Joseph E. Hays to Beriah Magoffin
1862-02-09
- Date of Creation
- February 9, 1862
- Place of Creation
- Jamestown, Russell 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
- MG22-354 to MG22-355
- CWGK Accession Number
- KYR-0001-020-1678
- 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
- 32210086
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Citation
Joseph E. Hays to Beriah Magoffin, 1862-02-09, 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-0001-020-1678 (November 13, 2026).
Jamestown Ky.
To his excellency B. Magoffin Govr of Ky
Sir, Some months since, George W Collins a citizen of this County sent up his petition imploring your excellency to remit a fine of $50. assessed against him in the Clinton Circuit Court upon a charge of Carrying Concealed deadly weapons Contrary to law. He has not yet heard from that petition. And as we had full confidance in the merits of his case as made out by the petition we fear that the case has escaped your notice. In addition to the grounds & reasons relied upon in the petition we think that the great scarcity of money & particularly in our county ought to plead for him. In fact he cant raise the money now & for months past every person has violated that law and almost any other law that they desire to violate with impunity. And I could say without violence to truth that Mr. Collins was lawlessly & brutally arrested in my presence by a company of outlawd ruffians & carried to Camp Dick Robinson in the early days of that Camp & as he informs me lost enough in his absence on account of that outrage to have
paid the fine, but of course I do not offer that as any reason why he should be pardoned for many of us have suffered such outrages. I write for the purpose of Calling your attention to the [situation] & to the further fact of his inability to pay it under the pressure of the times
I hope you may think the case meritorious & I am satisfied all his neighbours desire that the fine should be pardoned. I suppose you will scarcely remember me & on that account I refer you to A. J. James, Nat Gaither Jr. and Nathan McClure who will deliver this letter & say perhaps something more to you about the Case If I recollect right the petition shows that Mr. Collins had legal grounds for carrying the weapon & carried & drew it in self defence. But failed to attend the trial & make the defence under wrong advice, & the Judgment went by default he being at the time a citizen of Tennessee. I am now enabled to state that the petiton was sent up about the last of May or first of June & I hope it is accessible to you
Respectfully
Joseph E. Hays.
His Excellency B. Magoffin
Govenor of Kentucky
Frankfort
Ky.
See McClure
Remitted
B. M
Clinton
Russell Cir. Ct
$50. } Weapons
Geo. W. Collins
Remission
Iss