<title type="main">W. T. Coale 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 3 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-0001-020-0395 MG18-113 to MG18-114

Petition English Version 1 of page "3": Changes to page transcript. 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.
1

To his Excellency the Governor of Kentucky

Your petitioners in behalf of Hezekiah Alexander Jun (a free man of Color) beg leave to state That at the Novr Term of the Meade Circuit Court, the said Hesekiah Allexander Jun, was Indicted by the Grand Jury of Meade County for breaking into and entering the dwelling house of John Funk on the 20th July 1859 in the night time -- They state the said Alexander was tried and found guilty by the petit Jury at the saidthe may term 1860 of the Court, and who assessed his punishment at three years Confinement in the Penetentiary of the State -- They state, the proof on the final trial was, that Alexander in the night Came to the window of the House of Funk, and raised the window but the witness could not state that any part of the body or member of the person of the said Alexander entered the house, but the Jury having the right to Judge of the facts, presumed he had to enter to raise the window even though it was ever so slight, therewassome the proof of identity was not entirely clear,

The ^main^ witnesses was a German woman

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indeed the only one ^introduced^ ^she was the only witness in the case^ who saw Alexander at the window or spoke of the main fact of Burglary, her testimony was not clear but seemingly honest,

They state the said Alexander was Young at the time, only some eighteen or nineteen years old he had been raised by a shrewed father who was and is under a man of a ^some^ badgood character in the neighborhood, and as ^his m sister & mother^ we understand reside in the city of Louisville, so far as your petitioners are advised they are honest, perhapse a fair average of for that class of persons, ^who are deemed honest^ we are assured that by the sister of said boy Alexander, that in the event of the release of said boy he shall not return to the county of Meade but they will keep him in Louisville -- In view of this fact and other circumstances connected with his case we ask Your Excellency to release the said boy, from serving the remainder of his time as in the event he should not reform he will again be sent back to the Penetentiary without any hope of Executive Clemency we herewith send a copy of the indictment -- since writing the above, we have thought of the Bill of Exceptions which we herewith send for your examination containing all the proof

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I was attorney for Alexander in the case refered to in the Petition and not believing the verdict was authorized by the Testimony Moved for a New Trial, the court overruled the Motion but intimated the opinion had he been a juror he might have felt Constrained to have found a different verdict but Said he did not feel authorized in disturbing the verdict I Still think the verdictTestimony insufficient to authorize the verdict

W. T. Coale

O. C. Richardson Jr -- practising attorney of same bar Endorse. Wm T. Coale's Statement

O. C. Richardson Jr

I indorse the above & foregoing

J S. Taylor

I concur in recommending the exercise of executive clemency to the boy Hez Alexander. Jr. if deemed compatible with duty. I heard the evidence ^in the case^ and at the time doubted its sufficiency to Convict -- then thought but for the want of good character of his father, and to some extent it effected ^on^ him. The result might have been different.

Jno C. Walker