Petition

William H. Baley et al. to Beriah Magoffin

1861-01-22

Date of Creation
January 22, 1861
Place of Creation
Caldwell County, Kentucky
Document Genre
Petition
Repository
Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives
Collection
Office of the Governor, Beriah Magoffin: Governor's Official Correspondence File, Petitions for Pardons and Remissions, 1859-1862
Box / Folder
MG17A-42 to MG17A-44
CWGK Accession Number
KYR-0001-020-0006
Rights
This image and its transcription are freely available to the public. Images appear courtesy of Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Transcriptions and annotations were created by Kentucky Historical Society staff, volunteers, and interns. When referencing this document, please use our preferred citation.; The use of transcriptions, images, or annotations from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce any material on CWGK is required.
FTP Identifier
32208417
People
Reynolds, A.
Denny, Albert
McGoodwin, Albert M.
Patterson, Arthur J.
Mason, Benjamin J.
Magoffin, Beriah
Dawson, Bryant N.
Ingram, Charles Henry
Rohrbach, Conrad
Dabney, Cornelius T.
McGoodwin, David W.
Daniel, Edmund H.
Watkins, Edmund P.
Barbour, George W.
Evans, Henry J.
Carr, James A.
Barnes, James C.
Weller, James C.
Ingram, James F.
Gale, James
Calvert, James H.
Pierce, James M.
Dudley, James Milton
McGoodwin, James P.
Hewlett, James R.
Lowey, James S.
Blalock, James W.
Stevens, Jesse
Pettit, John G.
McLin, John J.
Wylie, John Jefferson
Higgins, John Mitchell
Rascoe, John P.
Harpending, John W.
Prince, John W.
Chambers, John Young
Pepper, Lemuel
Withers, Littleberry
Wadlington, Mary A. J. Cartwright
Cartwright, Milton A.
Blount, Perry
Whittington, Richard
Ratliff, Rodolphus B.
Wadlington, Thomas B.
Mitchusson, William E.
Baley, William H.
Calvert, William H.
Miller, William H.
Edmunds, William Howell
Wadlington, William J.
Scott, William Thompson
Wells, William
Places
Princeton, Kentucky
Organizations
Caldwell Circuit Court
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Kentucky Court of Appeals
Kentucky State Penitentiary
The Princeton Bulletin
Dates
1861-01-22
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Citation

William H. Baley et al. to Beriah Magoffin, 1861-01-22, Office of the Governor, Beriah Magoffin: Governor's Official Correspondence File, Petitions for Pardons and Remissions, 1859-1862, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Accessed via the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition, https://discovery.civilwargovernors.org/document/KYR-0001-020-0006 (November 12, 2026).

[Page 1]

To His Excellency. Beriah Magoffin Govenor of Ky.

Dear Sir — We the citizens of the town of Princeton and acquaintances of Thomas B. Wadlington who was convicted of the crime of murder, and sentenced to be hung, at the last term of our Caldwell Circuit Court, respectfully and earnestly solicit your Excellency, that you may and will interpose your Executive clemency in his behalf, and that he be pardoned. We will now represent unto your Excellency, a few of those reasons, which have induced us to make this appeal in his behalf.

Thomas B. Wadlington was born, and raised in our midst, and is now about fifty years of age — and from childhood, up to the time of this difficulty has been a peaceable, quiet, industrious and worthy citizen of our community —

Whether we consider him as a husband, father, neighbor — citizen, or an industrious Tiller of the soil, he stood without reproach, and he had our respect — By a jury of his country he has been found guilty of murder, and such finding has ^been^ upon an appeal, pronounced to be in accordance with the Law.

His son, was also, jointly indicted with him & was found guilty of manslaughter, and is now confined in the Penitentiary for the same offence. — Up to this time, that son — a youth, was esteemed

[Page 2]

by his neighbors & friends & the community in which he lived, for his industrious habits, & his moral standing and character, he being a consistent member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church — And the remarkable fact is presented to your Excellency, of two citizens of such established character being presented before you, in the position of criminals condemned for murder and manslaughter. The statement of William J. Wadlington, son of Thomas B. Wadlington, is so totally different from that of the witnesses in behalf of the Commonwealth. (namely, Prince & Blaylock.) upon whose testimony the aforesaid parties have been convicted and are so entirely consistent with the circumstances of the case, as shown by other witnesses, that it has impressed us strongly with the belief that our neighbor & fellow citizen, under the rules of the rigidlawhasbeenbadly & hardly dealt with, and that in fact & truth he is no murderer. The statements of the son William are clear and positive that Milton A. Cartwright, the Decd, shot first, and if under the rules of our law, his statement had been admitted, it appears to us that the transaction would have appeared tous in the light of a case of Self Defence. But if under and by Law the statements of the

[Page 3]

youth & Son, was rightfully or wrongfully excluded from the jury, in Thomas B. Wadlington's trial, yet we do think that it should come before your Excellency, and that freemen should have the right at least, to proclaim to you their wrongs, and appeal to you to redress them. The statements of the parties have been totally excluded from the consideration of the court or jury — With this petition, you will see the statement of the unfortunate young man, as also his father's statement, made in open court, at the time of the sentence of judgement, and also the record containing the statement of the witnesses, now on file in the office of the Court of Appeals. What a conflict and how irreconsilable!

Let us appeal to your Excellency in behalf of the doubt, which such a conflict of statements of facts presents — May that character which the poor man has borne for fifty years, appeal to you in his behalf. May the gray haired and honored sire, may the broken hearted wife and his three little children, through us appeal to your Excellency to restorehimtolife, to liberty, to the protection of the HearthStone and that the bitter cup might be spared them, and the unfortunate accused. But should this by your

[Page 4]

Excellency be deemed unadvisable, (which God forbid) may we be still allowed to ask and entreat that the life of the unfortunate man may be spared, and that his sentence be commuted;

Jany 22d 1861
Respectfully Yours

Will. H. Baley
Conrad Rohrbach
George. W. Barbour
J. P. Roscoe

Will. H. Miller
D. W. McGoodwin
L, Pepper
W. H. Calvert

Wm H Edmund
J R Hewlett
A J Patterson attorney and editor of "Bulletin"
J, P, McGoodwin
Jesse Stevens Sheriff of Cald Cty
Jas F Ingram Town marshall
W E Mitchusson Deputy clerk Caldwell County Court
James C. Barnes Deputy clerk of Caldwell Circuit Court
James C Weller clerk of the Caldwell County Court.
B, N, Dawson Constable of Caldwell County