To James Madison from Augustus Johnson, 31 August 1816
From Augustus Johnson
Common Gaol. St Albans August 31. 1816
The Petition of Augustus Johnson of St. Albans in the District of Vermont. Respectfully Sheweth.
That by the consideration and judgment of the District Court holden at Windsor within and for said District on the 26 day of May AD 1816. The United States recovered a Judgment against your petitioner for retailing spirits without licence, for the sum of one hundred and sixty eight dollars debt and for the sum of fifty seven dollars and sixty eight cents costs of suit, on which Judgment execution issued against the body of your petitioner, dated June 10th. AD 1816. That pursuant to said execution, the Marshal of said District on the 26 day of July AD 1816 committed your petitioner to the common Gaol in St Albans aforesaid where he still remains. That your petitioner is brought into his present unfortunate situation by his retailing rum by small quantity on a public day, having previous to said day tendered the money for a licence to retail spirits on said day to the collector of the revenue of the collection district in which your petitioner then and still resides, which he verily believed at the time would be a sufficient justification for him.
Your petitioner further shews, that he has a wife and eight small children, who depend solely on his exertions and industry for their maintenance and support; and what is still peculiarly mortifying, is his total inability to pay any part of said debt and costs, and not able to support his wife and family in his present situation, nor even to support himself in his confinement only by the assistance of his friends.
In this distressed and unhappy condition, he with confidence appeals to the clemency of the President for relief in his unfortunate situation, and prays his offence against the United States may be pardoned, and said debt and costs wholly remitted. And your Petitioner as in duty bound will ever pray.
Augustus Johnson
RC (DNA: RG 59, Petitions for Pardons, no. 335). Appended to the petition are endorsements from citizens and selectmen of St. Albans, Vermont. Docketed on the right inner fold of the cover by JM: “Mr. Graham will forward a pardon to J.M.” The cover also bears two dockets, dated 19 Sept. 1816, from Alexander J. Dallas: “The President instructs me to state that a Pardon is to issue in this case,” and “Referred to the Commissioner of the Revenue, who will report, whether there is any objection to a Pardon,” with a note in reply to the latter by Samuel Harrison Smith, also dated 19 Sept. 1816: “I have the pleasure of stating that no reasons, known to me, oppose the granting a pardon in this case.” A second docket by JM appears above the cover address: “Sent to the Marsal—28 Sepr.” and Daniel Brent’s docket above: “Pardon issued.”