Charles P. VanderEspt, Affidavit

KYR-0001-004-0014.xml

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Accession Number

KYR-0001-004-0014

Document Genre

Legal/Financial

Repository

Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

Collection

Office of the Governor, Thomas E. Bramlette: Governor's official correspondence file, petitions for pardons, remissions, and respites 1863-1867

Item Location

BR8-21 to BR8-22

Place of Creation

Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Date of Creation

21 September 1863

Dates Mentioned

1860-05-21

1862

1861-04-18

1861-04-20

1860-12-21

--04-01

1861-05-01

1863-09-21

1863-09-22

Charles P. VanderEspt, Affidavit, 21 September 1863, Office of the Governor, Thomas E. Bramlette: Governor's official correspondence file, petitions for pardons, remissions, and respites 1863-1867, BR8-21 to BR8-22, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, KY. Accessed via the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition, discovery.civilwargovernors.org/document/KYR-0001-004-0014, (accessed November 4, 2025).

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Paul Garras, Started from Louisville to new Haven, Ky. about the 21^st of May 1860, to take possession of a grist mill leased from ~~Jack Dawson~~ W. Carden, & located on rolling fork, When he begun at s^d mill he had a capital of $1800; he employed in the Mill Erhard Duplain and Anthony Julian, the former is a carpenter by trade, and the other (^as a Journeyman),^ was in 1862, employed as a cook for Col. Grose, of the 36th Regt Indiana Vol. (now deceased), Chs Vander Espt was living at the time temporarily with s^d Garras, and remained with him, until he left, which was towards the 18^th or 20^th of April 1861.

As to the intimacy said to be existing, between Garras and the Colored girl Cirilla, a slave of Jack Dawson of New Haven af^d, it is Known, She was washing for Paul Garras, and his hands, s^d Dawson,, Knew it, on the 21^st of Dec. 1860 Vander Espt got married, and occupied a room in Garras' House where the afor^d slave frequently called on Mrs Vander Espt to learn the making of her own dresses, about the 1^st day of April Erhard Duplain referred above made a trunk for Vander Espt, to pack in his books, which being too small was voluntarily given to s^d Cirilla to put her clothes in, Consequently P. Garras did not order the trunk, neither did he Stole the clothes & Jewellery of s^d Slave, as represented on the Indictment, issued by the Nelson Circuit Court, under date of May 1^st 1861. this is a feeble effort on the part of Dawson, and perfectly untrue, in as much as it can be proved that Garras, never intended to run off the Girl afor^d, The trunk
at the application of the Girl Cirilla was sent to Mrs widow Hay, Dry goods dealer, of that locality, not far from the dwelling of J, Dawson, this being from fear that her master would not allow her to retain the trunk at home, it was not intended for a mean purpose, as mentioned on the Indictment, P, Garras, furnished flour and lumber to s^d J. Dawson & to his sons amongst whom, was Wm who owed Garras a certain amount of money, which was never paid Garras intending to go to little Rock Ark,, This vexed Dawson's family, and without any Just a cause, accused Garras of attempting to run away with S^d Slave. In this case, Mr Lowell H. Rousseau was the defensor of the accused, when called into the army, he could not go and attend to this case. Shortly after the arrival of Garras in Louisville, he was arrested by policeman Kirk Patrick, and taken back to New Haven, where an infuriated mob would have hanged the accused had it not been for the intervention of some friends, his life would have been in danger. Having spent his hard earnings, and having no work in Louisville, he went to Memphis, and probably is now in its vicinity, occupied as a Mill wright; the difficulty of corresponding then, from Louisville to Memphis, previous to the taking of this latter place, is probably the cause by which his securities were obliged to pay considering the impossiblity of the accused to appear in Court. The character of Garras is good, there as some ways & means on the Indictments, which in
some respects, seems incomprehensible. Henin went Secy By pure humanity, It is well to represent that many persons are indebted to s^d Garras in New Haven perhaps it was the cause which prompted his debtors, named therein, to accuse him of larceny, as represented on the Indictments whereof.

Louisville Ky September 21^st 1863,
Chas J. Vander Espt
Vice Consul of Belgium

State of Kentucky
Jefferson County.

Charles J. Vander Espt states that he believes the statements contained in the fogoing and above: [...] concerning the indictments of Paul Garis, to be true

Cha^s J. Vander Espt

Sworn to before me by Charles J. Vander Espt this 22 day of September 1863

Jeff Brown
Notary Public Jeff. Co Ky.

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