Polly Ann Donovan and Laurainda Donovan to Beriah Magoffin

KYR-0001-020-0736.xml

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Accession Number

KYR-0001-020-0736

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

MG19-145 to MG19-146

Date of Creation

19 March 1861

Dates Mentioned

1859-09-26

--03

1859-09-30

1861-03-19

1861-04-18

Polly Ann Donovan and Laurainda Donovan to Beriah Magoffin, 19 March 1861, Office of the Governor, Beriah Magoffin: Governor's Official Correspondence File, Petitions for Pardons and Remissions, 1859-1862, MG19-145 to MG19-146, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, KY. Accessed via the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition, discovery.civilwargovernors.org/document/KYR-0001-020-0736, (accessed April 19, 2025).

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To his Excellency Beriah Magoffin Gov. of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Your Petitioners PollyAnn Donovan Laura Ann Donivan and Elizabeth Donivan would most respectfully State to your Excellency that on the 26th of September 1859, their Brother Jas. S. Donivan, a youth about seventeen or eighteen years of age, and one William Watkins, were arrested on a charge of Stealing a small amount of money from a man by the name of P K Haggert, and brought to trial before two Justices of the peace for Nicholas County, men with but very Slight evidence of their guilt, as they have been informed, and having no counsel and being ignorant of the management of their expense men adjudged by the court to further trial in the Nicholas Circuit Court, and the Bail fixed at two hundred dollars each, and young Donivan was in default of bail, committed to Jail in Carlisle to await his trial, and your Petitioners belieiving that he was inosent of the charge and having great sympathy for his tender age & unfortunate situation was induced to become his Bail, in a bond for the sum if two hundred dollars, for his appearance at the next March term of the Nicholas circuit Court, which bond is dated on the 30th day of Sept. 1859. That they had every reason to believe that he would appear in discharge of his bond, but he was very young & inexpperienced and without any knowledge of those he became alarmed, or was by some^one^ induced to leave & forfeit his bond, and has never been heard of Since, and a Judgment was rendered against them at this present term of the Nicholas Circuit Court, in Said Bail bond for $200 and cost. They State that, Watkins, Stood his trial and was acquitted, and the evidence was thought to be much stronger against him than against their brother They also State that it was considered very doubtful
whether the Said Haggert lost any money or not. He had been drinking to excess, and he lost any money it is highly probable that he lost it in some other way. They fur^ther^ state that ^their^ brother had never been accused or suspected of Stealing or of any other crime before but was of a good character ~~&but~~ was brought into suspicion by having been unthoughtedly seduced into bad company They State that they orphans living on a small peace of land, in Bath County, about 35 acres which discorded to them from their Father family with two others, worth about $15. pr. acre, They have neither Father or Mother, and this poor unfortunate young brother was their only protector, they are alone having no one to aid or assist them in this their difficulty. They state that if they Shall be compelled to discharge this debt, it will deprieve them all the little property they have and they will be left homeless and entirely destitute for they are very poor this interest in the land is all they have They further State that their brother was uneducated and naturally of but little mind & was easily betrayed by those who might design to [...] him. The oldest of your petitioner is about 25 years of age the other two two Still younger. Theiry therefore State that the facts and circumstances of the case ^they believe^ present strong reasons as for the interposittion of ~~the~~ your excellency to remit the same. They therefore pray your excellency to remit this Judgment and save them from ruin and want and in duty bound will ever pray

Polly Ann Donovan
Laurainda Donovan

This day personally appears before me the Petitioners Polly Ann Donivan Laura Ann Donovan & Eliz ~~Donivan~~ and made oath that the facts Stated in the foregone petition are true to the best of their belief This the 19th of March 1861

H. Patrick J. P. B. C

I take pleasure in saying that the foregoing petition I believe contains a truthful statement of the facts in the case of the prosecution against Donavan, and that I think the ~~fine~~ judgment ought to be remitted.

R. H. Stanton

I concur with Col Stanton

W. P. Ross
Fitch Munger
R. B. Kidder
W J. Still
J H Holladay
Jno A. Campbell
William Norvell

Remitted
B M
Nicholas Cir. Ct
Polly An. Donivan & others
$200 } Recog
Iss^d Apr 18. 1861

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