State of Kentucky Muhlenberg County
To his Excellency
Hon Thomas E. Bramlette
Govenor of Kentucky

Your petitioners citizens of said County of Muhlenberg respectfully represent that on the 29^th day of March 1863 an unfortunate difficulty occured in said County between Milton Purdy and Webster Stewart which resulted in the wounding of said Webster Stewart by s^d Purdy.

On the following day the said Purdy was tried before an examining Court held by B. J. Shorer P. J. M. C. C. on a charge of shooting & wounding in sudden heat & passion & with intent to kill and ^upon^ and full investigation the said Purdy was held to bail in the sum of four hundred dollars to appear in the Circuit Court in & for s^d County on the first day of its next term (thereafter), and at all times render himself amenable to the orders & process of said Court. Whereupon your petitioners (nine in number) become surety in his bond — Some time after this preliminary trial and before the next term of said Court the said Stewart died (as they suppose from said wounds) and at the May term of the Muhlenberg Circuit Court, and indictment was returned by the Grand Jury for s^d County against said Purdy for Murder — since which time Purdy having failed to appear as required by said bond, the same was taken as forfeited at the May term 1863 of sd Circuit Court

and at the November term next thereafter judgment was rendered against s^d sureties —

Your petitioners state that they became sureties in said bond not for the purpose of obstructing justice — but to keep young Purdy, whom they esteemed a worthy citizen, out of the county jail and they were both mortified & surprised when they learned that said Purdy had left the country — They made dilligent enquiries for him & used every possible effort to ascertain his whereabouts in order that he might be delivered to the officers of s^d Court — but were at no time able to receive any information of him until with the past ten days when they learned that he having been in some way connected with the Rebel Army was captured by the Federal forces & is now held as a prisoner of war at Camp Douglass on Johnson's Island —

They claim to be peaceable, law abiding & order-loving citizens of this Commonwealth and that they have subjected themselves to this judgment by reason of feelings of kindness & humanity towards an unfortunate (and as they then supposed) a worthy young man who has since proved himself faithless to them and rebellious to his government — and esteeming it a great hardship on themselves they respectfully but earnestly ask that your Excellency remit all said judgment except the fees of the Commonwealth atty & the officers of the Court — Your petitioners respectfully state that all of them are men in moderate

circumstances & some of them in straightened condition — and being men with large families can illy afford to pay their proportionate part of said judgment —

They attach hereto ^certified^ copies of said bond indictment and judgment which they pray may be taken as part of this petition —

H. D. Rothrock
L, W, Kincheloe
J F, Jones
John Clark
R R Kurchelo
J. B. Shrewsbury
J. B. Nicholls
C. B. Wickliffe
J. H Reno Cir Clerk

The undersigned citizens of Muhlenberg County respectfully represent that the statements of the foregoing petition are true and they ask that the prayer of the petition be granted

As County Attorney I was present where the within named person was brought before the examining court and from the testimony it appeared Stewart was not Seriously wounded & it was believed he would recover in a few days Those gentlemen who Signed his Bond are Clever Honest gentlemen & all poor with families

I am Respectfully
B. E. Pittman

500 names could be obtained hereto if deemed necessary