Case Summary

Gross S. Edison was caught with counterfeit bank notes on December 31st, 1910. He was indicted on four counts of fraud in 1911 in a Missouri court and sentenced to five years in the United States Federal Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. On September 9th, 1915, Edison, filed a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of himself, arguing that the judgement and sentences he received were invalid and illegal. On October 6th, 1915, Judge Pollock ruled in favor of Edison, claiming that the Missouri Court failed to charge Edison with any offense against the laws of the United States and the judgment and the sentence were illegal. Edison was then released from custody.

Case Information

Petition type(s)

• Carceral

Petition subtype(s)

• Wrongful imprisonment
• Fraud

Sites of significance

• United States Federal Penitentiary Leavenworth (Leavenworth, Kansas)

Outcome

Writ allowed

Fate of bound party

Released from custody

Case Citation

Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United States; US District Court for the First (Topeka) Division of Kansas, 1685 - 2009, Case No 1689

Source material(s)

Case File

Length of case file

Between 31 and 40 pages

Repository(s)

• National Archives and Records Administration, Kansas City (Kansas City, Kansas)

State

• Kansas

Point(s) of law cited

Section 150, Penal Code of the United States

People

• Edison, Gross S. (petitioner)
• Edison, Gross S. (bound party)
• Bell, T. W. (petitioner attorney)
• Pollock, John Calvin (judge)
• Morgan, Thomas W. (respondent)
• Morgan, Thomas W. (holding party)
• Roberston, Fred (respondent attorney)
• Haney, L. S. (respondent attorney)

• Additional parties

  Mantum, Beatrice B. (notary public)

  Fletcher, L. J. (record clerk)

  Sapp, George (victim)

  Farrill, John C. (cashier)

  Lamar, G. B. (president of the Bank of Commerce, Georgia)

  Scherer, Rosia (victim)

  Van Back, Henry (victim)

  Houts, Charles A. (United States attorney)

  Rozier, Henry L. (Foreman Grand Jury)

  Taylor, Thomas C. (notary public)

  Nall, W. W. (clerk)

  O'Neal, Lela (deputy)

  Morton Albaugh (clerk)