Pitt County, NC - Saml Clark Assault, 1843 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To His Excellency John M. Morehead Governor of the State of North Carolina The undersigned Citizens of the County of Pitt respectfully state, that Saml Clark of sd County was convicted at the March Term 1843 of Pitt Superior Court of an assault & battery on one Rogers, & sentenced by the State the providing Judge to be imprisoned for the space of four months - The proof of assault depended entirely on Rogers himself, according to where statement if true, it was a very unjustifiable act on the part of Clark & deserving of the punishment, but it was not supported by any other evidence than the bare statement of the said Rogers himself, who was drunk at the time, & where memory of what took place in the opinion of your petitioners cannot be relied on, & more especially as the said Rogers was very bitter in his feelings towards said Clark, & might have been activated by malice. The Undersigned conceive that the purposes of justice cannot be answered by inflicting so severe a punishment in a case when the guilt is so uncertain, & so liable to be misrepresented by the excuses - We therefore pray your excellency to take the matter in consideration, & remit the punishment of in prisonment, or commute, or shorten the same as may appear to your Excellency to be neat & proper William Clark Chas. S. Hardee Noah Derhiell Jethro Kittrell Churchill Bell Martin Moore Arthur Forbes Aily Jordan Allen Tison William Adams Moses Murray John Fleming John H. Buck W.J. Blow John Brown, Jr Richard Randolph Arch Parker CCC Foreman McDuell Henry C. Jordan W.S. Bowen B.G. Albritton Calvin Evans Goold Hoyt K.H. Johnson Benj. M. Selby Sheriff Walter V. Newton H. Harrington William Moore John W. Swinson John M. Smith Wilie Wallace Benja Harison Hardee Johnson Carney S. Armstrong Daniel Highsmith Arthur Tripp John Tripp Bryan Knox Benjamine Womble William D. Knox James Dimby Reuben Gwaltney Marshall Dickinson Willie Nobles Luther Barnhill Drewry Teel Zeno H. Greene Church M. Knox Martial Kinsoll Willie Brown Reading Womble J.T. Spain Thomas Langly Reubin Moore Dennis Ewell John M. Barnhill Henry Toole for Mr. Clarks wife & not for Mr. Clark Jas. S. Clark Luke Albritton Benajah C. Mobley Rich C. Parks Jones P. Olds David House N.A. Price H.F. Harriss Jn Norcott Blount Nobles The undersigned Citizens of Pitt, further state to his Excellency that the assault said Clark, was charged with, was made if at all, some eighteen or twenty four months ago - and that the said Clark a few weeks only, previous to his conviction and incarceration, was married to a pretty woman of Martin County, and a woman of considerable fortune. J.A. Selby Alfred Forbes John Leslie [crossed out] John Leslie Joseph Dancey Jos Murray Al Snead Thos A. Braswell Jno. H. Burney M.P. Powell William Moore Noah Bedford Josiah C. Worsley John Wainsonon Franklin McGowans Benjamine Womble L.D. White Saml. Clark Petition to remit imprisonment Pitt County Answd 3rd May 1843 Disallowed file Addressed to: His Ex. John M. Moorehead Raleigh, No. Ca. Answerd Paid 12 1/2 Source: Gov. John M. Morehead Papers G.P.103 Corresp, Pet, etc. Jan 1843-Apr 1843 Folder Corresp, Pet, etc Apr 1, 1843-Apr 29, 1843 ______________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Grace Williamson Turner ______________________________________________________________________