Princeton. Ky, March 4" 1865
Govenor Thomas E, Bramlette
Sir

A young man by the name of Chas, Hooper in the year 1861 enlisted in the Rebel army in the 3^rd Ky, Rebel Regiment, Infantry, in which he remained up to the fight at Fort Donaldson in 1862, when he became seperated from his regiment (I believe the Regiment being captured) after which he joined a Regiment of Cavalry under, Col Tom, Woodard (who was killed in a fight at Hopkinsville Ky last Summer) & was a member of said Regiment when the goods wer taken by his Command, for which he was Indicted in the Caldwell Circuit Court. all of which is within my own knowledge & for furthur proof I refer you Excellency to the affidavit of Enoch Hooper which is enclosed herewith, Young Chas, Hooper continued to serve in the army until Gen'l, Forrest made his attack upon Paducah, about twelve months since, at which time Thompson the Col of the 3^rd Rebel Ky, was killed with a number of his men, others were captured & the rest deserted, came home & took the amnesty oath among whom, was young Hooper, But learning of the Indictments against him, & both himself & his father being poor men & not being able to employ good counsel, Chas Hooper went North, where he is at present, he is an only son, & his parents are very solicitous for his return & the war has reduced his father & besides he is getting old & it is very important that his farther

should have his servises, & the son is perfectly willing he should have, And so many negroes have joined the Army & gone to the Contraband Camps that & so many white men have been compelled to abandon their homes, that each family will be compelled to raise what they eat or to ship it for their consumption as no one will have a surpless, & as Mr Hooper is a very poor man he is not able to procure his provision from abroad & is too old to make it at home, & as it will appear to you by the affidavits of Pool's & Grubbs that Chas Hooper is a good disposed boy & that if he is permitted to return to the state the Commonwealth will suffer no detriment, besides the Court of Appeals have decided that where a soldier in the Confederate Service takes goods under the direction of the Commanding officer they are not liable to punishment by the civil authorities, all of which Hooper could prove if he was willing to stand his trial, besides the Criminal Docket is overburdened with Criminal causes, Indictment against Rebels from Adam Johnson down to the meanest Guerrill upon the face of the green Earth & as we are able to hold no Courts or at least long enough to dispatch business over Criminal causes are increasing instead of diminishing, in view of all these facts, That the state would get an honest industrious citizen, that an infirm, helpless family would get a willing & vigorous, supporter & protector

That an Indictment will be stricken from our already overburdened Docket that ought never to have been on it, In view of all these thing I humbly ask of your excellency that you pardon, Chas, Hooper from the within enclosed Indictments, and being fully satisfied of that it would be meritorious I have no hesitation in making the request.

Respectfully
R, L, Wilson

State of Kentucky
Caldwell county —

I. J. N. Turner Sole and Presiding Judge of the caldwell county court, do hereby certify that the affiants D^r T. B. Pool B. J. Grubbs E. P. Hooper and H. W. Pool are resident citizens of caldwell and have resided in said county permanently for a number of years, and that I am personally well acquainted with each of them and know them to be aged sober and discrett citizens and men of truth and veracity, And that I am also and have been since his boyhood well acquainted with Charles Hooper and know him to be an honorable high minded young man, peaceable quiet & orderly and for his worth esteemed by all who knew him, and against whom ought could not be said until he like many others of our best young were decoyd off and induced to join in the Rebellion, of which I am fully persuaded he is heartily tired, and would in view of the facts stated above by Mr Wilson urge which I cheerfully endorse and ^(to which)^ would Respectfully ask your kind consideration in behalf of Mr Charles Hooper,

and if Consistant with your feelings of Justice that your grant heim a pardon and he be permited to return home and thereby confer a lasting debt of Gratitude upon him and his aged Parents,

Given under my hand this 4^th day of March 1865.

J. B. Turner P J

Caldwell Cir Ct
vs
W. M^cChesney J. O. Hunter Chas Hooper & Benj Gray

Rejected