<title type="main">John Burns 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-0001-020-2239 MG24-386 to MG24-387

Petition 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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To His Excellency The Governor of Kentucky.

Your petitioner John Burns, states, that in March 1859, the Tenessee river was very high, and over flowing its banks; that your petitioner had caught a Saw log, which was loose and floating down the river, That your petitioner and one Reuben Williams were in a skift ascending the Tennessee river in McCracken County Ky, and had proceeded about 1/2 mile up, from the point of the island near Paducah, when they met Wm Butterfield and Wm Joiner coming down the river in a skift -- as the two crafts neared each other, and when about 25 yards apart, Joiner Said to your petitioner, "You have stolen my Saw log, you Son of a bitch" your petitioner denied it, and explained the circumstances of his catching it afloat -- Joiner called your petitioner a liar; at this time Butterfield called to Joiner to throw him a hatchet to his end of the skift, which was done, and Butterfield laid it by his Side, and as the crafts neared each other, Butterfield grasped his hatchet, and Joiner his oar, and your petitioner grasped his oar and so did Williams; Butterfield raised up, hatchet in hand, as if to strike, when your petitioner struck him in self defense across the shoulders, with an oar, and Butterfield struck your petitioner across the cheek bone

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with the hactchet, causing a deep and painful wound, and going through into the mouth, which knocked your petitioner almost down, at this instant Williams hit Butterfield across the head with the oar, and the difficulty ended -- Butterfield lingered Several days, and died, and two physicians testified on the trial, that he died from the lick on the head given by Williams -- Williams fled, and your petitioner stood his ground, was indicted for Murder jointly with Williams, and at the recent term of McCracken Equity & Criminal Court, held in July last, your petitioner was tried, found guilty of man-slaughter, and sentenced for Eight years and 6 months to the state prison --

Such being the facts of the case, your petitioner confidently relies upon the clemency of the Executive to pardon him -- for which pardon he humbly prays --

John Burns

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We the undersigned citizens, unite in the prayer of the foregoing petition for pardon --

Names G, R, A, Browne A. S. Winston Thos. J. Brawe J. C. Walden J. F. Harris T F Singleton one of the Grand Jury who found the bill W, L, Sullivan T. J. Birchett B. Shepard M Lett one of the Juore Robert Young Wm Robertson A M Yann Sam McCann R. B. McCann Geo. Dismer E.. G.. Walker Thomas. J. Riley T S Lambders John Wilhelm Jno Beauchamp T H Husband W H Noe Cy. Watson Sanford Connelly Thos Connelly George Connelly Names J C Williams Henry H. Houston S F Meuwell F. L. Fowler B Small A S Willis O. H Wallace J C Calhoun J Barbour L, D, Husbands G. M. Ransdall H. C. King John Q. A. King J Milliken R Enders W L McGary R K Muir Jess. Reenes on of the Jurors F. Greif one of the Jurors R Herring J. A Edwards B F Pursell Philip Waner James & Purtle Joseph..Leroy T, Smedly Dr F,, Wilds

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Paducah John Burns Petition Penitentiary