Joshua Smalley et al. to Thomas E. Bramlette

Accession Number

KYR-0001-004-0226

Document Genre

Petition

Repository

Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

Collection

Office of the Governor, Thomas E. Bramlette: Governor's official correspondence file, petitions for pardons, remissions, and respites 1863-1867

Item Location

BR8-350 to BR8-51B

Date of Creation

6 November 1863

Dates Mentioned

1863-09-20

1863-11-06

To His Excellency Thomas E Bramlette Governor of Ky

At the present Term of the Harrison circuit court Geo Sidle was indicted & found guilty upon trial before a petit jury of Killing Richard Jamison in sudden heat & passion and by the jury his term of sevice in the State Prison was fixed for the term of two years & Eleven Months The proof showed beyond question that Sidle & Jamison were & had been for many years intimate friends; that Sidle & his son Chas Sidle about the 20^th of Septr 1863 left the town of Cynthiana to go home & were overtaken by Rich^d & Lewis Jamison when the others were about one mile & a half from town; that Lewis Jamison & Chas Sidle paired off & rode together & that Geo Sidle & Rich Jamison rode together & that they had proceeded half a mile or more without any unfriendly talk when Rich Jamison was heard to say that I did not bring the glandered horse into the neighborhood; that I do not believe that you believe it and any man that says that I did is a damned liar. ^Geo^ Sidle said I believe that you did it and that you believe it; that my horse took it from him. Jamison then said damn your old horse he never ran with mine. Geo Sidle then said he was with him. Jamison remarked that if Sidle did not take back what he had said that
he would take him off of his horse Geo Sidle said Dick I did not intend to insult you but I do not intend to take anything back. Jamison caught Sidle by the coat collar, pulled him off of his horse & both came to the ground together on their feet. Sidle^s horse turned square round to the left. He drew a pistol which Chas Sidle saw & he at once got off his horse & ran & got hold of the pistol near the Centre of the barrel which Rich Jamison caught the pistol near the muzzle & held it in nearly a perpendicular position. Chas Sidle tried to keep the pistol in a position so that if it went off no one would be injured; that the muzzle was below the ~~face~~ ^chin^ of Rich^d Jamison two or three inches- that there was a struggle between Geo Sidle and R Jamison for the possession of the pistol which was a revolver and in the struggle it went off — the ball struck Rich Jamison near the ^left^ Corner of his mouth in the lower lip, & ranged horizontally through the jaw bone under the tongue & lodged against the neck bone Jamison died in about half an hour. Sidle^s first exclamation was why Dick has Shot himself ^why did you let me shoot him^ and said that he intended to go to town & give himself up to be tried. These facts were deposed to by Sidles son & Jamisons
brother. The Condemned man is about 55 years of age, is in humble circumstances and has uniformly born the character of a peaceable quiet upright and Exemplary Citizen. He surrendered himself immediately after the occurrence to the Coroner of Harrison County. Taking into Consideration the character of Geo Sidle, his age and the great doubt how the pistol went off in the struggle for its possession & the fact that Jamison held the barrel near the muzzle & thereby the control of the direction of the bullet and in a sudden jerk towards him self may have pulled the trigger against the finger of sidle who held the handle we the undersigned Citizens of Harrison County recommend said Sidle your Clemency and ask that his punishment & sentence be remitted
November 6^th 1863 —

Joshua smalley
SAmeul BlackBurn
John Maddox
Flemin Cummins
R S Holmes
Ben Cummins
Lewis Coppage
D H Van Hook
Robert Jones

James, Y. Tebbs
JohnR. Smith
J Browne Nichols
James F Ware. Clk. H. Circt. Ct
F. F. Wiglesworth
John, Warry
W, S, Haviland
F. G. Veach

Geo. W. Dunn
John. Douglass
H D Peck
J F L St Thomas
Jn Robitzen
M,, Maringed
J W Peck
John Wright
J. Q. Ward.
J L Mayer
W A Stewart
J Newton Smith
John N Crenshaw
H C Nebel
Dan^l Grandbeck
David Dills
Amos Ammerman
Charles Reable
Wash Bruce
Hugh M Levi
Tho^s B Arnett
T, R, Rankin
John Bruce Jailor, H. C
Frank Box
E Baly
W^m Nesbit
M T Smith
J. E. Dickey
H Nesbit
N. Curtis
F Gray
C. T. Delling
Joseph Scott
W^m Conner
Levi Hukic
Robert Thompson
Wm Thomson

C. Ammerman
C,, F Hendricks
J, H, Hendricks
Elijah Hendricks
W^m anderson

M. J. Rankin
Robert Scott
Edward Garnett
John Baggett
W^m Lowry
W^m J. Tucas
John M Stump
H^a B Shields
Lewis Veatch
C. G. Land
J. H. Medd Smithe
zack. Bates
Thomas D Bassett
Lewis Wolfe

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