<title type="main">Michael Coyle et al. to Beriah Magoffin 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 4 edits between June 22, 2025 and June 22, 2025. Dynamic TEI export from FromThePage (version 22.10)

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 November 11, 2025 Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives Office of the Governor, Beriah Magoffin: Governor's Official Correspondence File, Petitions for Pardons and Remissions, 1859-1862 KYR-0001-020-0326 MG18-12

Jefferson County, Kentucky Jefferson County, Kentucky Petition English Version 1 of page "4": Changes to page transcript. Version 1 of page "3": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "4": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "2": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "3": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "1": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "2": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 0 of page "1": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile.
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W Bland James N. Kellogg M. O. Davie G Baurman

To His Excellency B. Magoffin Governor of Commonwealth of Kentucky

Your Petitioner respectfully represents that on the day of August 1860 he became bound for the appearance in the Jefferson Circuit Court of Peter McaGuire charged with the killing of one James Welsh --

Petitioner states that the person who shot said Welsh was under arrest in the charge of Jno T. Gallagher and other Police officers of the city of Louisville, but Effected his Escape & he is informed & beleivs has not since been retaken and the said McaGuire was arrested & held over as aforesaid Said circuit Court came on and an indictment was returned against said Maguire at the October term of said Court for the year 1860 -- The accused appeared to answer the same, & the trial was fixed for a day -- Maguire was required to renew his bond for his appearance on the day assigned and your petitioner stood bound for him -- From some strange cause the accused failed to appear Whereupon his recognesence was forfeited and such proceedings were had that on the 14 day of January 1861 judgment was rendered against your petitioner as bondsman aforesaid

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for the sum of $100000 Petitioner is informed that the probable reason of the leaving why the said Maguire absconded was, that he was alarmed, by having been told by the officers of Police & others that the grand jury had found an indictment against him for murder & that he would be arrested & no bail would be allowed.

Your petitioner was convinced that said Maguire had no connection with the killing of said Welsh, which was done on the wharf, in a large and excited crowd, which had just returned from a Prize fight a short distance above the city

The parties who realy committed the murder were arrested by the officers of Police but an Escape was committed by John Bohan and others, who are now in jail charged with said offence.

After this escape had been made Maguire was arrested and thrown into jail -- Your petitioner being well acquainted with the said Maguire & believing him to be an innocent man was induced to become his bondsman & he is satisfied that the accused would have stood his trial had he not been alarmed as has Remitted B. M

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been before stated --

Your petitioner is a poor man & the little he has, has been accumulated by years of hard work & self denial -- All & more than all of his savings will be taken away from him by the Enforcement of the judgment. The little he has was literally scraped together by working as a day laborer in cleaning the streets of Louisville

Your petitioner after said Maguire absconded having heard that he had gone south, wfent at his own expense to Memphis & New Orleans to find him so he might have him arrested & brought to Louisville to stand his trial.

I recognise many of the names on this petition as being men of high character and entitled to high consideration, D Meriwether

Michael ^his X mark^ Coyle

Witnesses. Sam B. Smith B McAtee } Thos Browne J F Babbitt H. S. Blair

since the Above was written Bohan has been tried & convicted to the penetentiary for one year on the charge as above stated

J F Babbitt D S for J W Davis S, J, C

To His Excellency the Gov:

The petitin above embodies about the facts as I have learned them: The petitioner is a hard working man, and a sober one. He has worked upon our streets, for many years: and has one small house and a little lot of ground: He has a family of children ^to take care of, and if consistent with executive clemency I cheerfully join in his petition

E S Craig atto Commth ^

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The undersigned are acquainted with M. Coyle the petitioner in the above petition, he is a hard working industrious, honest & hard working man & has accumulated the little he has by frugality & economy and they understand & beleve that he would be ruined by the Enforcement of the judgment obtained against him as referred to in the above petition.

Denis Long Robert Hughes John Long S. J. Hare & Co James P Dennis A P Cochran Jas Ainslie George Ainslie Brown Bro & Co Geo. Meadows B McAtee W. P. Boone H Spalding A,, Maxwell W, A, Nally E, H, Taylor G. C. Shadburry G Mullikin N. L McClelland Thos. T. Summers K, P, Thixton G. T. May. E, N. Gibbs Jno Hunt J. G. Wilson A Gilmore Henry Wolford Chas H, Harris A W, R. Harris Alex Duvall H. C Thomas Isaac Caldwell J D. Hamilton J. W. Davis P. H Cochrane J A. Kimball H W Moore B H Helm H H Higdon J H Rhorer G W Meriwether E Crutchfield C. A. Black Thomas Coleman C. C. Rufer R. F. Baird John Simm