Petitions

                                                            James McPHERSON
                                                            19 November 1869

To
                                                            His Excellency, Colonel Blackall,
                                                            Governor-in-chief and Captain-General of the
                                                            Colony of Queensland.
                                                            In Remission of Sentence
                                                            Highway Robbery
May it please Your Excellency

                                                            The petition of
                                                            James McPherson, at present confined
                                                             in H. M. Gaol, Brisbane humbly sheweth,


That your petitioner was tried before his Honor, the Chief-Justice, on the 13th September 1866, on a charge of highway-robbery, and was sentenced to twenty five years penal servitude, of which sentence more than three years have now elapsed.
Humbly acknowledging the justice of his sentence your petitioner still ventures to appeal to the mercy and clemency of your Excellency, in the hope that your humanity and goodness will be exercised in behalf of an utterly wretched and sincerely repentant man.
With no wish to attempt a palliation of his crime, which your petitioner deeply feels and sincerely deplores, he would still represent to your Excellency that having left his friends and family seven years ago, while still in early growth, he went into the interior of the colony. While there far from those who could advise him for his good, he met with associates hardened in crime, to whose pernicious advice he listened, and in an evil hour committed a lawless act, through no love of plunder or violence, but through mad excitement and folly and deluded by the conversation of criminal associates who represented bush-ranging as some thing grand and honorable, and having once broken the law, your petitioner could see no way to avoid punishment than by continuing his lawless career, a fatal and criminal mistake which your petitioner most deeply deplores.
And your petitioner would humbly represent to your Excellency, that during his criminal career he never did violence to any person or fire a shot – either to hurt or even to intimidate, that having soon seen the wickedness of his evil counsellers, the inclination to follow a criminal career passed away from him and he separated from his lawless associates, who had induced him to join them. And choosing to be alone in his misery he dissauded many, who wished to join him, from breaking the law and following a similar career.
Profoundly penetrated with grief for the crime he has committed, for the disgrace brought on his relatives and friends, with sincere repentance for having violated the laws of his country, your petitioner implores your Excellency to give him, by banishment, an opportunity of leading a new and better life with God’s help, in some foreign land. He humbly represents that before his first and only conviction he always bore a good character, and led an honest life until he was led astray, and therefore he prays that the All-Merciful God may graciously incline your heart to the side of Mercy, and determine your Excellency to give him the opportunity of redeeming the past, as far as in him lies by leading for the future, a good, honest, and virtuous life.
And your petitioner would respectively refer your Excellency to the Chief-Gaoler for his character in prison, which will be found to be good.
And your petitioner will ever pray.
James McPherson.

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To the Honorouble the Colonial Secretary.
The statement of James McPherson now a prisoner in H. M. Penal Estb. St. Helena.

Sirs: According to instruction I forward this statement and I sincerely pray that the same may receive your favourable consideration.
I was tried before his honor Chief Justice Cockle at Maryborough on the thirteenth of Sept 1866, on the charge of robbery under arms, convicted and sentenced to 25 years penal servitude.
Eight 8 years and some months of that sentence has now expired and I trust that I have given as genuine proofs of reformation as it is possible for one still a prisoner to give.

When his present Excellency was acting-Governor on a former occasion about 7 or 8 years ago, I was brought before him by the visiting Magistrate Mr. Bernays and recommended for my good conduct.
I hope that this and the testimony of my Mr. McDonald Superintendand St. Helena attached to my last petition and also the testimony of Mr. Bernard attached to a former one will speak for my good conduct while in prison.

I may here state that I was brought before his late Excellency Governor Blackall who was urged by his then Ministers Messrs. Turley, Pring to do something for me, But I had at that time only done 3 years of my sentence.

You Sir, was kind enough to promise me my liberty on the 17th January last if my conduct continued to be good for six months longer from that date.
Sir, I grieve that unforseen obstacles should have made the 
fulfilement of this promise difficult to you. Yet I sincerely thank you for what you have done and trust that you will now have less difficulty in obtaining for me a further remission of my sentence.

I have but further to state that a paper was put into my hand a few weeks ago informing me that I should obtain my liberty in two / 2 years more conditioned upon my good conduct.

Sir, I feel as if 2 years more would be greater punishment than all the years that have already passed.

As the main points of my case are known to your Honor I will make no further statement but humbly pray that this may be favourably entertained by you and remain

Your most Humble Servant

James McPherson

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Petition.
21 Apr 74 (1874)
In Remeption of Sentence
James McPherson
Gregory Terrace
Brisbane
20 April 1874
The Honble
Arthur MacAllister
Sir
I do myself the honor herewith to forward to you “this humble petition” of John Mcpherson of Sandgate respecting the release of his son James at present undergoing sentence on the Island of St. Helena.
I would take the liberty of calling your attention to the list and social standing of the persons who have signed a requisition to His Excellency the Governor for His favourable consideration of this petition.
May I also ask you to Notice to His Excellency that a brother of this James MacPherson was for some time in the Lunatick Assylum at Woogaroo and that insanity in the family ought to be taken into consideration in favour of James thus confined.
One other point ought not to be lost sight of that His Honor Sir James Cockle at the time he tried Macpherson passed a sentence that I believe he intended at that time should deter others from entering upon a similar course of crime and it is worthy of Notice that this crime has not been since that Sentence was past repeated in this Colony.
Permit me in closing this to state that if I believed it necessary for the object of this petition, I could were I to make an effort, secure a thousand names which would be added to the store already attached. Hoping Sir you will aid the prayers of the petition with your new influence and the strength of your Government.
I have the honor to be Sir
Most Respectfully
Yrs B.Wilson.

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Gaol History

James McPherson
26 July 1868 Disob. of orders - 3 days solitary
7 Jan 1869 Disob. of orders admonished.

The prisoner James McPherson is one of the best conducted prisoners in the Gaol.
Samuel Halloran
Sheriffs Office Sheriff
Brisbane 22 Nov 1869
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It seems from my notebook (pp 450-463) that the petitioner received concurrent sentences on each of two informations on the trial of the former of which the jury seem to have recommended him to mercy on the ground of his not having used any direct violence. I am unable to make any recommendation in this case. Brisbane.
December 22/1869. James Cockle C. J. 
 
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