1

Your Petitioners of the County of Smith and State of Tenness
ee beg leave to represent to his excellency Joseph M^cMinn
Governor in and for said State, that one Ellis Beasley of
the county aforesaid at the March term of Smith circuit
court was found guilty of stabbing one Thomas Corley
and by the sentence of the court is to be imprisoned
seven days and pay a fine of fifty dollars; that said
Beasley is a very respectable young man and was never
before accused of any offence against the laws of the State;
that it appeared from the testimony that said Corley
endeavoured just before he was stabbed to prevail on
said Beasley to fight him, which Beasley declined;
that the Prosecutor immediately after the sentence
aforesaid was passed stated to the court that he did
not wish the said Beasley imprisoned; but he
was answered by the court that the imprisonment
was part of the punishment prescribed by this act
of assembly and of said Beasley wished to get rid
of that part of the sentence, application must be
made to your Excellency - The promises consider
ed, may it please your Excellency to interfere by
your reprieve and prevent said Beasley from being
imprisoned as aforesaid - April 1.^st 1819

Robt [H?] Adams*
* I put my name to this pe
tition for no reason but that the person injured said in
open court he was satisfied,
and did not wish imprison^t
to be inflicted.
I put my name for his [illegible]
Nath W Williams
E. P. Hughes
J. [Reecks?]
T. Watson
G. Elgin

John H. Bowen
Jn.^o [Woverton?]
P. Wright. hearing [pett?]
W. Goodall [illegbile]
[John?] Bell
W^m Haynes
William Thompson
Josiah Howell