Case Summary

On June 19, 1916, Roy Walker was arrested and imprisoned without a warrant. With the help of his attorney Amos P. Scruggs, a prominent Black attorney in Omaha and future candidate for the House of Representatives, he filed a writ of habeas corpus on June 23, 1916, against the chief of police, chief of detectives, and the captain of police. Willis G. Sears allowed the writ, as he had been held without any legal proceedings actually being formally initiated against him, but the legal documents provide little insight into his fate. Newspaper coverage indicates Walker was also Black and that he was charged with burglary, but was released on his habeas petition.

Case Information

Petition type(s)

• Carceral

Petition subtype(s)

• Burglary

Sites of significance

• Unspecified Jail (, )

Outcome

Writ allowed

Fate of bound party

Released from custody

Case Citation

Douglas County District Court, Omaha, NE, RG230: Douglas County Records, Subgroup 10: District Court, 1855-1972, Series: Criminal Appearance Docket Books, Vol. 18: ca.1915-1916, p. 703; Douglas County District Court, Omaha, NE, RG230: Douglas County Records, Subgroup 10: District Court, 1855-1972, Series 7: Criminal Case Files, 1897-1920, Reel 69: Doc. 18-605 to 18-741, Apr. 10, 1916 - Jul. 14, 1916, No. 18-703

Source material(s)

Docket | Case File

Length of case file

Between 6 and 10 pages

Repository(s)

• Douglas County District Court (Omaha, Nebraska)

State

• Nebraska

People

• Walker, Roy (petitioner)
• Walker, Roy (bound party)
• Dunn, Henry (responding party)
• Dunn, Henry (holding party)
• Dunn, Henry (respondent)
• Maloney, Stephen (Steve) (respondent)
• Maloney, Stephen (Steve) (holding party)
• Maloney, Stephen (Steve) (responding party)
• Dempsey, Michael F. (respondent)
• Dempsey, Michael F. (holding party)
• Dempsey, Michael F. (responding party)
• Scruggs, Amos P. (petitioner attorney)
• Sears, Willis G. (judge)

• Additional parties

  Hogart, W.T. [deputy]

  McShane, F.J. [sheriff]

  Smith, Robert [clerk]

  Steele Jr., Asel [deputy]