Thomas Sullivan to Beriah Magoffin
- Place of Creation
- Louisville, Jefferson 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
- MG22-40 to MG22-41
- CWGK Accession Number
- KYR-0001-020-1464
- 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
- 32209872
Citation
Thomas Sullivan to Beriah Magoffin, 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-0001-020-1464 (November 12, 2026).
To His Excellency The Governor of Kentucky:
Your petitioner, Thomas Sullivan, prays your Excellency to relieve him for the payment of the Commonwealths portion of a fine assessed in theCity Court of Louisville against your petitioner on s, and soon afterwards Hendricks was in front of your petitioners house (your petitioner having gone into his own room) on the sidewalk & talking boisterously with another man.
This induced your petitioner to speak from his window, asking Hendricks to desist such loud talking & not to raise a fuss in front of your petitioner's premises, whereupon Hendricks used some offensive language to your petitioner & invited him to come down & he would whip him. Your petitioner did come down & having a stick in his hand, got in conflict with Hendricks who, with his Knife cut your petitoner dreadfully; one cut was on the right ^side^ of the nose Extending for between 3 & 4 inches from the Eye downward & disfiguring your petitioner for life; he also inflicted two wounds on the front of the left shoulder of your petitioner, whereby your petitoner's life was for a time despaired of & he was confined to his room for over 8 days. Your petitioner struck Hendricks but once yet did him no injury.
Your petitioner states that he is a poor man & illy able to pay the fine; he has been subjected to much loss on account his before mentioned injuries, his physician's bill and
loss of time. In tender consideration of the premises your petitioner prays your Excellency to remit the fine aforesaid, and as in duty bound, he ever will &c
Thos ^his X mark^ Sullivan
I really think it would be a proper exercise of your Excellency's Clemency to remit the fine against Sullivan as he has prayed.
It is true I defended him before the Jury, — yet I thought no greater fine than One cent should have been imposed.
My own mind was satisfied on the trial that this prosecution was got up against Sullivan as an offset to the indictment against Hendricks for cutting him.
Hendricks & his daughter were the only witnesses against Sullivan, & their testimony was (with me) much weakened by the testimony of a witness who they said was present at the difficulty & who was introduced by Sullivan.
Repectfully
Robt J. Elliott.
The Particulars as they were proved on the Trial are correctly set forth in the foregoing Petition, Sullivan is a poor man with a family Mr Elliott who has made a statement above was formerly prosecuting attorney in the City Court
Louisville City Ct
$25 } Assault
Tho. Sullivan
Remitted B. M
Issd
