The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-04-24
An End Comes to Goebel Murder Cases. GOVERNOR WILSON
 H0N0RS PARDON PETITION
 - William $. Taylor and Chalies Fin- Icy Give Out Statement. Say Final Esd CT Terrible wress Ass rer.esss,en Of Insoesat Ms. shows There Is aesoa
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 Frankfort, Ky, April 2s-Gcvernqr George wiilson at o'clock this after noon. cleared the Kentucky court record, of all charges growing out of the murder In January. 1900, of Senator William Goebel. who was declared to have been elected Governor, except those hanging over states evtdence. with the alleged conspiracy by grant ing pardons before trial to former Governor W. S. Taylor and foru1er secretary of state Charles Finley. who have been fugftives of the State Of Indiana, for nine years: to John Powers, brother of Caleb Powers. who Is believed to be in Honduras; to H01- land Whitaker of Butler county: John Davis of Louisville and Zach Steele of Bell County under indictment and who did not flee the state.
 Those over whom indictments ara left hanging are Wharton Golden. ofs Knox county, now In Colorado; Prank Cecil of Bell County. now q railroad detective in St. Louis and William H. Cuiton. of owsley county. said to have died in the west few months ago.
 The cases with the possible exception of Cecil. will be dismissed leaving Henry B. Youtsey. now serving life sentence in the state penitehtIary. the only person to suffer for the taking , Vtt 0t 0OGVSAs ttt
 Youtsey Alone Chilly.
 Reiterating the belief he expressed some months ago. when he granted pardons to Caleb Powers and James B. Howard. that no one but Youfsey had part in the murder and that it was not a conspiracy. as the commonwealth charged, Governor Wilson says that be believes 1t q sacred duty which must not longer delay, to carry this belief into Hffaaf nA ayrm aA aN&k fr< men charged and who fled the state as they had the greatest reasons Co believe" that they ''couid not have a fair trial" And If they stayed hare would be forced to trial. before a paf- tisan jury, under conditions which would give them no chance at all for just decision.
 case, the governor. after reviewing tho. state gHbernatoriAi electipn of 1898 and the contest instituted before the leRia- lature by Senator William Cosbel. says.
 For years 1t seemed Asf there never would be an end of the poiitieal use of the Goebel murder. to keep up hatred and contention. In the cam paign of 1907 it was again brought ID as 1t had been In every campaign since 1899. by speeches in which 1t was claimed that the Democratic nominee Tor Governor. would not pardon Tav- Tor. Powers andN others and that ths Republican nominee would pardon them if elected
 Made No Pronsres.
 "I made no answer to these speeches, until I came to the home Of Powers In the mountains, where I told the people. his friends thAt would not prejudice these cases, that I would not promise anybody. either to pardon or not to pardon these men, but that if the cases ever came before me, would take them up officially and decide them upon their merits and that I was aa anxious for the conviction and punish nent of every person guilty Of tha murder of William Gcebel. as anyone in Kentucky.
 When the Powers and Howard ap- plications for pardon were presented. public hearing was had and the whole course of the prosecutions were thoroughly discussed and the theories of the prosecution and defense made perfectly clear and I became perfectly familiar with the whole case of the prosecution and defense.
 Governor Taylor's experience has been one of the saddest in the history of the commonwealth.
 Tn 1899 he was elected Governor Of Kentucky and reached the greatest honor that could have been within his brightest hopes. He was fulfilling ths duties faithfully. when this. tragedy and the storm of feeling following it. ruined the crowning glory of a useful life. overthrow the elected state government and put in peril. the safety Of the people"
 Governor Wilson's endorsement Of the pardon for ". s. Taylor. giving his Renerai conclusions In regard to the case, is a document two thousand words In length and opens by recount- ing the campaign for the Governorship which resulted in Taylor being return cd Governor by a plurality of about s. 900 votes. that being the official conrt by the election board composed of Democrats. This was followed. after some delay, by Goebefs contest brought before the Legislature. and while this was pending, Goebel was assassinated. Of the public turmoil that followed. the Governor in his en- dorsement says:
 "The murder of William Goebei de- Etroyed every chance of Governor Tay- lnr's winning the contest and every sensible man fNlt this at the time. No man of common sense or any knowledge of public feeling could have thought any other result possible. Tt was the worst crime in our history and 1t did more harm than any other mur- der ever commhtNeo m hSnHuchy. Eu~ ragged public opinion demanded ven geance. The General Assembly appropri- ated one hundred thousand dollars for the apprehension and conviction of the criminals and chose a commission to use the money. which drew Into the prosecution some men who were not a credit to the State.
 Give Out Statement.
 Indianapolis. Ind. April 2s-wilIiam $. Taylor and Charles Finley. one e former governor. and the other a for mer secretary of state of Kentucky. exiled for nine years. under the charge of oomplicity in the assassination of former Governor William doebeI Of Kentucky, cleseted themselves in Mir Taylor's office this evening as~ soon as they received word of their pardon. by Governor Wilson. and denied admit tance to inquirers until a late hour, They prepared a statement to the pub- iic in which they expressed their grati- tude for relief from a great burden and to their old friends in Kentucky and their new friends In Indiana,