William Fairleigh et al. to Thomas E. Bramlette

KYR-0001-004-0761.xml

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Accession Number

KYR-0001-004-0761

Document Genre

Petition

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

BR10-161 to BR10-164

Date of Creation

16 April 1864

Dates Mentioned

1863-05

1864-04-16

1864-05-02

William Fairleigh et al. to Thomas E. Bramlette, 16 April 1864, Office of the Governor, Thomas E. Bramlette: Governor's official correspondence file, petitions for pardons, remissions, and respites 1863-1867, BR10-161 to BR10-164, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, KY. Accessed via the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition, discovery.civilwargovernors.org/document/KYR-0001-004-0761, (accessed December 27, 2024).

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To his Excellency
The Hon Thomas E. Bramlette
Governor of Kentucky
Dear Sir

We the undersigned citizens of Brandenburg in the county of Meade and State of Kentucky Do hereby by this petition solicit the attention of your Excellency to the case of William Armstrong now confined in the State Prison at Frankfort having been sent from this county in May 1863 for "aiding and abetting" in the crime of horse stealing with one Hyler a notorious thief -- Said Hyler has Departed for parts unknown leaving young Armstrong to bear the punishment Due his own crimes -- Said Armstrong is a young man in the prime of life only twenty two years of age and this is the first and only crime he has ever committed being led on and incited to its commission by Evil Associates -- He has a family much distressed at his incarceration and the calamity -- Which has so unexpectedly fallen upon him -- His
Mother a lady of feeble health is greatly affected by her sons imprisonment- Below you will find the signatures of the officers of the county and some of the Gentlemen who sat upon the Jury at the time of his Trial together with the signature of the gentlemen from whom the horses were taken and for whom "Young Armstrong formerly worked- He" Does not regard the crime as that of Young Armstrong but of the guilty individual who has escaped the justice of the Law --

Attached you will find the certificate of the officer in charge of the Prison as to his good conduct Gentlemanly behaviour and Diligent attention to his task and requirements of prison Discipline --

We pray as your humble petitioners that you may consider this a proper case for the Exercise of Executive clemency -- We would not ask this to throw upon the community a criminal but we do it knowing the innocence of the prisoner and his want of inclination to act -- wrong or unjustly in future and Deeming his imprisonment sufficient,

The undersigned would further State that at the exaimoning court ~~for~~ in the trial of Hyler ~~& Armstrong~~ there was no witness to prove the theft and as soon as Armstrong was brought to Brandenburg he confessed the whole Matter of his own guilt and states he was over persuaded by Hyler to do as he did,, he states he was young and inexperienced in the World at the time, and Armstrong at the exaimoning court aforesaid turned States evidence against Hyler and by the testimony of Armstrong & John Hardin the man from whome the Horses were ^stolen^ Hyler was sent on to further trial Hardin only proved on said ^trial^ that the Horses was his but did not know who stold them the theft was proved by Armstrong alone,, They further state that at the trial in the Circuit Court Armstrong Confessed ~~confessed~~ his Crime ~~court~~ in open Court and plead guilty to the indictment when there would not in all probitily have been no wit Nesses against him They State that Hyler broke Jail and made his escape before the sitting of the circuit Court.

We believe the statements in the foregoing Petition, to be substantially true, 16^th April 1864.

W^m Fairleigh, Clerk
Meade Circuit Court.

James D Percefull States he is and was the County Atty for the County of Meade at the time
Hyler was tried by the court of enquiry in Brandenburg and prosicuted him before said Court and States he was employed by Armstrong to defend him in the Circuit Court and the statements in the petition in referance to said trials he knows ^is^ about the breth of the case and beleaves the Statements in the balleance of the petition is substantially true

J, D, Percefull

Subscribed and sworn to before me by James D Percefull this 16^t April 1864

C. C. Fairleigh Exam^r
Meade County Ky

The statements contained in the foregoing petition we believe to be correct

C. C. Fairleigh D. C.
Meade Circuit Court

P. A Well
Jailor of Meade County
Mieajah Dooley states he was one of the Jury that set in the case of Armstron at the time he was convicted
Michagen. Dooly
J. M. Phillips
E C. Ashcraft
J. L. Fairleigh
W. B. Simmons
H. H. Sebastian

I held the examining court on the trial of Armstrong under the charge of stealing a horse from John Hardin of this County. The testimony against him was barely sufficient to hold him to further trial & thought not sufficient to convict him of the charge on a final trial but the record shews when he was arraigned for trial in the Circuit Court he plead guilty to the charge and was convicted by the Jury

W^m. W. P[...]
W. W. Boling
W^m Sebastian
R S Key DMC
A. T. Rankin --

I do not know the fact as stated in the petition that he was over persuaded by Hyler to the confession of the said offinse. Nor his age though his appearance indicated he is not one that ages. His behaviour so far as I saw or know after his arrest, was unobjectionable and he seemed to regret his offences deeply --

W^m Alexander

I know nothing of the Statements made in the above Petition except the conviction of Armstrong but suppose it would be a just act of of Executive clemency for him to be pardoned
James Stuart

Meade Cir Ct
vs
Petition of citizens of Meade County Kentucky for repreive of William Armstrong

This presents a case for Executive clemency and a pardon is order.
Thos E Bramlette
Gov^r
~~May~~May 2^nd 1864

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