To his excellency the Governor of Kentucky Your petitioners H T Crowder James Lawrence & James Kentey would respectfully state that in some time previous to the last spring term of the Marion circuit court Enoch Lawrence & Beauford Lawrence two boys very poor boys were charged with stealing a horse one of them to wit Enoch who was some 16 or 17 years of age had neither mother father brother or sister in this state Beauford was who is the son of an extremely poor man was some 17 or 18 years of age Both of said boys were almost entierally without education Said boys were apprehended and brought before the circuit court of Marion County and required to give bail or stand committed to Jail under these circumstances Your petitioners ^H T Crowder^ became the sole bail of Enoch in a recognizance for $250.00 and all of your petitioners became the sureties of Beauford in recognizance for the like sum and they were discharged from custody And your petitioners are informed and believe that said boys were threatened with a prosecution before a military tribunal and uneducated and almost friendless as they were they became frightened by these threats and failed to appear in court at the march term thereof as required by the recognizances afsd and they were therefore declared forfeited and at the last term of said court judgement was rendered in each case against Your petitioner H T Crowder

for the amount of said recognizances and a summons has been issued against the other petitioners upon the recognizance entered into by them They are informed and believe that a man by the name of Crane threatened to have said boys shot as guerrillas and said boys being greatly alarmed ran off and ^have^ gone to parts unknown and your petitioners have therefore been unable to [...] them or get them into court they ask Your excellency in consideration of the previous to remit the whole or such part of the judgement against said Crowder as may seem right and that the other petitioners may be retrieved from the liability upon said recognizance &c

H T Crowder
James Lawrence
James Kenley

The undersigned neighbors of the petitioners above named most cheerfully unite in the prayer of the above petition

John H. Tucker
T. C. Jackson
Samuel Belden
Jam^s M. Fidlee
Philip Desere
M W Crowder
W^m Rinehart
J. F. Douglass
John R. Thomas