Charles Eaves, R. S. Russell, and T. R. Matthews to Beriah Magoffin

Accession Number

KYR-0001-020-0178

Document Genre

Correspondence

Repository

Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

Collection

Office of the Governor, Beriah Magoffin: Governor's Official Correspondence File, Petitions for Pardons and Remissions, 1859-1862

Item Location

MG17-116 to MG17-117

Place of Creation

Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky

Date of Creation

8 May 1860

Dates Mentioned

1857-11

1860-05-08

1860-11-22

To his Excellency the Governor of Kentucky

The undersigned would respectfully represent that at the Nov^r term 1857 of the Muhlenberg circuit Court a judg^t was rendered against Joseph Willey on an Indictment charging him with the offense of giving or selling spirituous liquor to a slave named William, the property of Rebecca Salsbury. The verdict was obtained on the testimony of John C. Gibbs, who testified in substance that he, squatting down at his gate back of his saddle shop in Greenville, saw the deft hand from the back door of his grocery a bottle to said slave who took a drink therefrom and returned the bottle to the deft. That the deft was standing in his door at the time and that he did not see ^him^ elsewhere than in the door. A black smith shop interevened between said gate and the grocery, and from actual examination by made by the undersigned since the trial, they find it to be impossible for any one, ~~stand~~ whether standing, stooping or lying flat on the ground at the gate to see a man standing in the back door of the grocery or to see any part of the door in which said Gibbs stated the deft stood when the offense was said to have been committed. There had been a personal difficulty between Gibbs & the deft and unfriendly feelings existed between them ~~when the Indictment was~~ at the time the prosecution was commenced. The deft was ~~at that time~~ a naturalized citizen being a German. The witness Gibbs was a bitter proscriptive "Know Nothing", and a man of weak mind and the most violent prejudices. One of the undersigned was of counsel for the deft in said prosecution and having attentively heard the testimony vouches for the foregoing statement thereof. No other witness testified to the main fact, and but the one offense or violation of the law was attempted to be proved. The undersigned, deeming that injustice has
been done the deft, earnestly recommend him to Executive clemency, and ask that his fine, which now stands replevied, may be remitted. The deft ~~his~~ & his family reside at Louisville, and he has not been in the county since the trial. He has a worthy family who are needy. They make the application at the request of the defts wife made through an acquaintance residing in Louisville, and are not influenced by any personal consideration in so doing, nor have they any interest therein. ~~as they cann~~

Charles Eaves
R S Russell
T. R Matthews

Greenville Ky
May 8, 1860

Muhlenburg cir ct

Willey — muhlenburg Co
Fine. Selling liquor to a slave —
Remitted
B. M.

$50. } selling liquor to a slave
Jo^s Willey
Iss^dNov 22, 1860

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