The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-10-05
FROM MOUNTAIN TO STATE CAP
ITAL AND THENCE TO CELL
FOR MURDER OF GOEBEL.
Four Trials and Three Convictions

Pardoned by Republican Governor
He Makes Canvass For Nomi-
nation to Seat in Congress and
Overwhelmingly Defeats the In
cumbent.
From the forests and the noun
tains Of Kentucky to the position of
secretary of state at Frankfort; from
the state capitol to a grated cell;
from the grated cell to the very
shadow of the gallows; from the
shadow of the gallows again to the
grated cell; from the grated cell
back to the forests and the noun
tains of Kentucky; from the forests
. and mountains to the halls of con-
gress at Washington. This in brief
SIS the history of Caleb Powers.
Seldom does human life contain
so much of struggle for advancement
from humble beginnings, so much of
tragedy and of pathos and so re-
markable a rehabilitation in public
honor. Caleb Powers will be a re-
markable figure in Washington, not
alone because of his native and cul-
tiyated ability, but because of the
fact that for eight long years he was
immuTed in a prison cell fighting to
escape life Imprisonment or eXecu-
ton for a crime of which half the
people of Kentucky believe him gull
ty and the other half believe him
absolutely innocent.
The minds of newspaper readers
will instantly go back to that tragic
day in January, 1900, when William
GOebel was ruthlessly shot down
from ambush as he was walking to
ward the state capitol at Frankfort
Goebel and w. S. Taylor, the former
a democrat and the latter a repub-
lican, had been opposing candidates
for governor, and each claimed cleo
ton. Taylor was given the certifi-
cate of election and was in possession
of the capitol and Caleb Powers was
his secretary of state. AS Goebel,
whom the legislature on contest had
declared to be elected, walked across
the grounds leading to the capitol
there rang out a shot from the win
dow of the Office of the secretary
of state, and Goebel fell MORALLY
wounded. The murder created a ma
tional sensation, and for many years
the state of Kentucky was split into
two bitter factions. Gov. Taylor
fed to a neighboring state, and new
his native Kentucky. But before he
fed he issued pardon for Powers,
who was accused of completely in the
assassination, though he was proved
to have been many miles away at the
time of the shooting. A singular
and accusing feature of the pardon
was the fact that it was written be-
fore Powers was captured or even
accused. and was on his person
when he was arrested
After GOebel's death and Taylor's
flight the democratic lieutenant gov
ernOr took the oath of Office and
served his term Following the
tragedy there came a succession of
trials, in the course of which several
men were found guilty of completely
in the murder and at least one
Henry K. Youtsey-is now serving
a life sentence.
The bitterest of feeling prevailed
The democrats believed that there
had been a foul plot in which Gov.
Taylor participated to assassinate
Goebel and to retain power by force.
The republicans denied the existence
of the plot, and maintained that the
democrats, headed by Geobel, had
tried to steal the state, and that the
shooting was done by an over-en-
thusiastic and irresponsible guard
among those drawn to the capital
from the mountain adherents of
Taylor and Powers.
Caleb Powers was tried for muir
der, and was sentenced to imprison-
ment for life. He appealed and 9
second trial resulted in another con.
viction and a second sentence to life
Imprisonment. A third trial fol
lowed, and this time the brilliant
young mountaineer was sentenced tc
be hanged. His followers contend