W. W. Cleary to Beriah Magoffin
1862-06-17
- Date of Creation
- June 17, 1862
- Document Genre
- Correspondence
- 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
- MG24-13 to MG24-14
- CWGK Accession Number
- KYR-0001-020-2015
- 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
- 32210423
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- Dates
- 1862-06-17
Citation
W. W. Cleary to Beriah Magoffin, 1862-06-17, 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-0001-020-2015 (November 14, 2026).
To his Excellency the Govenor of Ky,
More than a year ago, I was appointed at the [...] Term of the Harrison Circuit Court, Commonwealths Attorney pro tem, in the absence of Wm Mathew the Regular atty for the Commonwealth, as such I attended to the prosecution in the case of Commonwealth against Sam'l Craig for passing Counterfeit Money, He was convicted and sentenced to the Penitentiary for two years, where he now is having served considerably more than half his time, The conviction was had upon the testimony of one witness one Noah Eddleman — and though he swore positively, that he had seen Craig offer to pass the Counterfeit bill, yet his statement was so
indistinct and confused upon every other circumstance connected with the matter, that I was surprised at the time, that the Jury found a verdict against Craig — Since the trial I am satisfied, that Craig ought not to have been convicted — that his brother one James Craig, was the really guilty party — and that Eddleman the witness must have been mistaken in saying that he saw ^said^ Craig in possession of the Counterfeit Bill — Other witnesses were introducted beside Eddleman, but their testimony ^alone^ would have been insufficient, James Craig has fled the Country, to avoid prosecution for passing the same bill, and attempting to pass it, having tried it, several times before he put it on Saml,
I make this statement at the
request of Sam'l Craig, who desires a pardon from your Excellency, I have no sort of hesitation, in saying, that I think he ought to be pardoned, I have heard a number of persons in Harrison County speak of the case, who think he ought to be pardoned
Very Respectfully &c
W. W. Cleary
