Barren County Kentucky
March 16.. 1865
To His Eccelency Thomas E Bramlette Governor of Ky —

We would respectfully state that a day or two since we together with many others of our fellow citizens subscribed most cheerfully a petition to your excellancy for the pardon of the youth Sidney Young charged with & convicted of the crime of firing a house — His case in our estimation is another ^proof^ of the validity of the argument so common within Temperance Lecturers that a dram in Moderation is the fruitful source of drunkenness and its ill consequences Our neighbour John Young (the father of Sydney) is well known in the community although a poor man as a sober, honest, industrious civil, law abiding citizen. his three sons Benjamin F., Jn^o W., & Sydney were like him in character honest, industrious, and inoffensive — The two first named joined the Federal army and died in the Service Sydney the oldest surviviing Son learns too late the evils arising from a dram in Moderation as stated in the petition we cannot believe from our personal knowledge of the previous good character of the boy that the act would have been committed ^otherwise^ and respectfully repeat the solicitation for his pardon —

G. W. Erwin
J, W, Henderson

Gov. Bramlet, I am well acquainted ^with^ W EG. W. Erwin and J. W. Henderson they are citizens of this County and loyal men and two better citizens do not live than these men, for cander judgment & truth,
March 17^th 1865

W. F. Evans

I know nothing of the accused, but from what I can learn whisky was his downfall.