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To the Hon. Legislature of the State of Wisconsin

The claim & petition of Samuel S. Benedict respectfully shows that at a Regular Term of the Circuit Court held in [illegible] the County of Portage in said state in May A.D. 1858 the following pretended sentence was pronounced against him by the Hon. G.W. Cate presiding judge namely; The prisoner being now brought into court to ruine the sentence the court gave said prisoner to the following sentence: That you [illegible] be remanded back to jail and that the Sheriff do convey you to the state prison and then and there to be confined during your natural life."

That on the 20th day of May A.D. 1858 the sheriff of said county under said pretended sentence and without any other authority conveyed your petitioner to the State Prison of said state & delivered him to the commission thereof by whom your petitioner was cofined & treated as a convict, until on or about the first day of August A.D. 1860, that during all the time aforesaid you petitioner was confined & compelled by the commission of said Prison to do & perform hard labor & did work hard & faithfully for said State during said time, That it appears by the decision of the Supreme Court of said state which will be found in the 12th of Wisconsin Reports on page 314, that your petitioner was unlawfully detained by said Commissioner & wrongfully required to laber for said state, That his services & time thus unlawfully obtained were reasonably worth the sum of Five Hundred dollars, and he claims for thus being confined and treated the further sum of Five Hundred dollars. And he further alleges that he was innosent of the offence charged and that his case was taken to the Supreme Courts a second