Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-28
The Pardons in Kentucky.

Another chapter, and, let us hope
the closing one of all, has been written
in the 1O-year serial known in Ken
lucky as the Goebel murder. Govern.
er Wilson. the Republican executive
of that state, has pardoned the last OF
those indicted, or convicted, in con-
nection with the shooting of Governor
Goebel, except Henry Youtsey who is
positively known to have fired the shot
and who has told SO many and such
utterly divergent stories that nobody
knows whether he was the sole prin-
cipal or had numerous accessories in
the plot.
This whole Goebel affair will take its
place in history as one of the most re-
markable of American political contro-
versies. The pardoning Of Ex-Govern-
or Taylor by Governor Wilson is the
just and logical thing after the pardon
given Caleb Powers and James Howard
who were charged with the same Of
Tense. The only difference is that
Powers and Howard had been tried,
the former four times under notorious
ly partisan and unfair conditions, while
Ex-Governor Taylor and others now
benefited by executive clemency have
never been tried at all but have been
in exile in Indiana, whose governors
have in turn refused to honor the re-
QUESTION papers of the Kentucky au-
thorities.
It. is nearly 10 years since the trag-
edy occurred which shook Kentucky
to it's foundations and resulted in the
bloody and disgraceful complications
which are such blot upon the his
tory Of that state. Taylor, Republican,
had been elected governor over Goebel,
Democrat, who had devised an infa-
nous law to secure his own reelection.
The Democratic legislature used its
power to throw out enough returns to
seat Goebel. and just at this crisis he
was shot in the streets of Frankfort
while approaching the state capitol.
On his death bed he was sworn in as
governor, and when he died few days
later he was succeeded by Beckham,
VINO had been the candidate for lieu
tenant governor on the unsuccessful
Democratic ticket. Although clearly
defeated at the polls the Democratic
party now came into complete control
of state affairs and the murder of
GOebel was made a political question.
Then followed the arrest of Caleb
Powers who had been elected secre-
tary of state, the voluntary surrender
of others who We're suspected of being
concerned in the crime. and the flight
of Governor Taylor and others from
the state on the ground that they could
not hope for fair trial in Kentucky.
The man who actually fired the shot,
Henry Youtsey, was speedily sem
fenced to prison where he now remains.
The trials of Powers and Howard were
VIGOROUSLY partisan and the highest
court of Kentucky, with the majority
of it's members Democratic, three times
on appeal gave Powers a new trial.
A strong feature OF the case against
the men who have been SO cruelty pros
ecuted is the fact that Taylor and
Pcwers-one of them the honestly
elected governor and the other secre-
tary of state-had everything to lose
and did lose everything by the death
of Goebel. To charge them with hav-
ing a hand in his assassination was
simply to charge them with commit
ting official suicide, but partisan spirit
ran so high that their lives have been
in danger all these 10 years and under
Democratic rule Kentucky has been
acting like d section of the middle ages
transrlanted into goth century America.
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