<title type="main">C. C. Smidley 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 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-0001-020-2287 MG25-35 to MG25-36

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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EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, Frankfort, Ky , 186 Dear Sir

Hon Beriah Magoffin Governor of Kentucky,

I acted as as counsel of James V Shackelford who is now in the state prison upon a charge of Murdering George Diorin. both in the examining Court and the Circuit before which he was convicted and heard all the testimoney given in the case. I give it sincerely as my opinion that the verdict of "guilty" brought in by the Jury was based upon the statement of a certain Jacob Claunche. who professed to detail all the facts & circumstances of the difficulty in which Diorin was killed, A number of witnesses were examined in both trials & no one of them so far as I can reccolect after being examined and cross-examined would state that

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they saw Jacob Claunch upon the ground at the time of the difficulty. I will further say from all the evidence in the case I sincerely believe that Shackelford in all that he did acted in self defence and that the unfortunate difficulty was forced upon him

Very respectfully C. C. Smidley