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

Your Petitioner William Alvis would respectfully represent that during the year 1860, he kept a grocery store in Athens Fayette County, Kentucky, and on the [...] day of [...] 1860 your peitioner was indicted in the Fayette Circuit Court for Keeping a disorderly house — A number of persons were placed at the foot of the indictment among them one Columbus Kent — Your petitioner gave bond to appear and immidiately went to see all of the witnesses all of whom except said Kent was his neighbors All of whom, Kent included, said they knew nothing against your petitioner and they would swear that he kept a perfectly orderly house — On the trial all of petitioners neighbors were examined and swore that they knew your petitioner, that he was a good citizen and had kept a house above suspicion, so far as their knowledge was concerned — Columbus Kent then appeared, pretendedly so drunk that he could not testify and by the order of the Court was taken to jail — The day after he was

brought out and swore every thing the Commonwealths attorney wished him to swear a viz that "he had seen your petitioner trading with negroes; had seen him sell whiskey in less quantities ^less^ than a quart; that great disorder was kept at his house &c." — Deft's council then called in Kents neighbors, such as could be found in the Court house and all of those who knew Kent said that he was a wild and reckless character, a magistrate and constable would swear, and wanted to do so, that, they knew that Kent had sworn to a lie, but this was overruled and upon said Kent's testimony your petitioner was fined $500 and three months imprisonment — Your petitioner applied for a new trial and filed an affidavit showing that since the trial he had found that more than thirty persons, the most respectable in the County could be brought to prove that Kent was a man of bad moral character and could not be believed or oath — But this was overruled and your petitioner was committed

to jail — Your petitioner thinks it hard that he should thus suffer on account of the testimony of a vagabond, the only witness in the county who did swear against him and prays that his Excellency may interpose his Clemency —

William Alvis

We the undersigned would petitioner His Excellency to remit the above mentioned fine —

Fayette Cir. Ct.
W^m Alvis
Iss^dApr 24. 1862

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