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East Maysville Kentucky
Gov. B. Magoffin
Frankfort
Kentucky.
Dear Sir;
My husband, Robt. Sheppard, a native of this place, & by trade a blacksmith, has worked for several years at his trade in the South; on the coast, in the State of Louisiana: visiting his parents and friends here in the summer. He always gets on a spree when he comes up here, & falls in company with the friends of his boyhood.
He is, unfortunately for himself and his family, liberal with his money, of a social disposition, and addicted to habits of intemperance. His family, consisting of his wife -- myself -- and two little daughters, have heretofore been dipendant on him for a support, but now, alas! upon the daily labors of me, a feeble woman. The residence of Mr Sheppard in the South, rendered him obnoxious to a portion of the people here, last summer, in consequence of the politcal excitement agitating the country, although he was careful to say but little about politics. He was watched because he was recently from the South, and his stay here rendered disagreable. While on a spree, he came into possesion of two counterfeit half dollars, and passed them for whiskey. He was arrested and tried before
F. H. Beerbower. Esq, Mayor of the City of Maysville, who held him to bail, in the sum of Three Hundred Dollars. He was thrown into the jail of Mason County, until by my exertions, bail was procured. My friend, William McClannahan, has become his securety.
My husband didnot have any counterfeitmoney when he left me on that ^the^ morning the money was passed. He was very drunk when the offence wascommitted, and it is his and myopinion that the money was given him purposely, when in this condition, that he might be arrested, tried and compelled to leave & return to the South.
He could get no employment here and was compelled to leave, to earn money to support his family. He left intending and promissing to return & stand his trial. He is a bold adventurous man, and he found a skift, and he and three others, run the blockade at Cario at the mouth of the Ohio River at night, & he is now in the South and cannot get back, or is afraid to come back, and judgment has gone against W m McClanahan for Three Hundred Dollars on the bail bond. Mr McClanahan is a poor man, and cannot pay this sum without being ruined; and I am not worth the half of it, & cannot make more than enough to keep myself and children from starvation. I cannot get to my husband nor him to me.
I know that he is not guilty of the offence charged, and that he will appear, and stand his trial so soon as he can safely return. I therefore beg of your excellecy to
remit so much of the sum for which judgement has gone against my husband and his security, as you can; and I will get Col. Stanton to release part of his charges, and will sell something to pay the balance.
By doing this you can save a mother and two little children from ruin; because I will sell what little furniture & clothing I have, and pay as far as I can, rather than let the security pay, and rely on Providence for future help. I write this letter to you, hoping you will believe me though a stranger, as I dislike exceedingly to be compelled to visit men to obtain their signatures. But if you should not be willing to act upon this letter, I beg of you to answer it, to give me an oppurtunity to prove the truth of all that I say, which I can certainly do.
Hoping you will reply promptly to this, and save me much anxiety of mind, I am
Respectfully Yours
Mary Malissa Sheppard
Wife of Robert. H. Sheppard.
Respite 12 mos
B M
Mason Cir. Ct
$300. } Recog
Sheppard and M cClannahan
Issd