Fee Paid by C P. Johnson
Cave City
Hart Co

State of Kentucky
Edmondson County Sct

James B Otter States that he was present in the Edmondson Circuit Court, when an Inditement was tried against Charles meradeth, the charge against said Meradeth was for fiaring off a Pistol or carrying concealed and Deadly weapons, the proof was that Meradeth had found the Wittness who testified against him Drunk and the Weather coald, snow being on the Ground, and Meradeth, to Get assistance to enable him to Get the Wittness to a house, to keep him from freasing to Death Fiared off a Pistol to Give analarmand Get assistance to kindle a fiar which he did — and upon the trial of the Inditement, Meradeth was fined, under the Instructions of the court for carrying Consealed & Deadly weapons — this fine was Rendered against Meradeth Just before the commencement of the present war he states that said Meradeth has alwas bore the character of a quiett & peacable citizen, and he further states that he heard, from all persons who heard the trial Express the opinion that it was wrong to fine Meradeth, at the time and the Commonwealths Attorney Expressed the opinion that Meradeth ought not to have been Indited, but that under the law, against Carrying Consealed Weapons — he was compelled to prosecute him

James B Otter

To his Excelency
Thos E Bramlett, Govenor of Kentucky

Dear Sir as you will See from the above Statement James B Otter

he was fined in the Edmondson Equity & Criminal Court in 1860 Fifty Dollars & cost upon an Inditement for Carrying Consealed & Deadly weapons I, was acting as Surveyor of Edmondson County at the time and was Returning home from Brownsville our County Town, the weather was coald, and there was a Snow on the Ground and I found, the wittness who testified against me. Riley W Rich, lying on the Road side Drunk, and likely to Frease to Death It was a long way from a house and I fiared off my Pistol to kindle a fiar, which I did and placed him near to it until I Could Go and Get assistance and take him to where he would be cared for, and, afterwards he Indited me for carrying consealed and Deadly weapons, and I was fined — after the trial I Got up a Petition to have the Same Remitted and placed the Same in the hands of W^m Meradeth the then Sheriff of our county who promised to send it to the Govenor, the war coming on, the Petition was never Sent or if Sent not acted on by the Govenor, and I went into the Army in the Service of the United States, and have lately been discharged, when an Execution has been Issued against me for Fifty Dollars fine & $7.80 cost under the Circumstances I Respectfully ask your Excelency to Remitt Said fine

Charles Merideth

To Govenor Bramlett

The undersigned State that they are well acquainted with Charles Meradeth the Petitioner — he is a Peacable orderly citizen and has been so Regarded by the Citizens of Edmondson County — and from enquiry they believe that the Statements in his petition are strictly true, they therefore Respectfully ask that his fine be Remitted

Larkin J Proctor
W. M. Houchin
Late Maj 11^th Ky Inft

Edmondson Co
vs
Cha^s Merideth
$50
30^th May 1865
sent for fee
24^th May/65

Remit