<title type="main">William Beckett 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-0001-020-0464 MG18-226 to MG18-227

Whitley County, Kentucky Whitley County, Kentucky Petition English Version 1 of page "4": 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 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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To His Excellency Beriah MaGoffin Govenor of the Commonwealth of Ky

Your petitioner William Beckett would most respectfully represent unto your Excellency, that on the day of 1861 a warrant was issued by Granvill L Merrill an acting Justice of the Peace for Whitley County against your petition charging him with the offence of carrying concealed deadly weapons, and on the 21 day of this month (Jany 1861) he appeared before said Justice and entered his plea of guilty and a fine of fifty dollars was assesed against him, He says that it is true he carried a pistol, but the same was done under the following circumstances that during christmas, the young men of Williamsburg were on what is commonally called a bustand and your petitioner among the number desirous of having some amusement had the pistol to do some shooting where they might to get out to themselves in a private place.

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He says that he did not carry the pistol concealed and only had the same during the christmas holidays. He says that he never would have been charge with such an offence but for the malicious feeling of a young gentleman of this neighborhood who is always ready and anxious to be extremley officious and cannot in every little low plunge in thing that may happen in the community. He says that he is a very poor young man and has to make his living by the sweat of his brow the previous considered he pray your Excellency may extend to him the arm of your Executive clemency and he prays for a remission of the fine

Wm Beckett

We the undersigned citizens of Whitly County would like to see your Excellency to remit, the above fine against Mr Beckett

R Boyd J. D, Gilliss Lee Leforce E. J. King A. C. King W. H. Wilson H. F. Finley

I hope your excellency will remit the fine against Mr Becket he has been living here for some time is a verry industrious young man & he has never had any difficulty with any person and always,, behaved himself like a gentleman

W. T. Cook Co Atty

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Whitley J P

Remitted B. M

$50 } Weapons Wm Beckett IssdJany 30 1861