Roberson Brown, Thomas Fisher, and Thomas J. Cockrill to Thomas E. Bramlette

KYR-0001-004-1226.xml

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Accession Number

KYR-0001-004-1226

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

BR11-383 to BR11-384

Date of Creation

6 October 1864

Dates Mentioned

1862

1864-01

1862-11

1864-10-06

Roberson Brown, Thomas Fisher, and Thomas J. Cockrill to Thomas E. Bramlette, 6 October 1864, Office of the Governor, Thomas E. Bramlette: Governor's official correspondence file, petitions for pardons, remissions, and respites 1863-1867, BR11-383 to BR11-384, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, KY. Accessed via the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition, discovery.civilwargovernors.org/document/KYR-0001-004-1226, (accessed November 4, 2025).

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To his Excellency. Thomas E. Bramlett
Govenor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Your Petitioners Robertson Brown Thomas J. Cockrill & Thomas Fisher beg leave to represent to your Excellency That in the Spring of 1862 a man by the name of John C. Wray was arrested in This Allen County Kentucky. charged with Treason against the State of Kentucky and when taken before W^m Mansfield County Judge of said County for Examination he waived the trial by giving bond to answer the charge in the circuit court at the time of his arrest Wray was in very bad health having as his friends supposed the consumption and at the arnest solicitation of his wife and her friends, to prevent a man in his condition from being confined in prison until court they were induced to become said Wrays bail in the sum of Five Thousand Dollars. Very near the aggregate worth in property both real & personal after the Execution of said bond Mr Wray went to his home in this county with the intention of remaining until his day of trial but owing to the excitement and acts of Violence in the county it soon became evident that his life was in danger if he remained at home, & He went to the state of Tennessee Before the convening of the court at which he was to appear the fierce & disastrous border warfare which has so long existed sprang up along the line of Ky. & Tenn. and the man who ~~issued~~
entered the disputed territory had to take his life in his hand. Mr Wray did not appear at court. and a forfeiture of his bail bond was taken by the Comlths atty which resulted in a Judgment agst your Petitioners at the last January term of the Allen Equity & Criminal Court, after quiet along the border was suffiently restored to admit of information to pass. it was assertained by special messenger sent for that the purpose that said John C. Wray. had departed this life early in November 1862, which was before the Judgment on the forfeited bail bond Your Petitioners done everything in their power to obtain information of the Wherabouts of said John C. Wray. before and after the bond and after Judgment upon the same there was a rumor that the said Wray was in custody at Nashville Tenn they at their own expense sent a misenger to your Excelency and procured a requisition on the authorities at Nashville for his delivery and transmission to Ky for trial but it turned out that Wray was not in custody. your Petitioners therefore pray in view of all the facts and circumstances the interposition of your executive clemency and that you will relieve them from the responsibility they have incurred not to prevent a criminal from being brought to punishment but to aid him in his afflicted condition to get out of prison & they was pursuaded by the
tears & lamentations of his wife your petitioners state that they are very poor men and that if they are compelled to pay said [...] of Five thousand Dollars it will bring their little familes to [...] & want and take everything they have in the world. They prey earnestly & cincerely that your excellency for humanitys sake release that portion of said Judgment going to or belonging to the comlth of Ky. for which they will ever pray. They say they believe the statements in this petition are true.

Roberson Brown
Thomas Fisher
Thos. J. Cockrill

{Revenue Stamp}

Sworn to before me this the 6^th Oct 1864. by Roberson Brown Thomas Fisher & Thos J Cockrill

E. D. Garrison J. P. a. c.

In view of the pecuniary condition of the peitioners of which I am advised, by those on whom I rely, I unite in their prayer for Executive clemency & interposition --

W^m V. Loving

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