<title type="main">R. B. Carpenter to Thomas E. Bramlette

Cynthiana Novr 8th 1863 His Excellency Thos E Bramlette Dear Governor

At the present term of the HarrisonCircuit Court George Sidle was indicted for the murder of Richard Jameson and convicted of manslaughter. The proof was that the prisoner and deceased had some ill feeling in this town on that day, but that had been settled & late in the afternoon Sidle and his son a young man twenty four years old left town for home, and that shortly afterwords the deceased & his brother Lewis Jameson both of whom were nighbors of Sidle left for home-- The latter overtook the former about a mile from town, and the prisoner and the deceased rode on together and Lewis Jameson & young Sidle for about half a mile when a dispute arose about a horse being glandered-- Prisoner told dec,d that the neighbors said that he had brought

a horse into the neighborhood that had the glanders-- deceased replied that any person who said So was a d -- d lior The prisoner replied I believe he had the glanders and I believe you beleve it deceased Said if you say that again I will take you off your horse-- prisoner repeated the statement and deceased took him by the collor and they both come to the ground on their feet between their horses-- prisoner immediately drew a large revolver and deceased caught the barrell in his left hand about one inch and a half from the muzzle and held it up to keep prisoner from shooting him-- Young Sidle then went up & caught hold of the pistol with his left hand on the barrell and deceased with his right and told his father not to shoot deceased Should not hurt him, then Lewis came up and put one hand on prisoner and the other on his brother & told the prisoner not to fire that Dick should not hurt him-- That suddenly prisoner drew his arm back bringing the pistol in range of the head of deceased and fired Killing deceased almost instantly

The prisoner then said he has shot himself and a moment afterwords Said I have Killed him why did you let me shoot him-- both replied they had done all they could to prevent it. Prisoner and deceased were about equal in Strength, and the latter was not armed This was the substance of the proof, by the mouth of Jameson & Young Sidle All the parties are strangers to me, but in my opinion there was no pretence even of self defence, and no occosion to Kill Jameson where these men & a pistol were protecting the prisoner and when no proof was offered tending to show that Jameson even attempted to strike him-- Jameson & Sidle were the only witnesss and it can not be for a moment supposed that the son would fail to make as strong a case for his father as truth warranted In my opinion the verdict of the Jury was a merciful one and this man ought not to be pardoned-- I Should be gratifyed if your Excellency would adopt Some rule

at least requiring a statement of the facts from Judge Doniphan or myself in cases of applications for pardon in all cases in this dist

Very Respcty your obt Servt R B Carpenter

P S Instructions So libal that MessrDavis and Trimble accepted them without were asked by me & given by the Court including one upon the question of self difence in accordance with the doctrine laid down in Ropps case 14 BM -- & Comr in Meredith 18 BM --

R B C

Harrison Cir Ct vs Geo Sidle

Heretofore acted upon