Petition to Mississippi Governor Charles Clark; April 4, 1865

Documents
Petition to Mississippi Governor Charles Clark; April 4, 1865

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People

Alston, S. H.Clark, Charles, 1811-1877 Conly, S. C.Hauns, John W.Sallis, T. D.Scarbourough, J. W.Spiva, E. A.Wallace, J. H.

Events

Criminal Procedure Criminal Procedure--Convicted Criminal Procedure--Indictments Distillation Emancipation and self emancipation Legislation. Mississippi Legislation. Mississippi. An act to prevent the distillation of spirituous liquors (Approved April 5, 1864)Military Events--Blockade Taxation Taxation--Confederate States of America Taxation--Mississippi

Organizations

Courts and Judicial Systems Courts and Judicial Systems--Circuit Courts Courts and Judicial Systems--Grand jury Courts and Judicial Systems--Probate courts

Occupations

Clerks Legal Profession--Judges

Places

Alabama Mississippi--Attala County

Social Identifiers

African Americans African Americans--Enslaved people

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State of Mis.
Attala County

To his excellency

Charles Clark Governor of the above State—The undersigned would state to your excellency that E A Spiva settled in our county late in 1860, having moved hither from Ala. & that havi-ng sold there & bought here on time & being overtaken by the present war & the acts of suspension in both states & that of the embargo of the confederate stats as well as the blockade of the federal govern-ment, has been much straitened in sub-sistence & pecuniary interest for which caus-es he in 1863 began distilling whiskey with a forty five gallon still to raise means from his own grain to procure salt, leath-er, cards, Iron medicines &c for his own family, necessary consumption & to still for his neighbors, on shares, of their grain & fruit to supply them with spirit-ous liquors for medicinal purposes which he did until the close of the year when he sold out & quit the business, keeping no house of disorder during the continuance of this bu-siness & quiting ^it^ to yield compliance with the legal policy of the state. At the fall term of 1864 three indictments were found against him by the grand jury of the cir-cuit court of this county; & at this spring time of said court he was convicted of the offence on the testimony of two of his most liberal ^& favored^ customers, on shares, in each case, though one of the indictments bore date of the offence ^being committed^ both before the passing the act and the commencement of Defendant's begin-ing business. The defendant has been a

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a quiet & good & patriotic citizen & given to the state & public his sons & lost them in their defence He has alsso contrib-uted hands to work on the public defences & has lost in that service two valuable slaves ~~in that service~~ & has received no compensation: besides paying all his county state & confeder-ate taxes & furnished two good cav-alry horses in 1863 without charge to that arm of the public defence besides ~~giving~~ ^furnishing^ to the presiding Judge liquor to supply his family demands & who actively incited the defendant to persue the voc-ation for the purposes above spcified & ~~for~~ which he can furnish to the executive conclusive proof. We pres-ume some mistake ~~or prejudice~~ ^in the testimony^ influenced these Judgments & ask the executive, therefore, to remite them & their penalties. The under-signed are most respectfully your excellency's obedient servants.

4 April 1865.

We certify the above facts to be true & reliable as stated in the foregoing petition. & pray the executive to grant the remitance of the fines as asked therein

S. H. Alston
Jno W. Hauns
J. W. Scarborough P. J.
T D Sallis clerk
J H Wallace Cir Clerk
S. C. Conly M. B. P