The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-25
James Howard Gives Testimony
 far the Defense
ALL COMPLIC|TY DENIEO
Substance of Towards Testimony Is That He Never Knew Goebe, Taylor or Youtsey and Is
 Free of Guilt.

Georgetown, Ky, December A.-1t is
 now believed that the end of the Caleb
 Powers trial for the murder of William
 Goebel on January 20, 1900. is in sight
 and that the case will be given to the
 jury on Thursday. January 2. The most
 important of the many witnesses who
 testified was James Howard, who himself
 has been tried and convicted three times
 of complicity to the murder of William
 Goebel
 Howard emphatically denied any con-
 nection with the murder of Goebel, stat
 ing that at the time Goebel was shot
 he did not know and had never seen
 Goebel. Governor Taylor or Youtsey.
 A large crowd was in attendance at
 the opening of the trial today. Howard,
 however, was not introduced at the open
 ing, but the read of Gov. w. s. Taylor's
 depositlon which was begun late yestery
 day, was continued. Taylor, in his depo-
 sltion, made a general denial of the
 charges that he had any knowledge or
 participated in the plot to murder GoebeI,
 as made by Youtsey. Golden and Noakes.
 Two witnesses were next put on the
 stand These wore N. r. McGloQe. and L. M, HardgroYe.s, McGloye testified that eYoutsey, after his arrest and while in the Frankfort jail. admitted to him he had filed off key to Powers private office the day Goebel was killed and that Powers and Capt John Davis ought
 not to have accepted a pardon and left
 Frankfort, as somebody would think them
 guilty of the crime.
 Hardgrove stated that he saw Youtsey
 ata 1irpCt-
 ly after the shooting, hatless and coat
 less, with a pistol in his hand, and ap- parently very much excited. Hardgrove said he put the commonwealth In pos session of the these facts before Powers third trial but that he was not called 70 testify as witness.
 Sharps Testimony. Capt. stephen c. Sharp, United States district marshal and former state treas urer, was another Important witness. Captain Sharp said that directly after
 the shooting of Goebel he went to Gov. w. S. Taylor and offered his services to defend him. Governor Taylor directed him to take charge of the defense of tho building, which he did, not allowing anybody to enter. He said the protec- ton of the highest officer ot the state was more important than anything else. Captain Sharp startled the court and spectators by stating that three days before Goebel was shot he (Sharp) was
 given reliable information by prominent democrats that the democrats had or- dered 2000 guns, ammunition Tor the same' and that men would be on hand to man the guns and Taylor and other repub- can state officials would be forcibly elected from office. This, he said. was why armed republicans were about tho executive building. and why state troops had been notified to be in readiness to move, as he had communicated these facts to- both Governor Taylor and Adju- tant General Collier.
 Former State Treasurer w. R. Davld-
 son arrived here today from Eldorado,
 Ark, and will be a defense witness Howard on Stand. James Howard took the stand this aft- ernoon He said that at the time Goebel was shot he was in the public room "f the Board of Trade hotel at Frankfort A man named Robinson stepped out Tn front of the hotel and brought back the
 Information that Goebel was shot. lie
 and others In the room jumped up ana
 ran to the door, mortified at the news After the shooting Howard went with
 the others to the Capital hotel, but he did not see Goebel then, and in fact never saw him before to know him. Howard denied most emphatically that he had ever received d letter from Tayior or YOutsey asking nm 10 come to fTdnN- fort He did not know Taylor and had never seen him. The witness further
 said he did not know Youtsey and never saw him until both had been tried and continued and were in jail at Frankfort. Then he was introduced to Youtsey in
 the Frankfort jail by Mrs. Youtsey. Howard said he did not know he was charged with the assassination until he saw in the newspapers that he had been indicted About the same time a bench warrant had been sent to Clay county for his arrest. As soon as notified that he had been indicted he surrendered to | Sheriff White and accompanied him to | Frankfort Since then he had not had l days freedom. Howard most emphati- | cally denied that he was in the state house at any time during the morning Of ! January 30 when Goebel was shot; said 1 that he was not inside the executivs | building that morning. that he never saw i Governor Taylor or Youtsey and declared l that he had absolutely nothing to do with l the assassination.
 | Howard stated that he and Youtsey | were in jail together at Frankfort ana | before Youtsey made his confession tho | latter said to him:
 1 nHoward, so far as I know you are | innocent of any connection with the Goe- | bel assa ssination. but Arthur Goebel was 1 cruel and willing to see the Kentucky | river run with innocent blood" l Howard added: "Youtsey gave me io l affidavit: he knew nothing against me-. l Howard was not cross-examlned. | | Sai aoic