M. D. Hay to Thomas E. Bramlette

Accession Number

KYR-0001-004-1768

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

BR13-286 to BR13-288

Place of Creation

Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky

Date of Creation

26 May 1865

Dates Mentioned

1865-05-26

1865-05

1865-05-19

Greenville Ky
May 26^th 1865
Gov Bramlette
Frankfort Ky

D^r Sir: At the present May Term 1865 of the Muhlenberg Circuit Court a Judgment was rendered against Thomas Jenkins of this county for $80.00 on an Indictment "for Shooting with intent to kill without wounding"

At the request of Mr Jenkins and quite a number of citizens of this county I am induced to write to you and request an interposition of Executive clemency. Mr Jenkins is a good citizen a quit peaceable man and one that is generaly esteemed. The facts are these "Mr Tho^s Jenkins was going home from Greenville (in company with a Mr M^cCubbin who has since moved to Wisconsin)
as they passed Mr Sweeny's McCubin spoke to Henry Jenkins and Tom Jenkins did not which seemed to offend Henry. When Henry made an exceedingly vulgar and offensive remark to Tom which aroused the anger of Tom when there was a good deal of crimenation and recrimenation. Tom got down off of his horse and told Henry that he was willing to fight him in any manner at the same exhibiting his pistol but not in a shooting atitude. After Henry had declined fighting in any mode Tom turned his back to Henry and was in the act of geting on his horse with the rein of his bridle in his hand and his foot in the stirup when Henry gathered up a plank about 6 feet long and 4 inches wide and about an inch in thickness and struck him two blows over the head the second one felling him to the ground Tom immediately arose and fired at Henry two
shots as he ran — Henry being about 30 feet from him at the first fire This is the substance if not the entire facts as detailed by the commonwealths witnesses Henry Jenkins and B Sweeny — It is propper to state that the two had been unfriendly for some time prior to this meeting The testimony in another trial showed that the blow from the plank fractured Toms skull and that he was confined some three weeks from the wounds That there was a wrong in both parties I do not deny but it seemed hard to fine Tom heavily and let the other who was certainly the most to blame go free — Both parties were tried for a breach of the peace and Henry was fined $25 and Four ten before a Justice of the Peace — If from the facts as detailed you think that it is a propper character of case for the exercise of the clemency of the Gov it would confer a favor on Mr Jenkins and meet with ^allmost^ universal approbation. I should have stated that Judge Joseph Ricketts and myself were of counsel for Jenkins and that Henry Jenkins had employed counsell to assist in the prosecution

yours Respectfully
M D Hay

Thos. E. Bramlette
Govenor of Kentucky
Frankfort. Ky

{GREENVILLE KY.
MAY 19}

Muhlenburg C C
vs
Thos. Jenkins
ans^d

Refused
Ans^d,

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