Covington Kentucky —
Jan. 6^" 1862 —
Govenor Magoffin,
My Dear Sir,

The case which will be presented to you by the bearer of this letter is one of peculiar interest, especially so as the Father is the anxious bearer —

M^r Timberlake has a son near eighteen years of age, who at their term of the court was sentenced to the Penitentary for the time of eighteen months — and upon the following grounds —

One M^r Von Grundy and Timberlake are and have been for some time past engaged in this city as wheat and produce Merchants & Partners in the same. The boy convicted is a son of Timberlake and has been in the store and about it, now and then attending to errands and occassionally as the proof showed, entrusted with checks to draw money from the Banks here, as well as from the Banks in the city of Cincinnatti — A short time ago, some time last fall, M^r Von Grundy was much engaged in his store, and drew a check on the Northern Bank of Ky. for two hundred dollars, gave it to N. Timberlake and told him to go and draw it — The boy went off with the check, drew the money, and went

on over the river into Cincinnati. M^r Von Grundy became uneasy after waiting about three quarters of an hour, went to the N. Bank, found the money had been drawn, and in a few minutes meeting the Marshal of the city, mentioned his suspicions to him and asked him to look out for the boy — The Marshal proceeded over the river directly — and at the Ohio & Mississippi Rail Road Depot found the young man, just entering the cars for St. Louis — The Marshal arrested him, and called on him for the money — Young Timberlake handed him one hundred and eighty eight dollars, and a Rail Road Ticket to St. Louis The Marshal proceeded to the R. R. Ticket Office and got the money, ten dollars, which made one hundred and ninety eight dollars he got from the person of the boy, and of the money drawn on the check of two hundred given him by Von Grundy — The above facts about cover the Testimony in the case —

The case was prosecuted above by Von Grundy who however did it modestly and kindly — The Young man is wild, and deserves no doubt some punishment — but when the Father was interested in the bussiness, is there not some excuse for the improprietous of the son — and ought not his punishment be less severe — Therefore I would ask because of the Father and all the circumstances that you pardon

the son, and permit the Father to carry out his purposes withregard to him. which will in my opinion be severe enough —

With Great Respect
Your obt. svt
G. Clay Smith