The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-04-30
WILSON'S PARDoNs.
Governor Clears Kentucky Court
Record in Famous Case.

| Record in Famous Case.
Frankfort, KY, April "a. Governor
Wilson at 5 O'Clock Friday afternoon
cleared the Kentucky court records OF
all charges growing out of the murder
in January, 1900, of Senator William
A. Goebel, who was declared to have
been elected Governor, except those
hanging over States evidence witnesses
in the alleged conspiracy, by granting
pardons before trial to former Governor
w. S. Taylor and former Secretary of
State Charles Finley, who have been
fugitives in the State of Indiana for
nine years; to John Powers, brother of
Caleb Powers, who is believed to be in
Honduras; to Holland Whitaker, of
Butler County; John Davis, of Louis
vile, and Zach Steele, of Bell County,
under Indictment and who did not flee
the State.
Those over whom indictments are left
hanging are Wharton Golden, of Knox
County, now in Colorado; Frank Cecil,
of Bell County, now a railroad detective
in st. Louis, and William H. Culton, of
Owsley County, said to have died in the
west few months ago. These cases,
with the possible exception of Cecil, will
be dismissed, leaving Henry E. Yout-
sey, now serving life sentence in the
penitentiary, the only person to suffer
for the taking off of Goebel
MURDER WAS NOT CONSPIRACY.
Reitterating the belief that he ex-
pressed some months ago when he
granted pardons to Caleb Powers and
James B. Howard, that no one but
Youtsey had part in the murder, and
that it was not a conspiracy, Governor
Wilson says that he believes it a sacred
duty which I must no longer delay to
carry this belief into effect. -
In extending clemency in the Taylor
case, the Governor, after reviewing the
Gubernatorial election of 1899, and the
contest instituted before the Legislature
by Senator William A. Goebel, says:
For years there seemed as if there
never would be an end of the political
use of the Goebel murder to keep up
hatred and contention. In the cam
paign of 1907 it was brought up as it
had been in every campaign since 1899
by speeches in which it was claimed
that the Democratic nominee for Gov
ernor would not pardon Taylor, Powers
and others, and that the Republican
nominee would pardon them if elected.
DECLARED HIMSELF ON STUMP.
l made no answer to those speeches
until l came to the home of Powers in
the mountains where told the people,
his friends, that / would not prejudice
these cases; that / would not promise
either to pardon or not pardon
these men; but that if the cases ever
came before me I would take them up
and decide them on their mer
it's and that was as anxious for the
conviction and punishment of every
person guilty Of the murder of William
Goebel as any one in Kentucky.
When the Powers and Howard ap-
plications for pardon were presented
public hearing was had and the whole
history and the course of the prosecu-
lions were thoroughly discussed and
became familiar with the whole case.
After that hearing the whole record
IF all the trials was faithfully read, and
after giving these cases the most impair
,ial consideration which the earnest wish
md purpose to decide rightly could give
hem, reached the firm and earnest
oelief that Powers and Howard were
not guilty and issued the pardon. +"