1

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]