Sandford Duncan et al. to Beriah Magoffin

KYR-0001-020-0041.xml

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Accession Number

KYR-0001-020-0041

Document Genre

Petition

Repository

Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

Collection

Office of the Governor, Beriah Magoffin: Governor's Official Correspondence File, Petitions for Pardons and Remissions, 1859-1862

Item Location

MG17A-107 to MG17A-108

Place of Creation

Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Date of Creation

30 January 1861

Dates Mentioned

1861-01-30

Sandford Duncan et al. to Beriah Magoffin, 30 January 1861, Office of the Governor, Beriah Magoffin: Governor's Official Correspondence File, Petitions for Pardons and Remissions, 1859-1862, MG17A-107 to MG17A-108, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, KY. Accessed via the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition, discovery.civilwargovernors.org/document/KYR-0001-020-0041, (accessed March 14, 2025).

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To His Excellency, Beriah Magoffin
Governor of Kentucky
Dear Sir:

The undersigned citizens of Louisville and Vicinity, and late citizens of Caldwell County Kentucky, having learned that Thomas B Wadlington, has been lately, sentenced to death for the alleged Murder of one Cartwright in said county of Caldwell, feel called on by a sense of Justice to the Condemned, to State you some facts in connection with the character of Wadlington, and the circumstances attending to the Killing of Cartwright, which we hope will not be without weight in causing you to, lean still more strongly to the side of Mercy -- We beg leave to state that we have not been requested by the friends Relatives or neighbours of Wadlington to write you this letter, indeed, they know nothing of our intentions in this respect, but we are Solely influenced by a firm conviction, and we may say, thorough Knowledge of the circumstances, that a great wrong has been perpetrated in his conviction and condemnation to death. We have Known Wadlington intimately, for many years, varying from ten to thirty years, all of us have had many, very many, business transactions with him, indeed, We Know him as intimately almost, as it is possible for one person to Know another -- And we can say most decidedly that, we do not now, nor never did, beleive that Wadlington was a Murderer at heart We never Knew of his having a difficulty with any one whatever on the contrary, he was the last man to seek a difficulty of any Kind -- We always viewed him as an orderly, pleasant and good citizen -- We have Known Cartwright from his early boyhood some of us from his infancy, We Know nothing against Cartwright
except that We regarded him as a very dangerous man to have a difficulty with, he was regarded by everyone, we beleive as a dangerous man when excited -- From all the facts in the case, We are firmly convinced that Wadlington, when Killing Cartwright, beleived that he was acting purely in self defense -- and that no man Would have been more rejoiced than he, to have been relieved from such a dreadful necessity --, Wadlington is not, nor never was a man of much nerve, fear of his own life, and nothing else, we verily beleive, actuated him -- We decline Saying anything as to the management of the case in Caldwell, and as to the character of the witnesses for the Commonwealth as all these facts will doubtless be placed before you -- Knowing the parties as well as we do, and all the facts in the case, we do say most conscientiously, that we have never Known a case in Kentucky that called more loudly for Executive Clemency than this one --

As to our standing, we beg leave to refer you to Hon. W B Machin of the House of Representatives, Philip Swigert and J B Temple Esq and Hon Nat Gaither

Sandford Duncan
Wm D Tinsley
Thos J. Duncan
E. Dickey

Lousville Ky. Jany 30 1861

Wadlington case
Murder --

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