<title type="main">J. B. McClintock et al. to Thomas E. Bramlette Edition created from new transcripts of this manuscript. Initial upload of this work's facsimile images and metadata to FromThePage for editing Kentucky Historical Society Digital Collections Administrator of the CWGK Migration transcription project on FromThePage Kentucky Historical Society Digital Collections Kentucky Historical Society Digital Collections made 8 edits between June 21, 2025 and June 21, 2025. Dynamic TEI export from FromThePage (version 22.10)

This image and transcription is publicly accessible. The image appears courtesy of the repository named in the Source Description. The transcription and annotation were undertaken by Kentucky Historical Society staff, volunteers, and interns. If referencing this document title, accession number, and permanent URL.

 November 11, 2025 Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives Office of the Governor, Thomas E. Bramlette: Governor's official correspondence file, petitions for pardons, remissions, and respites 1863-1867 KYR-0001-004-0471 BR9-239 to BR9-242

Cynthiana, Harrison County, Kentucky Cynthiana, Harrison County, Kentucky 1864-01-08 Petition English Version 1 of page "8": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "8": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "7": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "7": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "6": Changes to page transcript. Version 1 of page "5": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "6": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "4": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "5": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "3": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "4": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 0 of page "3": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "2": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "2": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "1": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "1": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile.
1

To His Excellency Thomas E. Bramlette Govenor of the Commonwealth of Ky

The undersigned citizens of Harrison County state that Garrett Whitson was tried & found guilty of the murder of John Spikard and has been sentenced to be hanged on the 9th day of February 1864. The killed man was but recently before his death out of the Penetentiary and maintained the worst possible character before he went & while there- The crime for which the deceased was sent to the penetentiary was, that he went into a melon patch of one of his neighbors and was stealing the melons and when the owners of the melons (being a man & his wife) came on him & asked him to desist he instantly shot them both- but fortunately the shots did not prove fatel to either -- Showing him to be a man of the most vicious & blood thirsty character

2

The proof develop these facts: That Whitson went to the house of Mr Albright in company with in Company with some other person and told Albrights wife and daughter both of whom are notorious prostitutes, that Mr Albright was out some distance from the house very drunk and started with them to assist in bringing him home- When they had proceeded some distance until they Came up to a main road they met with Andrew Whitson with a shot gun & John Spikard with a rifle. Spikard said why have you brought my cousin Liz out and her daughter out here this time of night (It was then about dusk) She remarked that she was hunting for Mr Albright her husband, that Garrett Whitson had said her husband was lying near a log on the road side. Spikard said that Whitson was a liar. Whitson said he must not repeat what he had said

3

Spikard with his loaded rifle in his hand did repeat it. Wherefore Whitson snatched the shot gun from his brother Andrew Whitson and instantly fired & killed Spikard.

The only witnesses to prove any thing about the matter were the two Cousins of Spikard Elizabeth Albright and Mary Francis Albright and James Ashbrook- The two women are notorious harlots and Ashbrook is a man whose character for veracity is utterly worthless- Whitson has a small large family of small children is entirely destitute of pecuniary means, and is without relations who take an interest in him sufficient to make them exert themselves for his pardon or otherwise aid him in his perillous situation, and we who are stangers to him but acquainted with the general character of the witnesses upon whose testimony he was found guilty do not believe that any

4

human being ought to suffer the death penalty upon the sole & exclusive evidence of such persons as the wintesses for the prosecution against this poor man. We therefore ask your excellency to pardon him- He is a consumptive & is now a mere shadow from the effect of his disease and protracted confinement in our County Jail before & since his trial and if appearances are true to themselves he cannot last if pardoned more than six or eight months.

Cynthiana KyJany 8th 1864

J B. McClintock S H C J. F. Ware. C. H. Circt. Ct. H D Peck A Perrin J W Peck L VanHook Robert Jones John S Boyd L Coppage F A Evelith Frederick Robitzen Wm P H Browning Henry VanHook J Newton Smith Jno O, Day J L Griffith J. S. Boyd Chas F. Wilson C. H. C S. J. Stowers J. Q. Ward, Jno T. McClintock Jno R. Smith Thos Edwards G W Turner H Martin

5

M. L. Broadwell P J. H C C. T. Delling Issac Hodges J F G St Thomas T. A. Frazer Willis T Zilare T. W. Evelith Sam J, Ashbrook James G Wall A Renaker J S Withers R C Wherritt D. W. Juett W B Renaker W H. Throckmorton Nicholas, D, Moore Henry Warfield T H. Anderson G H Givens John Wright John Carter C A, Webster Wm Shumate Thos Laitsch C. Walton A, S, Thomson Jno B Rainey H Dugee John Bruce J. H C Wm M. Nourse W. B. Pursell. L H VanHook -- W Barrett A. Addams James Hutcherson James W Wornall W R Hoffman Peter Garner L Oxley Darwin Roland T, R, Rankin David N, Dills W H Dills Archibal James Jos B, Carpenter Maurice Morpihan Patrick H King Thomas English John English James English W B Grave J, D, George D, A, Givens Wm W Kimbrough B C Day N. Curtis

6

Lewis Perrin J, Rieter Milton Smith V L Northcutt William Magee J. B. Smith George, W, Gilmen Wm. N. Atkins David Veach James Van Dorn Sam Douglas Thomas ^M^ Moore P, Phillips C H Abbott Joseph Pryor Chas E Donald A, D, Kennard H, G, Baker J. Mac Kimbrough James. Frazer Thomas V. Ashbrook J, A, Cook L Stump Thomas Hinkston Benjamin Dunn Wm P Costhwait Wm McKenney J. T. McKinley J. N. Webb E M Glare Paul. King Arch Edger J. T. Nicholas Joe H Shawhan G. H. Perrin T. C Cox Jos S Dray H L Ashbrook Covington Ky John Musbury Thos Miley James McBride George Brown S C Tucker J. R. Earls Jas B Curl James Simes John M Hamilton J M Givens Philip Ammerman J, M, McGibben George Palmer E. Arrende James C King R L Cummins Lewis D Terry Canaday Ringes John Burgess Jr

7

John Duglass H C, Ireland J, H, Medd Smithe William Anderson Jas W Berry L Penn L F Strowe A Day James John James Leonard L M Weaver F G Cruse Noah thorp John J Clifford B F fightmast J heger G A Boyd M Hutcherson Michael B Cleary Reuben L Robertson E J Steward A L Wiglesworth Wm M Terry Z Dunn P Lilly P. Kirtley Hugh W Levi Thomas D Bassett Wm H Bumbarger T C Jigney L C Rankin E M Farnel John Q Anderson H D Frisbee G W Henry John Pagget Charles Giles S, J, Davis John Hiton Isaac N Rees David Williams N I Day J H Renneckar C. C. Snodgrass James Tippett Lum Snodgrass E C Hutchison Michael David William Hinkson Elija Bayley John Bing R Lancaster Saml White James Shulley Barnett Odon H Caron L G Humble

8

M S. Wiglesworth W S Renekar Wm G Courtney J H Raines G. S. Sparks B F Dills A, A, Dills A Conner Ashley Edwards Wm Conner D A Grimes Noah S Patterson Samuel Tucker H. S. Webb, Robert Chaney Enoc Craigmites Thomas Webser Ruben Hadger R Alex D Clifford Jno. O Hodges T H Corbin Thos B Arnett J. W. Musselman W, M, Hite Wm Buzzard N. G. Henry Geo. Kimbrough