<title type="main">A. G. Rhea 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-0001-020-1123 MG20-238 to MG20-239

Russellville, Logan County, Kentucky Russellville, Logan County, Kentucky 1861-05-01 Correspondence 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 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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Russellville, Ky May 1st 1861. To His Excellency Hon. Beriah Magoffin Governer of Kentucky: Dear Sir:

Sometime in August 1858, John McClean, a citizen of the County of Logan became involved in a personal encounter with another citizen of Said County, named John Borran in which said McClean inflicted several wounds on the person of Said Borran, with a common pocket Knife. At the ensuing term of the Logan Circuit Court thereafter an indictment was returned against said McClean for stabbing with intent to Kill. The Cause was continued by the Commonwealth until the January term 1861 of the Logan Equity and Criminal Court, when by Consent of Court and Commonwealths Attorney, a trial was waived and the defendant confessed judgment & an assault and battery and his fine was assessed at fifty dollars --

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The facts in the case, it is exceedingly doubtful if a trial had been regulary gone through with, would not even have warranted a conviction of an assault and battery. The testimony I know was conflicting as to who struck first, but McClean is an exceedingly poor man, and under advice of his counsel, to save the expense of a trial in the way of attorney fees &c, consented to a judgment assessing a fine against him for fifty dollars as before stated. A capias has issued against him on said judgment. He is an exceedingly poor man with a wife nearly blind and a large family of helpless children. He is a painter by trade and owing to the great financial and political troubles, he is not able to obtain work enough to support comfortably his helpless family. Had times had remained difficult he would honestly have paid the fine, but he now finds it next to an impossibility to do so. Though

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he humbly beseeches your Excellency to interfere and release him from his liability by reason of such fine. If payment is exacted imprisonment will be almost necessarily the consequences & his family be deprived of the aid & sustenance they now receive from the little work he is unable to obtain & now do. He is a man advanced in years, nearly sixty-years of age, of good family and an interposition on the part of your excellency would meet with the approbation of the citizens of the Community in which he resides.

Yours Very respectfully A G. Rhea

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Logan Eq. Ct

Remitted B. M

IssdMay 3. 61

Jno. McClean