Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-14
CALEB POWERS
AND S.HOWARD
ARE PARDONED
GOVERNOR WILSON BELIEVES
BOTH INNOCENT
CASE HAS BEEN IN PUBLIC EYE
EIGHT YEARS
Former Kentucky Secretary of state
Four Times Tiled for Killing of
Goebel and Twice Con-
demned to Death
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
FRANKFORT, KY, June 13.-By an
nouncing the pardon today OIL Caiep
Powers and James Howard, Governor
Wilson closed the last chapter IN one
of the most noted criminal cases IN tne
history of this state, in which peopie
all over the United States have 1or-
maily expressed their interest by Sign
ing petitions for pardon.
In the closing days of January eight
years ago, while the contest OF VIII
liam Goebel for the gubernatorial seat
occupied by Governor Taylor was De-
ing held Goebel was shot, dying later
from his wound.
The shot was believed to have come
from a half open window or the SEE
rotary of states office, and as Caiep
Powers was then filing that position
suspicion was at once directed to"aru
him and his arrest followed.
Four times has Powers been put on
trial for his life on the charge of com
plicty in the murder, the first three
trials resulting in conviction ana SEN
tence, "a death being the penalty In TWO
trials
on the fourth trial, which came after
the case had been carried to the United
States court, being finally appealed 10
the supreme court, which sent 1t back
to the state courts, the jury dlsasreeu
and thereupon the efforts for a pardon
for Powers as we'll as for James HoW-
ard, who had been convicted some
years ago on a charge of completely
were renewed.
Thousands Sign Petition
Many hundreds of thousands OF sig,
natures of people or all parlIes aiu
from all sections of the country were
appended to the petitions that poured
in on Governor Wilson. who for sew
eral weeks has been considering the
case His decision was made known
today in the shape of formal state
ment of the facts and MS reasons
therefor, as follows:
Application has been made to the
governor for the pardon or Caiep
Powers. who stands charged by IN
dictment found In the Franklin circuit
court and afterward transferred on
change of venue to the scout county
court with the crime OF being access
sorry before the fact to willful murder
of William Goebel.
The application is supported by Pc.
.titions recommending the PARDON o OF
the accused, signed by nearly ooo,ooV
persons,ssUpe 24O,ooo hen.ucn avats o'''
at is not likely that any time during
my term of office / shall be called
upon to decide matters OF graver I'M
portance than those presented by the
applications for pardon of CaleD POW
and James ID. I1OW AieN
given to their consideration the most
careful, conscientious and thorough IN
vestigation in my power, | realize that
whatever my decision may be 1t Will
he harshly criticised. For more than
eight years this group of cases mas
held the attention of the whole state
and indeed of the whole country as
no cases in this state ever did before.
Remarkable Life Destroyed
"The murder of Senator Goebel de-
stroyed a remarkable life, brought the
deepest grief to his family ana tnou-
sands of friends who loved him; over
threw whole state election, destroyed
the peace and good feeling of the state
for eight years, set neighbor against
neighbor, made politics almost war,
stained the good name of Kentucky
and shocked the civilized world. There
was and is no shadow of excuse or
palliation for this base crime. There
can be no mercy for anyone guilty or
the murder or aiding or abetting 1t,
but the more grave the crime the more
serious is the responsibility of decid-
ing the question of guilt and the more
imperative the duty of guarding against
injustice and wrong impression under
the pressure of pubic excitement, pas
sion or prejudice.
1.-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 muir
der l have not heard nor considered,
but have refused to consider any pri-
vate or secret request or appeal in
either of these cases, and have with
out exception required that all of the
proceedings should be heard publicly
in the presence of representatives on
both sides, that all should know every
thing to which any weight was given
for or against the applications and all
the world should have chance to
judge that the regulations of the de-
cision were just and righteous.
1.-THE conditions which existed when
the murder was committed battle de-
scription, and already, after only eight
years, seem incredible. The bitter
struggle In the Democratic party had
resulted in the election of Republican
state officers and the issuance of GER
tificates of election to. them by two
of three members of the state election
board, all three being Democrats. This
was followed by contest on the grounds
of military intimidation in LouisvilH
and miscounting of ballots, with no real
merit in each charge.
Rumors of Fraud
"There were rumors of threats that
the Republican state officers were to be
turned out of office by fraud and vio-
lence and they appealed to the state to
protect them, and on the other side
similar reports of intended violence
were taken as true. The excitement
i increased as the contest went on, and
1 there was reason for the constant fear
4 that the passions and menace of the
contest might any day break out In a
n flash which would cause loss of life and
disgrace Kentucky.
Reasonable men on both sides tried
Ito quiet the excitement and disprove
the rumors and to maintain and up
hold law and order. The state officers
believed there was grave danger that
the peoples election would be wrong
Fully set aside and that their lives were
hot safe, and in some cases added fuel
Ito the flames by their excited talk,
(which later on returned to plague them
selves, but through all the storm the
great body of the people and most Of
the members of the general assembly
kept their senses and went on under
Tho constitution and law and the whole