One or two terms ago of our Union Circuit Court a young Mr Thos. I. Owen of this county was found guilty & fined fifty Dollars on charge of selling whiskey to a slave, and I respectfully petition for the remitance of the Commonwealth portion of the debt — Mr Owen could send you a petition to that effect from all his neighbors but I advise him that its influence would not be worth the trouble as the masses generally take no trouble to inform themselves of the justness or otherwise of the petition they are asked to sign & I never knew one to refuse to sign a petition —

My recollection of Mr Owen's case is that he had let a slave have whiskey one time ignorantly or without thought on a verbal order from the master given the day before and in the absence of the written order the letter of the law requires. It is Mr Owen's first offence that I know of, he is an honest meaning & poor young man

and he promises faithfully to be a law abiding citizen hereafter in every respect, and I think he can be relied on for its fulfilment Mr. O. is a resident of the county and on his presentment was so mortified as to quit his grocery and go to farming. If you can do so consistantly with yr sense of duty to the Public yr remiting the Commonwealth's 70 per cent would be a charity to Owen and be esteemed a favor by me awaiting yr early answer

I am respy yrs &c
D. H. Hughes

Remited
B M

Union Cir. Ct.
$50 } Liquir to a Slave

Tho. O. Owen

Iss^dMay 1. 1862