Paducah Ky
March 24^th 1861
Grant Green Esqr
Frankfort
Dear Sir

At M^rs Powells request I write you in answer to your of the 19^th and State to you the facts, in the case of the Com^th vs J. H. Powell

He was accused under the indictment of felloniously taking &c one Carpet bag and contends the property of — Gardiner, it was proven he had the Carpet bag he acknowledged it when first asked as the whereabouts of the Bag. by Gardiner, and never denied having it, Powell got the Carpet-bag from the Hotel where he and Gardiner were stoping, both of them arriving there upon the Same day, Powell

from Memphis Tenn, Gardiner from almost entirely an opposite direction from the country back of Paducah, entire strangers Powell, had baggage of different kinds Trunks &c &c, he went to the Clerk and asked for his bill and carpet bag, his trunks then being in his room, he paid off his bill, the clerk gave him the carpet bag, he took it left it in the city at a furniture store upon the Same street or nearly So, that he had obtained boarding for himself wife & child, he leaves the Carpet bag — goes to the Wharf boat to get Some furnature and carpenter tools, he left there when he came up from the boat,

Gardiner identifies to an unsatisfactory extent the money he had in his carpet bag, Says he had a 20$ bill on a certain bank

and a 10$ bill on another bank, and a five dollar bill on another bank, naming the banks, knows no number of the bills, nor any thing the law requires upon Satisfactory indentity — Powell has about the Sam Gardiner Swars to, he pays it over to the Mayor until after the trial, Gardiner loses none of his money — nor any thing else, These are the facts,

Now as to a letter written to Frankfort, by Geo Smedley our Police Judge, I am Satisfied that he is a man of the bitterest feelings now living, he first upon examination convicted Powell and he thinks the Soundness of this judgment would be greatly impaired if Powell were to pardoned, he is a strange man, as theo the report that Powell had been before in the

Penetentiary of Va. the men [...] who were Said to have seen Powell there, now deny ever Saying they Saw him, but upon the contrary deny ever Seeing him before

With the hope that the Gov, will do Something to relieve M^rs Powell

I remain yours with
Respect
Josiah Harris Jr