To His Excellency Thomas [E] Bramlette
Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

your petitioner Joel Baker would respectfully represent unto your Excellency that at the March Term of the Whitley circuit court 1864 the grand Jury of Whitley County found an Indictment against him for Retailing ardent Spirits and ^same was^ returned into court by them & at the August Term of said court thereafter Judgement towit against your Petitioner for twenty dollars your Petitioner would further represent that he sold the Ardent Spirits for which he was fined as aforesaid for one A. J. Curd a vender of Ardent Spirits by Licens without being sworn that he was selling goods in the same Room with said Curd & when he was out Curd attended to business for him & when Curd was out your Petitioner sold groceries & whisky for Curd & not for his own benefit that he received no pay for his trouble in selling same & had no interest in the Whisky sold or the profits arising from the sale thereof but did the selling merely as matter of accomodation & not for gain

your Petitioner did not even dream of violating the law at the time of selling the whisky or he would not have done so until he conformed to the requirements of the law that your Petitioner was never before Indicted for any offense that he is a law abiding resident & does not knowingly violate the law That he is a poor man just trying to make a start in the world & a living by Honest dealing & Industry. The premises considered the prayer of your Petitioner is that your Excellency Remit said fine for which he will ever feel thankful & will guard against any further violation of law

Joel Baker

At the time he sold the whisky for which he was Indicted & fined & for a long time previous thereto this county was overrun by the Rebels & there was no U S Mail here & the acts of the Legislature was not then distributed in this county & your Petitioner had no chance to know that the law making the sellers of whisky without being sworn an offense had ever passed or was a law

Joel Baker says the Statements in the foregoing Petition are true

Joel Baker

Sworn to before me by Joel Baker this 25^th day of August 1864

C L Creekmore p j w c c

We have Examined the foregoing Petition & believe the Statements therein contained are true & hope your Excellency will [re]mit the fine

R. Boyd
J.C. Watkins
Clerk Whitly cir ct
Tyrel Foley Clerk

We hope the fine against Mr Baker will be remitted he is a law abiding citizen & dont believe he would knowingly violate the law

H F Finley
Granville Pearl
John Smith

Whitley Cir Ct
vs
Joel Baker
$20 —
Remit 8^th Sept/64