To his Excellency William Hall Esqr [Esquire]. Governor in and over the State of Tennessee __ Your Petitioners here by petitioning, beg leave to represent unto your Excellency that their fellow citizen John Tompkins was indicted at the tenure 1828 of the County Court of Sumner for dealing Faro, that at the said tenure of said Court, said Tompkins came into open Court, & submitted his case to the grace and mercey [mercy] of the Court; whereupon the Court had the following Judgment entered up against him__ that said Tompkins make his fine by the payment of fifty dollars, & that he be inprisoned [imprisoned] in the jail of the County one calendar month, & that he stand in the pillory two hour, and that he pay the cost of the prosecutions from which judgment said Tompkins prayed an appeal in the nature of a writ of Emor to the Circuit Court of Sumner; Your Petitioners would show that at the last tenure of the Circuit [added: Court] the judgement of the County Court was confirmed with the exception of the fine, which had been previously paid by said Tompkins, which judgement remains unreversed, and will be executed upon the said Tompkins, thereby eternally disgracing him, & entailing in [unclear: foray ] and degradation upon his family, unless your Excellency, in the exercise of that Disereation [discretion], which is vested in you by the Constitution and Laws of your State, and which the case as gave Petitioners humbly conceive imper

ously demands, should graciously grant unto the said John Tompkins a full Pardon, as to the Imprisonment, Pillory & Infamy of said judgment of the Court. Your Petitions knowing, that, it is not the Province of your Excellency to repeal Laws, therefore, they will say nothing of the severity of the case, under which said Tompkins has been convicted; they only ask for the exercise of that Discretionary Power, which has been wisely placed in the hands of the Executive of the State; and in order to show your Excellency that there said Tompkins is a [added: subject] deserving of the mercy & inteposition of the Executive, they beg leave to set forth the circumstances of the Case, together with the situation of Tompkins and his family Your Petitioners__ would show, that said Tompkins after the passage of the law under which, he has been convicted had in a great measure quit gambling and had resolved not to Deal Taro, and that the dealing for which he stands convicted was brought about in the following manner to wit, Two respectable men of Gallatin went to the house of said Tompkins about 10 Oclock at night, at which time all of his family had gone to bed except himself, and urged him to deal, & let them bet, that he for some time declined doing so, that they continued to pursuade him until at last he consented to deal [added: for them] Your Petitions would show, that the said Tompkins, was not keeping a public Gambling Table, & that the above is the only

times that he has been guilty of the offense of Dealing Tarro, since the passage of the Law, under which he has been convicted, &, that, that was brought about by the procurement of others, & that the two persons heretofore alluded to, were the only persons present__ Your Petitions would show, that although said Tompkins did until within the last two years indulge in the detestable vice of gambling considerably, that he has within that time nearly left off this vice, and that he does not by any means depend upon it for a support for himself & a numerous [added: family] but that he is honestly and industriously engaged in carrying [added: on] and managing several reputable branches of business in order to support himself & family; he is engaged in butchering, carries on a Blacksmith's shop, & has a waggon [wagon] & been engaged in halling [hauling] & Your Petitioners would show, that the said Tompkins has a numerous family of children, the great to wit, a son who is now engaged in the Mercantile Business in Gallatin, & who is as much esteemed and respected, and deservedly so, any young man in the place; that he has a daughter, a young lady of high respectability, & who is now usefully employed in teaching a Female school; that he has several younger children, some of which

are unusually promising

The promises considered, your Petitioners humbly pray your Excellency to grant unto the said John Tompkins a pardon as to the Pillory, imprisonment & infamy of the judgement aforesaid, & they are in duty bound will ever pray &c.

J.M Raunders Rob Desnee George A Baskerville Franklin B Wilson O.C Guild Jas. L. McRoin Dan Saffanaus W Smith John Brookes J.G. Roulstone John Durham John R. Dusha John H. Warner Wm M Carter John F. Smith Balie Peyton Wm M Blackmore Charles Lewis A.W. Bescoe Tho R Anderson James Stollar R B Alexander A H Douglass David Bradley Rob Houcen AF Young Heas Herman W Mendell Elijah Buddie R Alexander J.J. White Geo Croctete James Dobbs James S. Wilson Ja. Kobb Ashley Staufeld