some Re-
publicans. bent on settling the politi-
cal controversy growing out Of the
election of November, 1899, by violence
and blood. The Republican governor
had called out the militia, and the cap
itol grounds. In which were located the
Legislative halls and the executive Of
fees, was an armed camp. The Re-
publicans and the -Goebel Demo-
Gratis had carried the election Of 1899
in spite Of the Goebel election law; the
Republican officials had been inducted
into Office. including the governor, VIII
liam 8. Taylor. The Democrats. hav-
ing the requisite majorities In both
branches Of the Legislature, were deter
mined to reverse the decision OF the
people. and to that end contests had
been instituted. The wonder Is that
100 men were not killed.
There was a man there named Yout-
sey. a stenographer connected with
some one of the executive departments.
He seems to have been a thorough de-
generate. and drunk besides. He made
many threats and sat around with a
eun In his lap. the very gun with which
Goebel was killed. II Is said that he
was a dead shot. and the man who
killed Goebel must have been good
marksman. He had key to the room
from the window Of which Goebel was
killed. and the Democrats have always
Insisted that Caleb Powers gave him
the key, and 1t is certain that the room
was part Of Powers's Office.
II VIM. s. Taylor or Caleb Powers, or
both Of them, had gone before magis-
trate and made affidavit to the threats
uttered by Youtsey and had had him
arrested and held to bail, Goebel would
not have been assassinated. Kentucky
would have escaped a great deal Of
trouble and a great deal Of disgrace.
That was not done, Goebel was killed
by a shot fired from Caleb Powers's
window. The Republicans say Youtsey
fred 1t. The Democrats say Jim How
ard fired It, No matter who did 1t, the
act became a political question. It
made Goebea a martyr and It restored
Democratic supremacy In Kentucky.
Nobody was surprised when Goebel
was shot. He had deprived very
proud and a very Jealous people OF the
right to hold their own elections. For
more than century that common
wealth had been a self governing COM
munity. Goebel had changed all that
and was proceeding to make his will
the supreme law Of the state. He would
have met the fate he did in Texas or
Mississippi sooner than he met 1t In
Kentucky. He would have met the
same fate in Vermont or Massachu-
setts. When he instituted the contest,
he threw the gravest responsibilities on
the Republican state officials. Each
of them was the creature Of w. Cod
frey Hunters disreputable political
machine. They were pygmies, set
where giants should have been.
Well, they arrested Caleb Powers,
who was fleeing in disguise. He had a
pardon in his pocket, signed by Tay-
lor. All his friends could have wished
that he had not been in disguise, and
that he had not had that pardon. He
was indicted and tried. The trial was
mockery Of justice. 1t was a purely
political affair. There was enough per-
jury In the testimony to sink the Brit
ish navy. The jury was entirely DEM
ocratic and entirely partial. The rul-
ines Of the court nullified the law so
far as 1t made a Republican eligible to
jury service in that case. Nobody was
surprised when the verdict was guilty;
everybody was surprised when the
death penalty was not part OF 1t.
That. however. was cured In subse-
quent verdicts.
They also tried Jim Howard, and by
a partisan and partial jury. Before
they could find him guilty they had to
believe that w. s. Taylor. while gov
or or of Kentucky, was guilty OF the
colossal stupidity of writing Howard
a letter In which he agreed to pardon
Howard for killing one Baker If he
would come to Frankfort and kill Goe-
bel. They had to believe that
Howard Immediately went to Frank
fort, met Youtsey. an entire stranger,
q few minutes after he arrived; that
Youtsey gave him the gun, placed him
at the window, pointed out Goebel, who
was Just entering the capitol grounds,
and that Howard killed him. No inter-
view with Taylor to find out II the
letter was genuine. and, In addition to
that the man who was killed was an
entire stranger to Howard. Thus he
shot a stranger on the word OF anotner
stranger that the man he was shoot
ing was the right man to shoot. The
whole story Is absurd and 1t Is the sto-
ry of Youtsey, who turned states evil
dence.
They tried Youtsey. found him
guilty, and sent him to the penitentia-
ry. 1t is claimed by Powers. that Yout-
sey was subjected to the torture until
he agreed to testify for the prosecu-
ton. Be that as 1t may, he confessed
that he had lied about 1t before he was
Ia.Aa nharo uas snma sort of