To his Excellency Beriah Magoffin, Governor of Kentucky

The undersigned citizens of Mason County. Ky would respectfully represent that at the October Term 1860 of the Mason Circuit Court, John Coughlin and his wife [...] Coughlin his wife were tried upon to indictments for selling liquor to a slave, Under one of the said indictments the jury found John Coughlin guilty and fixed his fine at fifty Dollars, Under the other indictment they found [...] Coughlin his wife guilty and fixed her fine at fifty dollars, In the case first named, wh in which John Coughlin was convicted and fined, the proof of tended to show that the liquor was sold to a slave by his wife [...] Coughlin the other defendent, the proof of her guilt even was by no means clear or conclusive; but it showed very manifestly that John Coughlin had no Knowledge of or connection with a complicity in the crime, Nevertheless the jury fined him and acquainted his wf wife, In the other case the proof the defendents guilt was not clear The defendents are very poor people and illy able to pay fines of such magnitude as have been inflicted upon them in the above cases, With these limited means, the payment of the fines inflicted will be a hardship

which will amount to actual inhumanity It is the opinnion of the undersigned that neither the public interest or the cause of public justice will suffer materially if your excellency should yield to the suggestions of mercy and remit the fines, and they most respectfully pray that you will exert the power in you vested in such cases on behalf of the defendents, by remitting the whole or a portion of the fines imposed in both cases,

W, P, Cornwell
Nelson Whitaker
Dexter Pumpelly
Thos. R. Darragh.
Harlan P. Whitaker
T, F, Leary
John D, Bridges

Mason Cir. Ct.
Commonwealth Ky
[...] Petition to Governor
Jno Coughlin & wife
Respite 12 mo^s
— B. — M. —
2 Judgt
$50. } Selling liquor to a slave
Iss^dNov 16. 1860