John W. Stevenson to Beriah Magoffin

Accession Number

KYR-0001-020-0835

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

MG19-313 to MG19-314

Place of Creation

Washington, District of Columbia

Date of Creation

1 March 1861

Dates Mentioned

1861-03-01

1861-03-27

House of Reps
1^st March 1861
My dear Gov^r.

I am not in the habit of often especially of asking the interposition of Executive Clemency as to a stay of criminal process. I am justified in doing so on the present occasion by the strong equity of the present application. Norman Sebree was fined some two years ago in the Boone Circuit Court for a raffle for some turkeys, which took place in his stable at Bellvue, he keeping tavern there at that time — He admitted the fact as I learned on the trial but innocently believed that a raffle for four turkeys was not a violation of the criminal statutes agt gaming — Several Circuit Judges & among them Judge H O Brown & Judge Reid had decided
on the same Circuit that playing games for segars or raffles for turkeys were not violations of the statute — He was however for his ignorance fined two hundred dollars — He was so clearly innocent of any mala fides that I understand Judge Nuttall — the Com^lt Attorney M^r Major the entire Grand & petit Jury who tried it all ask your Excellency to remit — You stayed it — & that stay is now about expiring — I do not think a stronger case could well be presented.

Mr Sebree is a poor industrious man — & to force him to pay this fine would be almost to break him up — I do hope
as he had no intention to violate the law that you will pardon & remit the fine —

Yours truly
J. W Stevenson

I concur in the above

L. W Powell

Boone Cir. Ct
$200 } Gaming
N. Sebree

Remission Iss^d
Mar 27. 1861

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