To His Excellency the Governor of Kentucky

Your petitioner would respectfully represent that at the August term of the Fayette Circuit Court two indictments were found against him, one for Keeping a disorderly house, the other for selling liquor to a slave without the written order of his master.

Your petitioner states that he keeps a large and general assortment of groceries, in a part of the City of Lexington where from the great number of families such an establishment is much needed. That he sells annually about Twenty thousand dollars worth of groceries, that his Store-house and his dwelling thereto attached is of the value of Six thousand dollars, that he keeps an orderly well governed house and has not knowingly and wilfully violated the law in said establishment at any time.

At the last term of the Circuit Court held for this County your petitioner being satisfied that the jury would if possible inflict a heavy penalty upon him and also being fully satisfied that the prosecution would prove that more than five negroes had congregated on his Corner on Sunday when your petitioner was really absent and knew nothing about it, and at a time when your petitioners gro-

cery was not open at all, and being possitve that no other infraction of the law could be proven under that indictment, with all these facts staring him in the face your petitioner confessed judgment for One hundred dollars being satisfied that a Fayette Jury with this slight proof would inflict a severe and unjust penalty upon him.

The other indictment against him was for selling liquor to the slave of Isaac W Scott without the masters permission, Now the fact in this cases is that Berry Dixon [...] the overseer of said Scott, who had the controll of said negro boy, told your petitioner that he might sell liquor to said slave whenever he called for it and your petitioner believing that he had a right to sell the liquor upon the verbal order of the said overseer did so sell it to said slave & being informed by his attorney that with that evidence before them the jury would certainly find your petitioner guilty he Confessed Judgement on said indictment in the sum of Twenty dollars.

Your petitioner states that he has not wilfully violated the law at any time, that he has a license to sell liquor by the quart and prays that your Excellency will remit all of the foregoing fines in your

power to remit. All which is respectfully submitted

John Sheppard

John Sheppard says the statements contain-ed in the foregoing petition are true

John. Sheppard

Sworn to before me this 1^st day April 1862

Z.Gibbons Ex F. C.

We the undersigned unite in the prayer of the petitioner

Z. Gibbons
B H Allin
Speed S. Goodloe
B H Graves
J W Patterson
S. N. Drake
James F. Drake
A. Robertson
John Carty
Dr J M Bruce
J L Frazer
Tho^s Bradley
Jno R Desha
H. F. Jones
James B. Woodruff