Garrett Davis to Thomas E. Bramlette

Accession Number

KYR-0001-004-0257

Document Genre

Correspondence

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

BR8-406 to BR8-407

Place of Creation

Cynthiana, Harrison County, Kentucky

Date of Creation

11 November 1863

Dates Mentioned

1863-11-11

Cynthiana 11^th Nov 1863
His Excellency Thos. E. Bramblet
Sir

George Sidle was convicted at the present Term of the Harrison Circuit Court of man slaughter in haveing killd Richard Jameson. I was one of Sidle's counsel. The proof in substance was that the parties had been neighbors & friends for many years. Sidle & his son were rideing home from Cynthiana, and were overtaken on the public road by Jameson & his brother. That there had been no difference or enmity between them & that they rode Dalong very friendly for about a half a mile, the father Sidle & the deceased being abreast & a little ahead, & the son & Jameson^s brother rideing together. The first unpleasant words heard between them Jameson said in a loud voice, whoever says I brought a glandered horse in the neighborhood is a damned liar, Sidle replied Dick you knew your horse was glandered & my horse took it from him. Jameson then said you have to take that back, to which Sidle answered pleasantly, Dick I did not mean to hurt your feelings, who again said you must take it back, & Sidle replied I have nothing more to take back. Jameson then seized Sidle by the collar & pulled him over on one of his knees, Sidle's horse jumped square around & he & Jameson both fell from their horses to the ground upon their feet. Sidle instantly pulled a pistol from under his vest, but did not present or attempt to use it against Jameson, but held
in it an elevated position. Immediately Richard Jameson seized the pistol around the barrel, & about two inches from the muzzle, & commenced a struggle with Sidle for the pistol. Young Sidle approached the parties about that time, and seized hold of the pistol between the hand of Jameson & between & upon the hand of his father who had hold of the but of the pistol, only one or two of his fingers pressing upon the pistol, and said Richard Jameson to let go the pistol, that his father should not hurt him. Jameson replied he would not. At this time the brother of Jameson haveing hitched his horse by the rode side, came up to the parties, & said to George Sidle let go the pistol that his brother should not hurt him. George Sidle then turned to the brother of Jameson, & asked him what he said; Jameson the brother then repeated what he had ^said.^ A struggle had been kept up between Richard Jameson & George Sidle for the possession of the pistol from the moment Jameson seized it, and immediately upon Jameson the brother repeating what he had said to George Sidle, the pistol fired, and struck Jameson who was some four inches than Sidle, under the left corner of the mouth, penetrated the jaw bone, knocked out one or two of the teeth out, passed under the tongue, went into the neck & lodged just under the skin behind the spinal marrow, being about six inches in depth, & rangeing from its entry to the point of termination about one inch upwards. Jameson the brother proved that ~~JamSl.~~ Sidle held the pistol, with its muzzle erect, the muzzle about two inches below his chin, and just before it fired, he jerked it down when it fired
and Richard Jameson fell. Young Sidel proved that he did not see his father jerk down the pistol, or give it any direction towards the person of Jameson, but the latter was struggle all the time to get posesesion of the pistol, it seemed to be moveing constantly, & witness endeavor to give it such a direction as if it should go off, it would not hit Jameson. The suffle for the posession of the pistol by Jameson was goeing on, & witness could not say how it was fired, by whom, or ^who^ gave it direction when it fired. The proof, I think clearly showed the absence of any attempt by Sidel to fire the pistol, that all his effort was to hold posession of the pistol, and authorized the inference that in the suffle the pistol without intention or act for that purpose ^of^ Sidle went off. — That if Jameson had ceased his exertions to take the pistol from Sidle the would not have fired it, and that it was altogether uncertain whether Jameson himself was not the cause of its fireing Sidle was a man of good character & quiet & peacible disposition & habits, respectable & of respectable family, & on the proof in the case I think ought to be confined in the penitentiary.

Yr. Obt.
Serv^t
Garrett Davis

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