Lancaster Ky May 24^th ^1864^
To His Excellency Thos. E. Bramlette Governor of Kentucky.

Inclosed I send you a petition to from eleven respectable jurors petitioning you to remit a fine of fifty dollars for selling whisky to a slave, imposed upon G. W. Alford by their verdict.

I will give you a short history of the facts which gave rise to the prosecution. G. W. Alford the deft had been greatly troubled by some [sojing] horses belonging to Joshua Dunn the informer G W Alford and had been considerably damaged by said horses, and after turning the horses out of his cornfield several times Alford took them up and put them in his stables prefering to feed them

to have them waste his corn. Dunn claimed that his horses were materially damaged and threatened to sue Alford for damages, but after talking to his lawyer found that had not a good case upon the grounds that he (Dunn) had not lawful but very poor fencing and Alford had good & lawful fences and that his stock were ^not^ materially injured Thus prevented from carrying into effect his threats he informs that Alford had sold a quart of whisky to an old neighborhood negro man upon whom everyone looked as a privileged character. So you see the prosecution was not for the good of the Commonwealth but merely to reak private revenge, & & satisfy malice; thus using the dignity of the Commonwealth as tool.

B. M. Burdett