The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-14
Clemency for Famous Prisoners. ALLEGED sLAYERs
 OF GOVERNOR G0EBEL Kentucky Executive Gives Out His
 Reasons.
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Beseves Mercy to nen Who Have Been |. san Eight Years wfu Be Approved by Majority of
 People of state.

F
 Frankfort, Ky. June 1s--By an- nouncing the pardon today of Caleb
 Powers and James Howard, Governor Wilson closed the last chapter Of one of Kentucky's noted catastrophes m which the people of all sections oI tne United States have formally expressed their interest by signing petitions Tor pardon.
 In the closing days of January eight years ago, while the contest of William ssuebeI for the gubernatoriaI seat occu- pied by William s. Taylor. was being heard Goebel was shot. dying later lieved to have come from a half-opened window of the Secretary of States. of fee and as. Caleb Powers was then Secretary of State. suspicion fell on him and his arrest followed
 Four times had Powers been put on trial for his life on the charge of conn piicity in the ns1rder, three trials re- death being the penalty in two trials. On the fourth trial, which came after the case had been carried to the United States Court and had finally been ap- peaied to the United States Supreme Court, which turned it back to the State courts. the jury disagreed. and thereupon the effort of a pardon Tor Powers as well as for James Howard. who had been convicted some yearA ago on charges Of compiieitx were ra- newed.
 Many thousand signatures of people of all parties and all sections were apr pended to the petitions that poured in on Governor Wilson, who Tor several weeks has been considering the ease.
 Ills aecesfon was made known today in8 the shape of formal statement Of the pardon and his reasons therefor.
 Statement By Governor.
 Frankfort. ky, June 18.--e5overnqr Wilson gave out the following reasons for pardonsng Caleb Powers and |eraes
 "Application has been made to the governor for the pardon of Caleb Pow CTS who stands charged by indictment found in the Franklin Circuit court and afterwards transferred on change Of venue to the Scott Circuit court, charged with the crime of being ac- cessoFy before tte fact to the wilful murder of William Gosbel.'
 The application is substituted by pe- fitions recommending the pardon of the accused, signed by nearly 100000 persons some 240, 900 KentucIxians and large portion are democrats.
 sIt is not likely that at any time during my term of ofice shall be cali- ed upon to decide matters of graver importance than those presentel blythe applications for pardon of Caleb Pow CTS and James B. Howard. have giv- en to their consideration the most con- scientious and thorough investigation and thought in my power. I realize that whatever my decision may be, it will be harsllIy criticised.
 For more than eight years this group of cases has held the attention of the whole state. and indeed of the whole country. as no case in this state ever did before.
 "The murder of Senator Goebei de- stroyed remarkable life. brought the 1 deepest grief to his family and thou sands of friends who loved him. oyer- threw a whole state election. destroyed l the peace and good feeling of the state | for eight years set neighbor against l neighbor, made politics almost war; | stained the good name of Kentucky | and shocked the civilized world, <There l was. and is no shadow of excise or | palliation for this base crime. There | can be no mercy for any one guilty of | the murder or of aiding or abetting it; 1 but the more grave the crime, the more l serious is the responsibility of deciling l the question of guilt and the more irn- l peratve the duty of guarding against | injustice and wrong imposed under the | pressure of public excitement, passion 1 or prejudice.
 The sympathy which makes all | the world akin. of every good man and | woman is with the brothers kinsmen | and friends of the victim of the mur- derer. d
 T have not heard nor considered, | but have refused to consider any pri- | yate or secret request or appeal in l either of these eases. and have with out exception requested that all of the | proceedings should be heard public in | the presence of representatives of both | sides so that all should know every | thing to which any weight was given Tor or against the applications. and that all the world should have a | chance to judge that the reasons for | the decision were just and righteous |
 The Political Aspect.
 The conditions which existed when | the murder was committed bafrle | knowledge, and already after only | eight years, seem incredible The bit | ter struggle in the Democratic party had resulted in the election of the re- publican state officers and the issue of the certificates of election to them by TWO of the three members of the state board. all three being democrats. This was followed by a contest upon the two grounds of military intimidation in Louisville and tissue ballots with no real merit in either charge.
 There were threats and rumors that | the republican state officers were to De turned out of officefby fraud and vio- fence and they appealed to the people to protect them, and on the other side similar reports of intended violence were taken as true. The excitement increased as the contest went on and this was the reason for the constant fear that the passions and menace of the contest might any day suddenly break out in a clash which wouIl cause loss of life and disgrace Kentucky
 Reasonable men on both sides tried to quiet the excitement and to disprove the rumors and to maintain and uphold law and order. The state officers be- lieve that there was grave danger that the peoples election would wrongfully set aside anl that their lives were not safe and in some cases added fuel to later on return to plague them; but through all the storm the great body