To his Excellency, Thomas E Bramlette, Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky,

Your petitioner Benjamin Wheeler, would represent unto your Excellency that at the August term 1864 of the Garrard Circuit Court, an indictment was presented against him by the Grand jury of said County for keeping a tippling house. Now he states that he never did keep a tippling house, nor did he ever sell liquor contrary to law but one time — and that under these circumstances — He had a gallon or two of whiskey for his own use, and on one occasion a neighbor came to his house to get a small quantity of liquor, and he being a poor man felt unable to give it to him, and did then and there sell it, as he acknowledges contrary to law, as he has since discovered, he states that this is the only time he was guilty of breaking the statute. That he had no intention of doing so at the time, that he was ignorant of the unlawfulness of the act.

He state that the February term 1865. of said Court, that he was present in Lancaster for the purpose of defending said case, but that the case was called on the docket, and judgment rendered by default against him — That he attempted immediately to obtain a new trial but the Hon^l. Judge of the Garrard Circuit Court, refused to set aside said judgment and

grant him a new trial

That on a subsequent day of the term, by consent the judgment was set aside and a judgment rendered against him for $30. he consented to said judgment because it was the very best arrangement he could make —

He now asks your Excellency to remit said fine of Thirty dollars against him —

He could not have been fined more than Twenty dollars if he had had a trial, he was ready to put in his plea but through ignorance of the forms of practice he was outside the court room at the time of the calling of the cause, and judgment was rendered by default. He is a poor man, and he thinks that the cost, amounting to $19. is sufficient punishment for the one single offence —

Benjamin Wheeler

The undersigned neighbors of Benjamin Wheeler state, that he is a quiet, peacable citizen, sober and industrious, that he is not a breaker of the laws, that we are his near neighbors and he has never done any injury to the community either by selling liquor unlawfully or otherwise and we ask your excellency to remit his fine.

Harrison Ray x
J. P. Rave C G C
Jas L Maeras S G C
henry Sully
G B Warren
W. H. Sebastian
Levy Long

Marian Daily
Johnatan Taylor
James mylear
Nathaniel Taylor
Wm Sebastian
Levi Reyneolds

Garrard Cir Ct
vs
Benj Wheeler
$30

Remitted
9^th May/65

sent for fee 24^th Apl