<title type="main">James M. Bingham 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 2 edits between June 22, 2025 and June 22, 2025. Dynamic TEI export from FromThePage (version 22.10)

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 November 12, 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-0001-020-0640 MG18-485

Knox County, Kentucky Knox County, Kentucky 1861-10-30 Correspondence English 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.
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To his Excellency Beriah Magoffin Governor of Kentucky.

The undersigned your petitioner would respectfully represent that at the September Term 1859 of the Knox Circuit Court a fine of ten dollars was assessed against him for engaging in a game of marbles with a negro.

He states that the offense was committed shortly after the passage of the act which made it illegal. that ^He^ lives in a remote portion of the county and can neither read nor write and did not therefore Know or even suspect he was violating the law of land.

He states that he was at the time in the employment of the master of the negro and after working in the field with the negro all the week engaged in a game of marbles on Saturday evening not dreaming that he was thereby violating the laws of his country.

He states that he is a boy and was at the time the offense was committed only sixteen years of age and as he had been working in company a with the negro thought there was no impropriety in his engaging in the game. He states that he is poor and unable to pay said fine, that shortly after the fine was imposed he petitioned you Excellency and obtained a respite for the term of twelve moths but the time for which the collection of the fine was respited having expired An A execution for his body is now in the hands of the sheriff and unless remitted by your Excellency he will be imprisoned in the Jail of his county to satisfy said fine. The premises considered he

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prays that your Excellency may remit said fine and save him from imprisonment. January 30th 1861

James M. Bingham

Knox Cir. Ct. $10 } Gaming J. M. Bingham Remission Issd Feby 15. 1861

Remitted B. M.