Cl Hickman Circuit Court
Com^l
vs } To Gov. Bramlette Feby 29^th 1864
John Tho^s Stone &c

At this Feby term of this Court JnoTh^s Stone was fined on three indictments for retailing, all the acts complained of were at a Barbacue about 4^th July, on Saturday, & I have fully investigated the outside facts & find Stone to be an old man & quite poor yet very respectable, but illirate poorly educated he was in attendance at a barbacue & a man there who had liquor to sell hired Stone to attend to it for a short time the old man supposing it to be a fair way to make an honest penny and break no law did it & was indicted he is not engaged regularly in any such business but is an honest, law abiding hard working man & I feel no hestation in recommending his case to executive Clemency

Your honor may rest assured I will never recommend any case for pardon that is not deserving & I will here say it is the only case from this term of this court which I regard as having merit in it — I further say that executive clemency has heretofore in this district been so easy as to encourage crime & vice rather than break it up

P D Yeiser
Com^l Atty
1^st Jud^l District

Copy of the indictments, findings, Judgements will accompany this
Yeiser