Case Summary

On January 25, 1919, Stella Williams was detained by police officers of the city of Omaha, and on January 27th, she was charged with being an inmate of an ill-governed house. Williams was taken to trial on that day, found guilty, and sentenced to serve 20 days in the Douglas County jail. She immediately provided the appeal bond necessary to file an appeal, which was approved by the Police Magistrate, who then notified the keeper of the Omaha city jail to release Williams. The keeper of the jail refused to release Stella Williams due to an order issued by Omaha Health Commissioner E. T. Manning, who ordered Williams to be quarantined and isolated in the jail due to her infection with a communicable venereal virus. On October 31, 1919, the application was dismissed at the cost of the county. Williams' fate is unknown.

Case Information

Petition type(s)

• Carceral

Petition subtype(s)

• Inmate of ill-governed home

Sites of significance

• Omaha City Jail (Omaha, Nebraska)

Outcome

Writ dismissed

Fate of bound party

Unknown

Case Citation

Douglas County District Court, Omaha, NE, RG230: Douglas County Records, Subgroup 10: District Court, 1855-1972, Series: Criminal Appearance Docket Books, Vol. 21: ca. 1919, p. 49; Douglas County District Court, Omaha, NE, RG230: Douglas County Records, Subgroup 10: District Court, 1855-1972, Series 7: Criminal Case Files, 1897-1920, Reel 83: Doc. 21-36 to 21-176, Mar. 6, 1919 - May 1, 1919, No. 21-49

Source material(s)

Docket | Case File

Length of case file

Between 11 and 20 pages

Repository(s)

• Douglas County District Court (Omaha, Nebraska)

State

• Nebraska

Point(s) of law cited

City of Omaha Ordinance No. 9852

People

• Williams, Stella (petitioner)
• Williams, Stella (bound party)
• Eberstein, Marshall (respondent)
• Manning, Ernest T. (Ernest C.) (respondent)
• Manning, Ernest T. (Ernest C.) (authority ordering detention)
• Manning, Ernest T. (Ernest C.) (responding party)
• Redick, William A. (judge)
• Moriarty, John F. (petitioner attorney)
• Weaver, Frank L. (respondent attorney)

• Additional parties

  Smith, Robert (clerk)

  Clark, Michael L. (sheriff)

  Lindsay, James F. (deputy);