To his Excellency Tho^s E Bramlett
Govenor of Ky
Respected Sir

your petitioners citizens of Ballard and M^cCracken counties will most Respectfully state to your Excellency that at the September Term 1863 of the Ballard Circuit Court. There was an Indictment found by the grand Jury of said county against James Hudgens [...]Taylor and [...] Edwards for Robery. The trial of the Defendants Hudgens Taylor & Edwards was moved to M^cCracken County after the court overuled a Motion made for a continuance by the defendants and They rushed into trial. That is, Hudgens & Taylor Edwards case being continued, and convicted and sentenced to the Penitentiary for Eight years. on entirely circumstancial evidence We have known James Hudgens and his parents for a Number of years and and a More highminded honest & respectable family lives nowhere, This whole thing occured during the highest excitement of the Ware, Taylor and Edwards was Strangers in the country and Either belonged to the Confederate army or guerrellas, The community knew not which, at all events Taylor got away and the confederate soldiers taken Edwards out of Jail before his trial, There is no doubt that if Hudgens was guilty he being young and easily

imposed upon, was persuaded by Taylor and ^&^ Edwards, [...] to go with them and commit the Robery, We will further state to your Excellency that W^m Hudgens father is dead and have left Jameses Mother and two Widowed daughters and children to depend soley upon there own Exertions for a living James being the only male child living in consideration of all these circumstances as well as the fact of Hudgens having already served over three years of this time, We will most respectfully state that it is a case that deserves Executive clemency if there ever was one, in our opinion, We therefore ask your Excellency to release James Hudges and let him come home to assist his Mother and helpless family. We would ask this if We thought that it would work an injury to public Justice,

Very Respectfully your obedient
Servants & fellow citizens

M^cCracken Cir Ct
vs
James Hudgens
Penitentiary

Notified