Early Governors' Papers

To his Excellency Sam. Houston Governor of the State of Tennessee

The undersigned Citizens of Maury and Bedford Counties in the State of Tennessee respectfully Petition the Governor to grant a Pardon to William Fields, who has been tried and Convicted of Manslaughter under the following Circumstances. In the month of March 1820 the said William Fields chastised a negro man named Peter Whom he had hired and who died in six days after the infliction of the Chastisement. The death of the Negro it was presumed was the consequence of the punishment and upon this presumption Fields was arrested with two Others Charged with being accessaries, was tried and convicted and the supposed accessaries were acquitted. The Offence was Committed in Maury County and a bill of Indictment found there against him in January 1821, and the Cause was afterwards removed to Shelbyville in Bedford County, Where the Conviction was had in December 1822. Fields prayed for and obtained an appeal to the Supreme Court Where from various Causes, but principally from the shifting condition of the Judiciary department Of the State, the Case had been suspended until the present time and remains still undecided. These petitioners are influenced in this their petition by no trivial and unsubstantial reasons. They do not insist that the unhappy situation of Fields which is necessarily consequent upon so long a suspension of a Case of such vast importance to him, gives him any legal Claim to a pardon, however much it might enter into a merely moral consideration of the subject. The main fact upon which they rest their hopes in this application for Executive Clemency is that a majority of the Jury who rendered the verdict were in favor of an entire accquital of the prisoner from the double motion of an aversion to a disagreement among the Jury, and a belief that the evidence in the case would perhaps authorize a verdict of manslaughter. To this fact the Jury men themseves who composed that Majority are willing to testify by subscribing their names to this petition. It is confidently believed and hoped, that the Governor will from this view of the case consider Mr. Fields entitled to a pardon, especially as the motives of the Jury men are acknowledged and cannot be contradicted. In addition these petitioners respectfully represent to the Governor that Fields has undoubted testimonials of high and fair standing in North-Carolina Where he resided before he removed to this State. These evidences of good standing have been strengthened and confirmed by his department during his residence in this State and in the vicinity of these petitioners, which by the act of signing this petitiion is Cheerfully Certified. Under these Circumstances with a full knowledge of the general impropiety and ill success of similar applications, these petitioners respectfully hope that the Governor will grant the pardon asked for and will agree with them in opinion, that the ends of public Justice will in no degree be thwarted by the special application to this Case of that Clemency which is wisely confided to the Executive branch of the government.

Theophilus Hamilton Jury man Halton Hamelton Jury man Joseph Neil Juryman John Stephens - Jury Thos S Parsons Jurey man Nathan Frizel Jureyman Saml McCuistion jury Thos McCuistion Jurey man Edmund Green Juror john Rughney juror James [page cut off, name on page 2] Juror Thomas Younger William Green Hugh McClelan James McClelan James Patterson Wm Semmons Jos Hamilton [Gage?] Hamelton]] william handley James Davis Henry. S. Davis Thomas [Cocker?] William marcum [page cut off, name on page 2] Joseph [Mornie?] John Cook wiliam Ray Georg [B?] Slarber William H. hicks John T. Neil Jacob B. Anderson Joseph Rodgers Samuel Little Benjamin Donman William Holley James Parson John Stephenson Gran T [Nellers?] [page cut off, name on page 2]