To His Excellency, Thomas E. Bramlett. Governor of the State of Kentucky;
Dr Sir

The undersigned. your petitioners, would respectfully represent that at the last October term of the Mason Circuit Court Patrick Niland, a citizen of the County of Mason and State of Kentucky, was indicted for keeping a Tipling House in the city of Maysville contrary to the Statute & Laws of the State, in such ^cases^ made and provided & that ^upon^ his plea of guilty the jury in the premises assessed his fine as compelled by law at $600 & costs of prosecution —

Your petitioners would further represent to your Excellency — that said Patrick Niland is a poor man. with a large family dependent upon him for subsistence; — that he is a good citizen, honest, peaceable, well disposed in every respect & would and would not knowingly & willfully, violate any of the laws of his state — that before the offense charged against him was committed. he had regularly obtained a Merchants License from the Mason County Court and not being a man versed in Law or of greatintelligence, he did not know

that selling and permitting to be drunk on the premises or adjacent thereto, would make him amenable to the law —

Upon his plea of guilty, his attorney stated before the jury, that he had committed the offense charged in the indictment — but that he had done it in "ignorance of the Law" — We think the dignity of the Commonwealth has been preserved in finding him guilty — nor would we recommend him to your the clemency of your Excellency, unless all regarded it, under the circumstances as a hard case & one deserving of Executive Clemency — We therefore as your Excelllency as a favour to our-selves and a kindness to Mr Niland's family to remit his fine & wipe out the stigma unfortunately placed upon him by the records of the Court —