Green County Kentucky
Nov^r 1860
To his Excellency Governor Magoffin

Your petitioner Welsey Forbis. most respectfully States that at the last August Term of the Green Circuit Court he was fined $60. for the alledged Offense of Keeping a tippling house. he states that he was not guilty of the offence.. he has all his life as far as he has been Capable.. been a law abiding Citizen. & he has the consolation of knowing that all his neighbors accord to him the Credit of this. he is ignorant and altogether unlearned in the law and he is & has to be guided and and advised by those who are Capable of doing so he made no defence to the charge. Knowing that he had done nothing as he Conceived to violate the law; he supposed that he Could not be fined. he was advised that he Could not be injured or fined, and beleiving that to be so. he did not appear and made no defence. THe was fined however. and he is now pressed for the same. He states to your Excellency that he is a poor man: Very poor and has no means to pay said fine. he has a large & helpless family on his hands to support with his daily labor & if he has to pay the penalty inflicted upon him he will be taken from his family & placed in the Jail at the Expense of the Comth and his poor family brought to suffer. The great distress owing from the Drauth in this region is heavy upon all Classes but upon a poor man like your petitioner. it is almost insupportable he prays your Excellency to take into your favorable Consideration his Case and release him from the payment of said fine for which and as in duty bound he will ever be thankful

Wesley ^his X mark^ Forbis

Attest. John T Blakeman

Green county Kentucky
To his Excellency Governor Magoffin

We the undersigned Citizens of Green county most respectfully state to your Excellency that Wesley Forbis. some times Called William Wesley Forbis was as he states in his petition fined at the last Augt Term of the Green Circuit Court 1860 — the sum of $60 for the alledged Offense of Keeping a tippling house. We Can state to your Excellency that we Know this man Forbis he is our neighbor and acquaintance. he is a poor man very illitterate, an easy [inoffensive] man. & one who no one has ever had occasion to be offended with in his neighborhood or Elsewhere. We do not believe he is or has been guilty of the Charge; he was in fact as we beleived ignorant of the Charge against him and did not believe in reality that it was necessary to Come to Court [to] make any defence, and indeed made no defence & was fined as above. his ignorance of the law and Entire want of Capacity to attend to legal business, has been the cause of his being fined, he is very poor & has a family to Support & will necessarily have to lie in Jail to discharge said forfeiture as he has no means to pay said fine and the Effect of this will only be to deprive his family of his help & tax the Commonwealth for his support. we regard him as an object of Charity & pity & we respectfully ask your Excellency to remit said fine & allow this poor man to remain with his family. and this will meet approval of all our citizens we verily believe all of which we respectfully Submit to your Excellency

Turn over

John H Myers
David Forbis
D Pleasant Lile
Joseph T. Hook
Patterson Jeffreys
James J Brooks
John w owen
Mancefield Houk
Robert Fulton
L H Wooding, D, S
J, C, Edwards
S. T Wilson
W B Allen

Greensburg Ky Jany 1861
To his Excellency the Governor

Will your Excellency. in the Exercise of your Clemency. please take this poor man Forbiss^s Case into your favorable consideration. as Stated by him, and the petitioenrs he is an object of Charity and is in a deplorable Condition with his helpless family.

I am with great respect
your Excellencys obdt servant
S. A Spencer

Wesley Forbiss
Petition
To Governor

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