Pardon of Benjamin H. Lillard
My ancestor, Benjamin H. Lillard of Clinton, was convicted of perjury in a St. Louis court in April 1868. Apparently, he had been a witness in a murder trial. He was sentenced to seven years in the Jefferson City Penitentiary. In 1871, the citizens of Clinton circulated a petition for his pardon. The petition was forwarded to John McAuley Palmer, governor of Illinois, on March 23, 1871. On March 28, Palmer sent the petition, along with his cover letter, to Benjamin Gratz Brown, governor of Missouri (and grandson of abolitionist John Brown). Brown issued a pardon to Lillard on September 15, 1871.
The first page of the petition reads as follows:
To His Excellency
B. Gratz Brown
Governor of the
State of Missouri
The undersigned legal voters residing in the city of Clinton DeWitt County Illinois respectfully represent that Benjamin H. Lillard now a convict in the Penitentiary at Jefferson City Missouri for many years was a citizen among us here — his family — wife and several small children still reside here and are in humble circumstances in life.
He has now been a convict for some three years — his original sentence being for seven years. —
Believing that his punishment has now been sufficiently severe, we respectfully ask your Excellency to pardon him in order that he may again be restored to his family, and as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray. Clinton Illinois, Mar. 23 1871
John J. McGraw Police Magistrate City of Clinton Ills
James Lisenby Clerk County Court
Wm. L. Chambers Clerk Cir. Court
S. F. Lewis Mayor City of Clinton Ills.
T. D. Bryant Marshal City of Clinton
C. P. Ford Post Master
Smith Minturn Justice of the Peace
Thos Gardiner Jr Sheriff DeWitt County Ills
The following two pages contain an additional 112 signatures of Clinton citizens. I obtained a copy of this petition from the Missouri State Archives.
Submitted by Erik Thorson