The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-04-24
STRUNG Up BY
HIS TEUABS
And Forced TO Sign False AT.
fidav.t Against Powers
Reiterates Statement Tut Henry
Youtsey Confessed 70 him That
He Killed Goebel.

sion vi II lCb PVN'srS, }. G. Martin
alias John Roser.un who Was sent Ia
the peni;eniiary under The lal,r name
from Newport, Ky, but whose 81
tence expired the past February, cor.
roborates the story of Mrs. JeaniC
Gentry of this city says the Lexing-
ton Leader relative 10 Yout-
sey's confession made 10 him in the
peniteniiary to the effect that he
alone shot Goebel and that Howard
and Powers had no connection with
the crime.
When Mrs. Gentry's story was first
published several months ago an eff
fort was made to discredit it and she
was indicted by the Franklin grand
jury along with Caleb Powers, Ator-
ney Howard NJ. Benton of Newport,
and David Cushing, of Somerset. for
subornation of perjury for her part
in procuring this important piece of
testimony from Rogerson then a con-
vict, and Rogerson was also forced by
threats of punishment at the hands
of prison officials as he has since de-
clared to sign a vigorous denial of
the confession attributed to him, in
order to discredit Mrs. Gentry.
After Rogerston's release he made
a sensational affidavit, telling how
he was forced under torture of
the Frankfort penitentiary officials,
to brand Mrs. Gentry's story as false
and now he is free man again,
he reiterates his statement as to Yout-
sey's confession to him while in pris-
on and throws new light on this
phase of the case not hitherto publish
, ed, fully sustaining Mrs. Gentry's
story.
Rogerson's affidavit which is pub
lished in full in the Cincinnati Com
mercial Tribune of Friday is very
gratifying TO Mrs. Gentry and
her friends here who believed all the
time that she was animated by only
the most generous motives in the
assistance she volunteered to Powers
and Howard and this affidavit it is
thought will have the effect of nulli-
flying the indictment against her now
pending in the Franklin Circuit Court
or rather be such strong vindication
as to clear her of the charge against
her.
Briefly Martin or Rogerson in his
iah nhnIit twantU
pages says that what he told Mrs.
Gentry relative TO Youtsey making
confession TO him in prison to the
effect that he (Youtsey) shot Goebel
and that Howard and Powers had no
connection with the crime, was true
and that he was forced TO afterwards
sign a denial after being subjected TO
torture by certain prison officials. This
torture, he says consisted of being
strung up by the thumb for days and
being fed on only bread and water
Seeing he says that he was complete
ly at the mercy of his tormentors and
that they could visit any kind Of in
dignities upon him he after suffering
torture for several days was willing
to sign a denial which prepared was
brought to him. After this he says
that his treatment was more humane.
He then dwells at some length on
the confession made TO him by Iout-
sey in the prison saying tina this con-
fession was during snatches of con-
versation they had and also in letters
written to him by Youtsey and pass
ed to him on the prison grounds
These letters said to be in Youtsey's
own handwriting are now claimed to
be in possession of a friend of Mar
tin. or Rogerson in New York and
Martin after making the affidavit for
Powers and his attorneys few days
ago, left for New York 1t is under
stood to procure these letters. If
they can be found and If they are as
claimed they will undoubtedly throw
new light on the Powers and Howard
cases.
The contention of the defense at
torneys all along has been that Yout-
sey fired the fatal shot that killed Sen
ator Goebel and that Howard and
Powers had no part in the commits
mission of the crime. II these letters
which Martin or Rogerson, alleges were
written to him by Youtsey in which
the latter-confesses the crime can be
found they will undoubtedly be an
important revelation in these now
celebrated cases.
Mrs. Jennie Gentry when seen by
a Leader reporter at her apartments
in the Merrick Lodge building. Stat
ed that she had read John CA
ed that she had read John c..
Martins or Rogerson's late affidavit,
and that it substantiated every state
ment previously made by her. She
further stated that Rogerson had gone
to New York in quest of the Yout-
sey letters and hoped to be able to
produce them. Mrs, Gentry will go