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

We the undersigned citizens of Washington County and state of Kentucky do petition and pray your excellency to pardon James Maddox who is at this time confined in the penitentiary of Kentucky we admitt the grand Jury for Washington County and State of Kentucky did on the 20 day of September 1863 accuse the said Maddox of aiding and abetting the murder of William. A. Brothers which murder was commited in July 1863 in the county aforesaid and at the April term of the Washington Circuit Court in the town of Springfield 1865 a Jury found the said Maddox guilty of manslaughter and first his punishment by confinement in the penitentiary for five years we admitt that William. A. Brothers was shot and killed in a fight with some united States soulgers in the County of Washington and state of Kentucky in July 1863 the soulgers stated that they war going to arrest the said Brothers as a rebel citizen and stated that it war there bisness to arrest all such men and the said Maddox ware in company with the united states soulgers and when the united states soulgers called on the said Brothers to hault and guive himself up which he refused to do and insted of the said, Brothers surrending the Brothers called on the united states soulgers to surrender to him and drew his pistol and shot one of the soulgers and at which time some one shot and killed the said Brothers we further state that

we know James Maddox to be a union man and William A. Brothers and family to be rebels and infavor of the confedart states and against the united states and we do further state that the said Maddox was a good quiet citizen and we are satisfied that the united states soulgers fougt the said Maddox to go with them to make the arrest we father state that they ware know know proof before the court that the said Maddox shot the said Brothers but war proved by a mu number of witnesses that war in company when the united states soulgers attemed to make the arrest the said Brothers shoot two shotts at the shoulgers and one of the shotts tuck an affect in the neck of one of the shoulgers and Brothers shot the first shot at the soulgers when the soulgers attempted to arrest him they war two shotts at Brothers by one of the soulgers and we do know that James Maddox did not shoot nor attempt to shoot we or satisfied that the said Maddox did not have a fare trial wherefore we pay his relaise from the penitentiary and restoard to all the rights of a citizen of the county of Washington and state of Kentucky and fore other proper relief

July the 5 1865

David Hendren
John Baker
Sidney Hendren
Moses Baker
Benjamon Gardner
John Shuemaker
John Riley
Thomas Robinson
irin Brown
David Dearinger
albert riterby
Albert Riley
Jacob Holt
George Satterly
W^m Satterly
Wm.B. Boman
Isaac Holt
W. H. Monroe
Abraham Holt
James Harris
William foster
John Masters
Green Barrens