Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-04-29
EX-GOV. TAYLOR
Is PARDONED.
figured Prominently In Assassination
Of William GOeb0l in Frankfort,
Ky, in 1900.

Frankfort, KY, April Ex-Governor
Wilson today cleared the Kentucky
court records of all charges growing out
OF the murder in January, 1900, of Sen
ator William Goebel, who was declared
by the legislature 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 for Secretary of State Charles Fin
ley, 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 Hol-
land Whitaker, of Butler county; John
Davies, of Louisville, and Zach Steele,
OF Bell county, who did not fee 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 recently.
These cases, with the possible excep-
ton of that against Cecil, will be dis
missed, leaving Henry E. Youtsey, now
serving life sentence in the State pen
ltentiary, the only person to suffer for
the assassination of Goebel.
Reiterating the belief he expressed
several months ago when he pardoned
Caleb Powers and James B Howard.
that no one but Youtsey had part in the
murder, and that it was not conspira-
cy, as the commonwealth charged. Gov
ernor Wilson says in the memorandum
attached to the pardons that he believes
IL 3 sacred duty" to pardon the men
VINO fled the State, as they "had the
greatest reasons to believe" that they
could not have fair trial"
In extending clemency in the Taylor
case the Governor, after reviewing the
state gubernatorial election in 1899 and
the contest instituted before the legis-
lature by Senator William Goebel, saws
that when the Powers and Howard ap-
plications for pardon were presented to
him, public hearing was held and he
became thoroughly familiar with the
whole case of the prosecution and de-
fense.
After that hearing" continues the
Governor, "the whole record of all of
the trials, with the opinion of the Court
of Appeals, was faithfully read and
after giving these cases the most i'm
partial consideration which the earnest
wish and purpose to decide rightly could
give them, I reached the firm and earn
est belief that Powers and Howard we're
not guilty, and issued the pardons. The
study of these records constrained me
to believe, to the exclusion of doubt.
that Howard did not fire the shot which
killed Goebel.
THE only evidence in all of the four
trials of Powers and the three trials of
Howard by which the prosecution in any
way attempted to connect Governor
Taylor with the murder was the testi-
mony as to his writing to get Howard
to come to Frankfort to kill William
Goebel and tending to show that How
ard, on the request in that letter, did
come to Frankfort, entered into the
plot and committed the murder.
But Howard did not kill Goebel, and
Governor Taylor would not be guilty of
getting Howard to do what he did not
do.
From the fair, impartial study of
the reports of all of the trials and from
my knowledge of the conditions of these
times, believe that Governor William
S. Taylor had no guilty knowledge of
the murder of William Goebel and that
he would never have been indicted but
for political excitement and passion.
Governor Taylor had the greatest
to believe that he could not
have fair trial, that he would be
thrown from his position of governor of
this commonwealth into the common
jail and that he would be forced to trial
before a partisan jury under conditions
which would give him no chance for a
just decision.
HE had large family, all wholly
dependent on his labor, and decided that
it was his duty not to submit to trial
under these conditions, and he went to
Indiana.
Governor Taylor's experience has
been one of the saddest in the history of
the commonwealth. In 1899 he was
elected Governor of Kentucky and
reached the greatest honor that could
have been within his brightest hopes.
He was fulfilling the duties faithfully
when this tragedy and the storm of
feeling following it ruined the erowning
glory of a useful life, overthrew the
elected state government and put in
oeril the safety of the people.
IL am absolutely sure that Gov. Will