Evening star., 1909-04-24
ENDS "c0EBEl" CASE
Gov. Wilson PardonS TayI0r
and Finley.
FOUR OTHERS AFFECTED
Executive of Kentucky Gives Rea-
sons in Long Statement.
'YOUTsEY DIRECTLY GUILTY"
Exiles In Indiana Say They Hope to
Return to the Blue Grass
State.
"YOUTSEY DIRECTLY GUILTY.

FRANKFORT, KY. April 24.-w. s.
Taylor. deposed as Governor of Kentucky
in anuary, 1900: Charles Finley. who held
the Office of secretary OF state; John /.
Powers. OHM w. Davis. Zach" Steele
and Harlan Whitaker. all OF whom were
indicted for the murder OF William G0e.
bel, were pardoned before trial by Gov
Augustus E. Wilson late yesterday after.
noon.
Gov. Wilson has thus practically dis.
posed of the famous Goebel case, which
has played a prominent part in politics
since the assassination at Frankfort more
than nine years ago. He gave pardons
several months ago to Caleb Powers and
James Howard, both of whom had beer
convicted of the murder Of Goebel. Henr,
f. Youtsey Is serving life sentence 70,
the crime. but Gov. Wilson declares he
is directly guilty.
Taylor and Finley are now in Indiana
where they Ned Immediately after Goebe
died. John Powers, who is a brother OF
Caleb Powers, also left the state, and Il
believed to be in Honduras.
Governor Gives Reasons.
pages setting forth his reasons for no,
y.
the belief he expressed when he pardcned
Caleb Powers and James B. Howard, thai
no one but Youtsey had part in the mur-
der, and that it was not q conspiracy, az
the commonwealth charged.
"The only evidence In all the four trials
Of Powers and the three trials Of Howard
by which the prosecution in any way at
tempted to connect Gov. Taylor with the
murder" he says was the testimony as
to +, ,ic tn fA ~
Frankfort to kill William Goebel and
tending to show that Howard, on the re-
quest In that letter, did come to Frank
fort. entered into the plot and committed
the murder.
But Howard did not kill Goebel and
Gov. Taylor could not be guilty of get
ting Howard to do what he did not do.
From the fair impartial study of the re-
ports of all Of the trials, and from my
knowledge of the conditions Of those
lor had no guilty knowledge of the muir
der of William Goebel. and that he would
never have been indicted but for political
excitement and passion"
No Attempt to Prosecute.
Gov. Wilson states that no demand has
been made on him by the commonwealth
for requisition to bring the fugitives back
to Kentucky. and 1t is evident that no at
tempt will be made to prosecute them.
Steele, Davis and Whitaker never left
the state, and although they were In Gus
tody for some time, they were not brought
to trial. Not ono of those pardoned today
has ever been tried on tho indictment
found against them. After Taylor and
Finley hed to Indiana the governor Of
that state declined to grant requisition
for their return. and succeeding gov
ernors followed his example.
These pardons end one of the most re-
markable cases In the history of the south.
William Goebel. democrat, was assassi-
mated in front of the Kentucky state
capitol while he was contesting the elec-
ton of w. 8. Taylor to the governorship.
The contest had caused great excitement.
and thousands OF men were armed, ready
for trouble.
Flee Across the Border.
The legislature deposed Taylor. and he
and Finley were indicted on a charge of
completely in the murder. They both
fed across the Ohio river into Indiana.
Caleb Powers then assistant secretary OF
state, was arrested and charged directly
with the murder. He was convicted
twice for first degree murder, but Gov.
Wilson pardoned him. He is now on
lecturing tour through the country.
Requisitions for Taylor and Finley by
three democratic governors OF kentucky
were refused by three republican execu-
tives in Indiana. When Gov. Wilson,
who 10 a republican, was elected 1t was
forecast that an end would be put to the
whole case. One OF his first acts was
the pardoning of Caleb Powers.