To His Excellency Beriah Magoffin Govenor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Your petition James Hager would respectfully represent to your Excellency that in the May Term 1861 of the Johnson Circuit Court he was fined Twenty upon a charge of adultery under the following circumstances he states that he is about 61 years old and is wife is about 64 years old and is severly affected with Rheumatism & is unable to do her household work and all there children have married off & left them & being thus aged he & his wife agreed to hire a woman to do the housework and while the woman was at her house she had the misfortune to become pregnant & was delivered of a child under these circumstances the Grand Jury indicted ^him^ at the instance of some one he states that the commonwealth did not attempt to prove direct acts of a criminal character but relied on the fact of the woman residing in the house of your petitioner at the time she became pregnant in short the facts proven were entirely unsubstantiated & your petitioner further states that in addition to his advanced age he has lost entirely the use of his right hand and arm he states that he has only a small mountain branch farm & one horse & he has to depend on the rent of his small farm for a living as he is unable to work to support himself & wife wherefore he prays your excellency to remit said fine

Jas Hager

Sworn to before me by Jas Hager this 25^th Aug 1861

Wm J Ward J P J C

We the undersigned citizens of Floyd & Johnson Counties state we are well acquainted with James Hager & know him to be a clever man & good citizen & hope your Excellency will find it constent in the discharge of your official duty & will ever pray

Respite 12 Mo
B. M