Pardon for manslaughter signed by California Governor John B. Weller
Scope and Contents
Pardon issued by California Governor John B. Weller to Reuben Bessey, convicted of manslaughter in 1855 in Tuolumne County.
Reuben Bessey was born in Massachusets in 1816. Bessey may have gone to California during the gold rush. He served two years in prison for the killing of I. N. Issgrig in a brothel in the town of Columbia. The pardon was issued subsequent to Bessey's release from prison in 1857. It was signed by Governor Weller and attested to by Secretary of State Ferris Forman in 1858.
After his pardon Bessey moved to a gold mining camp in Warrens, Idaho, where he was a member of the party that first discovered gold there. Bessey was a fiddler in a dance band that played at Charles Bemis's saloon in Warrens. He died in 1898.
Dates
- Creation: 1858
Language of Materials
This manuscript is in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to the public. Researchers must use the collection in accordance with the policies of the University of Idaho Special Collections and Archives.
Extent
1 item : bifolium ; 12 1/4 x 7 1/4 inch
Abstract
Pardon issued by California Governor John B. Weller to Reuben Bessey, convicted of manslaughter in 1855 in the town of Columbia, Tuolumne County, CA.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Special Collections and Archives of the University of Idaho Library purchased this manuscript from Ian Brabner Bookseller, Wilmington, Delaware, in February 2013.
Processing Information
Processed in March 2013.
- Title
- Guide to the Pardon for manslaughter signed by California Governor John B. Weller1858
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Laura Guedes
- Date
- © 2013
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Based On Dacs ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latn
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives Repository