The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1909-04-30
The End Of a Bloody Chapter.

From "Marse" Henri Wattersun.
The pardons issued by Governor
Wilson to all save the wretch, Y outsey,
who have been indicted for completely
in the murder of William Goebel, might
have been foreshadowed by the pardons
Issued to Powers and Howard. and may
therefore provoke no surprise; but the
act of executive clemency in advance
of trial will meet the approval only of
partisans incapable of conceiving IN
palatable truth, carrying with it the
tacit acceptance of the unknowing, the
unthinking and the Indifferent.
The case against ". S. Taylor, and
his immediate associates, seems to US
Overwhelmingly and conclusive. Who
actually discharged the weapon which
gave William Goebel his death stroke
has never been clearly established but
the mountain army assembled at
Frankfort that made assassination
readily possible and apparently safe,
the fatal shot which was fired from the
window Of Powers. private Office in-the
Executive Building, the instant en-
ve!opment of this Building occupied by
Taylor aud his friends by company of
their own troops held under arms FOR
emergency expected for that day and
hour, the refusal of Taylor and his adj
herents to admit the Civil Officers, or
to afford them any assistance, the state
of seige maintained by them against
intrusion for nearly a week, the par
dons issued by Taylor to Powers and
Others, the fight of Taylor, Finley and
the rest, point unerringly and with in
dex finger to guilt. There is no escape
from this conclusion for an unpreju-
diced mind.
Whether there was reasonable hope
of verdict that would hold in any Of
the cases, since so many mistrials had
followed the several convictions of
Powers, is question. Perhaps not !:
the passage of time dulling the edge
Of public interest, joined to the inter
position of party spirit, which rarely
sleeps and never dies, might be urged
and indeed is urged By Governor
Wilson for thus clearing the docket,
his purpose being, as he declares, ito
end the angry strife of years. That
remains for time to determine. We
cannot SO see ii. although not less than
the Governor the Courier-Journal
would itself be "a missionary of peace
and good will.
All that can be said in mitigation,
not justification, OF Taylor and his as
sociates, may be summed up in the
plea that party politics in Kentucky
had reached a state OF quasi civil war
that both sides had proceeded to great
excuses that to the tragic denoument,
each side had given itself over to pas
sion and had lost all sense of RESPONSE
biity and proportion; and that. during
a tension stretched to the breaking
point, there arose state of tempo
rary insanity finding the pretext, the
means and excuse for whatever ap-
peared to the infamed fancy of the
men in possession to be necessary to
maintain this position.
The original plan is alleged to have
been the killing Of Democrats enough
to create Republican majority. The
killing of Goebel was finally deemed
sufficient and he was accordingly shot
down. These things the Prosecution
claimed to be able to establish by
Youtsey's confession, and in that con-
nection it may not be forgotten that
the Republicans stood as savagely by
Youtsey, as by all the others. until he
confessed.
There were persons implicated whose.
names have never reached the public,
is the general belief, and this lays GER
tain basis for the plea that Taylor and
Finley and the others should not pay
49,