Case Summary

On July 14th, 1920, Henry Bonnemeyer was arrested under the charge of "aiding, abetting, and contributing to the delinquency" of a minor, Ruth Funnel. Upon his arrest, he went to trial, where he was tried without a jury and declared guilty by judge Willis G. Sears. Bonnemeyer and his attorneys disputed the illegality of his 90 day prison sentence by filing a petition of Habeas Corpus. Their argument was based on the fact that Bonnemeyer was an adult tried by a juvenile court and that no county attorney ever filed evidence against him. These facts were enough, they claimed, to warrant his release. After the petition hearing, it appears that their writ was dismissed; however, Bonnemeyer and his attorneys made a plea for demurrer against the respondent's evidence for Bonnemeyer's captivity. Based on the appearance docket, it seems that the judge, again, dismissed their plea and Bonnemeyer remained in captivity.

Case Information

Petition type(s)

• Carceral

Petition subtype(s)

• Aiding and abetting

Sites of significance

• Douglas County Jail (Omaha, Nebraska)

Outcome

Writ denied

Fate of bound party

Remained in 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. 22: ca. 1919 - 1920, p. 712; Douglas County District Court, Omaha, NE, RG230: Douglas County Records, Subgroup 10: District Court, 1855-1972, Series 7: Criminal Case Files, 1897-1920, Reel 93: Doc. 22-638 to 23-15, Aug. 13, 1920 - Oct. 2, 1920, No. 22-712

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

People

• Bonnemeyer, Henry (petitioner)
• Bonnemeyer, Henry (bound party)
• Gray, (petitioner attorney)
• Brumbaugh, Lemuel S. (petitioner attorney)
• Macfarland, John M. (petitioner attorney)
• Macfarland, Forrest S. (petitioner attorney)
• Clark, Michael L. (responding party)
• Clark, Michael L. (holding party)
• Sears, Willis G. (authority ordering detention)
• Troupe, A. C. (Troup) (judge)

• Additional parties

  Smith, Robert (clerk)

  Steere, Jr., Asel (deputy)

  Foster, W. A. (deputy)

  Vosburgh, Augustus H. (prosecutor)

  Funnell, Ruth (child delinquent)

  Shotwell, A. V. (county attorney)