His Excellency Beriah Magoffin,
Governor of the State of Kentucky:

Your Petitioner George Presing states that about the first December 1861 he was attending to his business, at his own home, in the city of Lexington, when one John Matter came into his house. Matter, as the Proof in the case showed, was drinking and soon became noisy and Your Petitioner ordered him out of his house. Matter refused to go and your petitioner took him by the collar and attempted to eject him from his premises, when Matter getting the best of him, and forcing him to the wall Your Petitioner obtained a knife, and not wishing to kill his antagonist, cut Matter in the leg- Matter received no scratch elsewhere- Your Petitioner was arraigned before the Lexington City Courtand fined by a majority of the jury in the sum of $40⁰⁰ Some of the jury were for one cent fine, others for discharging the prisoner — Petitioner has paid into the City Court, on said fine, $25⁰⁵ — which, however, is

merely the Marshall and clerks costs and Attorneys percentum — Your Petitioner would state to his Excellency that he was merely defending his own home and premises, and had the case been properly understood by the jury he does not believe he would have been fined one cent — Your petitioner would ever feel grateful to his Excellency to remove the remainder of the Forty dollar fine which now amounts only to Twenty Eight dollars
Lexington Dec 7^th 1862

Respectfully
George Breying.

We the undersigned would respectfully recommend the petitioner to the clemency of his Excellency

Bryan H Allen City attory
Speed. S. Goodloe
B F Graves Mayor
D. F. Wolf.
James B. Beck

Jno. h. Dudley
R H Prewitt
P Thomson

Lexington City Ct

Remitted
B.M

$40. }
Geo. Bressing
Iss^dJany 15^th 1862