<title type="main">James C. Wood 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 7 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-0001-020-1426 MG21-390 to MG21-391

Taylor County, Kentucky Taylor County, Kentucky 1861-09-16 Petition English Version 1 of page "7": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "7": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "6": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "6": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "5": Changes to page transcript. Version 1 of page "4": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "5": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. 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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State of Kentucky Taylor county Y To His Excellency Beriah Magoffin Governor of Kentucky

Your petitioner James C Wood begs leave to state to your Excellency that at the Sept term 1861 of the Taylor circuit court he was tried convicted and sentenced to confinement for one year in the Penetentiary on the charge of maliciously Stabbing one Thos Cox, that in the trail he did not have a fair chance to defend the charge that he had been confined in jail for near seven months and had no friends who took any interest in getting his witnesses, that one very important witness for him was absent by whom he could have proven that Cox had a knife drawn at the time the petitioner stabed him, said absent witness was the only person

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present as fore as is known who saw Cox have the knife drawn, that Ed Yates is the name of the witness who made the statement on oath as above recited before the court of inquiry and was recognised as a witness for the comlth but failed to attend, that Petitioners lawyear was under the belief that a different witness made the statement above, and did not have yates Summoned for Petitioner, and did not learn better until after the trail had progressed for some time he says it is true that Cox had the knife drawn when petitioner stabed him, that severeal witnesses stated on the trial that Cox made an effort to kick petitoner just before the stab or did actually kick him,

He states that he had no mallice towards Cox that the stabbing occured in a sudden passion that it was done with an ordinary pocket knife and that Cox was not dangerously injured, that his wound did

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not confine him.

He states that his conviction was mainly produced by an undue excitement in the community against him, and produced by false rumors as to threats pretended to have been made by him, that one witness swore to some threats pretended by him to have been made after the Stabbing which statements was entirely untrue-

He prays that your Excellency pardon him and release him from said judgment and sentence,

James C, Wood

Sworn to before me by Jas C Wood this 16th of Sept 1861

Geo. W. Montague clk Taylor Circuit Court

We citizens of Taylor county join in the above prayr for a pardon for Mr Wood and would state that the case is one which they believe ought to be favored with Executive clemency --

Chas Taylor Able Wright James H Howard Benjamin Coyle A. H. Buchanan W T Martin E L Barbee Geo. W. Montague John G. Herren William. Marrs Joseph L Bragg Geo. W. Redman A. Willson

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John Williams Edm Penn Lewis Grinstead S W Crandell R, F, Fargusson Jas H Christerson Lewis Spurling F. R. Wright Stephen Harding S W,, gabhert Geo L Gabheart Leonard Grinstead J P Duncan B F Mann Josiah Mann Mathew Taylor Robt T Hodgen D R Moore Geo. W. Jones Jas B McWhorter R D Overstreet Joel M Avery S Boon W B Scraggy John Rollings E L Rice Moses Sprowls W, C, Webster W G Davis G W Asper D M Mourning John N, Town W White John G Venecore Esq Martin Cure D. I. Hotchkiss Richd P Rice James Durham Gustavus Smith G. L. Eads J B Allen A. W. F, Chandler I.. C,, Sanders Jr Thomas Robinson Jr S. O. White W A Bottom John H Chandler B. H Davis H J Colvin Hol. Jones Wm Dearen Wayne Coyle J. R. Avery Thos A Crouch W H Newcome M A Martin David Hogan Gid. Marr John Overstreet L McClelland Wm Mann Jr Thos S Burch Ed Rice Thos Wright W N Marshall Thos. G. Bosley F A Allen W J Anderson David Miller Beverly Boon John Shreeve one of the jury Robt D Cave Crom Hoskins B R Pendleton r E Colvin J W Blandford Thomas C young H. E. Parrott

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J B, D Charles Wright Matthew Taylor Samuel Hill John Wooley Wm. S. Matthews Asa. Mann Wiliam Dabney James Mann Walker Rodes Wm Sharp J P Davis J, T. Hughes Thos. H. Blakey Thos M Johnson Bennet Cave John L Rice B F Wayne W. G. Dearen Leo. W. Newton Brother land John Spurling Clay Wright W A Colvin Geo McKinney Oscar F horton B, R, Lewis W Hoskins A Bright Wm Bright Wm Shively Sam,l R. Bass Simon Morris W T Cabell Luther Morris Jr Henson Spurling Lewis Thompson Thos, H Parrott Ben Hellem Saml Wright Saml Wright jr R D Hasklyey R, H, Cook John Gaddis J, M, Cabble W. Mattis F, I, Hiestar N L Price W P Roach H Puryear James Wilson H R Shafner S R Faris Nathan Phillips Patrick Wade P, L, Netherland

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Wm M. Edrington Thos S Cooke J. M. Shreve A.. H.. Shully Wm Cloyd A. N. Green H D Wilson Z W Cloyd Richard... Maney.. Rufus Jenkins J. P. Campbell Nathan Phillips E, F, Mcwhorter C, A, Douglass, Corydon Hoskins Hamilton B Smith James Blandford Newton Speer Thomas Jarboe D. Wellok J. W. Richeson A, Matthews

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Woods case Peny. Taylor Co