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[seal] Will practice in the coun-ties of Wilkinson, Adams, and Amite, and the Supreme and Federal Courts at Jack-son, Miss. [/seal]

Attorney and Counsellor at Law,

Woodville, Miss., Feby 11^th 1879

Governor

A petition has been forwarded to you for the pardon of John Thomas—Col^d—Convicted at our Decr. Special Term of [Killing?] a pig & sentenced to six months. I think it was in the penitentiary—

This case is one of peculiar merit—the stolen pig was on [old?] his possn on John's Corn [palete?] & was killed "in the act" [?]—John did afterwords oppropriate the meat

The [?] whites in the neighborhood—our best Citizens—[ful?] peculiarly grateful to John-in this—It was in that neighborhood—The [?] Wilkinson Riots of May '76 Commenced—John first notified [?] White & it was through his [?] mentality—that they were able to [?] the outbreak promptly & Check [in?] effectivelly. John all through was on the side of the Whites—of law & order—has been in consequence greatly persecuted by his own color—his gun taken from him &c