Case Summary

Thomas Ross was indicted by a grand jury on August 7th, 1914, for selling whiskey to a native of the territory of Alaska and ordered to serve three years at McNeil Island Penitentiary. On March 16th, 1916, Ross filed a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of himself, claiming that he was being deprived of his liberty by Warden Halligan. The petitioner claimed that he had unlawfully been sentenced to three years, when the maximum penalty for the offense he was convicted on was two years and denial of his parole was not according to the "Parole Law." The outcome of the writ and the fate of the bound party are unknown.

Case Information

Petition type(s)

• Carceral

Petition subtype(s)

• Selling liquor to indians

Sites of significance

• McNeil Island Penitentiary (Steilacoom, Washington)

Outcome

Unknown

Fate of bound party

Unknown

Case Citation

RG 21 U.S. District Court for the Souther Division of the Western District of Washington Civil, Criminal, Admiralty, and Bankruptcy Case Files, 1890-1950, No. 1991

Source material(s)

Case File

Length of case file

Between 21 and 30 pages

Repository(s)

• National Archives and Records Administration, Seattle Branch, Washington (Seattle, WA) (Seattle, Washington)

State

• Washington

Point(s) of law cited

Section 1 of the Act of Congress approved June 25, 1910 (“Parole Law”) The Forma Pauperis Act (approved June 25, 1910, 36 Stat. 866)

Tag(s)

• Forma pauperis

People

• Ross, Thomas (petitioner)
• Ross, Thomas (bound party)
• Halligan, O. P. (respondent)
• Halligan, O. P. (responding party)
• Halligan, O. P. (holding party)
• Neterer, Jeremiah (judge)

• Additional parties

  Ellington, E. C. (deputy clerk)

  Boyle, John M. (U. S. Marshal)

  Seerist, John T. (deputy)

  Crosby, Frank L. (clerk)

  Cushman, Edward E. (judge in criminal case)

  Harshberger, F. M. (deputy)

  Fuller, F. J. (judge in criminal case)

  Duehay, F. H. (president of the Board of Parole)

  Heuly, Neil O. (notary public)