James M. Doty to Thomas E. Bramlette

Accession Number

KYR-0001-004-0442

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

BR9-197 to BR9-198

Place of Creation

Barren County, Kentucky

Date of Creation

16 January 1864

Dates Mentioned

1862-01-20

1864-01-16

1864-07-30

To His Excellency Thomas E Bramlett.
Governor of Kentucky.

Your petitioner J M Doty of Barren County would represent to Your Excellency, that he stands indicted by the Grand Jury of said county for an offence known in our statutes as usurpation of office.

Now your petitioner asks the indulgence of your Excellency while he makes a candid statement of facts in regard to the whole affair

On or about the 20^th of Jan 1862 Your petitioner (who lived 7 miles in the country) was in Glasgow and while there, received a note addressed to W R McFerran Judge of the Barren county court and signed by one Clark commissioner of a so-called provisional government of Kentuckytemporarially holden at Bowling green, informing him that his office aforesaid was vacated and that your petitioner was his successor by order or decree of the said Government

Your petitioner never saw said Clark nor were his wishes on the subject of said office ever consulted by the authorities at Bowling green or esewhere.

At the time above mentioned the town of Glasgow as well as the county was occupied and held by rebels under the notorious Hindman and others exercising great power and control in carying out the decrees of the so styled government

Your petitioner did not wish or intend to have anything to do with the said office of Judge nor did he feel that he could [percinposily] decline it with safety to his person or property. He had seen the light from burning buildings from his door, had heard threats from the lips of semisavages from Arkansas till he realized that he was in the midst of a Reign of terror: After keeping said note some week or two an officer showoed to your petitioner a process issued by said M^cFerran in the capacity of judge of the Barren Co Court and as he said in contempt of the Provisional authorities at Bowling green, And stating that he would arrest M^cFerran and send him to Richmond Your petitioner protested against the arrest of McFerran on the ground that he was not aware of the action of the provisional government, whereupon your petitioner was ordered to deliver to him immediately said note which he did on the evening of the same day.

Your petitioner states that he never attempted to exercise any of the duties of said office or had he at any time the Keys records or anything there unto belonging nor would he have taken the place except by compulsion Your petitioner will not attempt to disguise the fact that he was identified with the Southern rights party as they were styled; but he does not believe he was admitted to their secrets, Knows he never sympathysed with their plans, their follies and their crimes, whatever errors he may have been led into by being so identified he trusts they
are few and under the cirumstances, hopes to be forgiven. He feels that he is now loyal to his Government both state and National and intends so to remain Your Petitioner is in limited circumstances. He has a family dependant upon him for support, and apart from the disgrace of being tried for an offence of this kind, the costs of defending himself would be heavy and burdernsome to him. Your Petitioner therefore apeals to your excellency for clemency to the end of granting to him a pardon for the offence aforesaid

J M Doty

J. M. Doty states, that the statements made in the foregoing petition are true

J M Doty

State of Kentucky
Barren county

Subscribed and Sworn to before me by James M Doty this day. And I further certify that I am well acquainted with said Doty and from a full invistigation of the charge against him, I think he has fully and truthfully set out the facts- I regard him a loyal man and have no hesetancy in saying that he ought to be pardoned as prayed for in his petition

Jany 16^th 1864
W. F Evans J. B. C. C.

Barren Cir Ct
vs
J, M, Doty

Pardon the offence & remit the penalty
Tho E Bramlette

30^th July/64

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