Cases
Habeas petitions described a broad range of carceral, institutional, and interpersonal confinement over the long nineteenth century, including those used to demand due process, resist enslavement, challenge child removal and reservation confinement, avoid deportation, present child custody claims and protest child marriage, and to challenge institutionalization and detention in private and state institutions. As a legal mechanism borrowed from British common law and guaranteed as a civil right in US federal and state constitutions, habeas provides a lens on a diverse community of legal actors.
Our encoding practice allows us to identify petitions in these three categories and to indicate where those categories overlap. In addition to these three general categories, our team has identified the specific carceral charge being challenged as well as the particular forms of institutional and interpersonal confinements being questioned.
You may also browse or search petitions by location and/or jurisdiction to learn more about the myriad complaints petitioners brought before judges in Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, and Washington between 1812 and 1924. Each case entry includes a full citation, a summary, links to people with a role in the case, a list of other people named, and any sites of significance. Visitors wanting access to full case files can contact the cited repository for information about obtaining copies. Those without institutional affiliations may request image scans from Dr. Jagodinsky directly. The Glossary defines the attributes used to structure data from the habeas petitions. The Code Book explains the relational structure of the data and functionality of the database website.
Featured story: The Habeas Corpus and Divorce Proceedings of Katie Mayes
Basic Search
Simply enter the word you wish to find and the search engine will search for every instance of the word in the journals. For example: Fight. All instances of the use of the word fight will show up on the results page.
Wildcard Searches
Using an asterisk (*) will increase the odds of finding the results you are seeking. For example: Fight*. The search results will display every instance of fight, fights, fighting, etc. More than one wildcard may be used. For example: *ricar*. This search will return most references to the Aricara tribe, including Ricara, Ricares, Aricaris, Ricaries, Ricaree, Ricareis, and Ricarra. Using a question mark (?) instead of an asterisk (*) will allow you to search for a single character. For example, r?n will find all instances of ran and run, but will not find rain or ruin.
Capitalization
Searches are not case sensitive. For example: george will come up with the same results as George.
Phrase Search
Searching for a specific phrase may help narrow down the results. Rather long phrases are no problem. For example: "This white pudding we all esteem".
Subsequent Searches
Because of the creative spellings used by the journalists, it may be necessary to try your search multiple times. For example: P?ro*. This search brings up numerous variant spellings of the French word pirogue, "a large dugout canoe or open boat." Searching for P?*r*og?* will bring up other variant spellings. Searching for canoe or boat also may be helpful.
Filter by:
State
- Washington 15
Petition Subtype
- carceral: accessory to the crime of murder 1
- carceral: appear to testify (ad testificandum) 1
- Carceral: assault with a deadly weapon 1
- Carceral: deportation 1
- Carceral: drug use 1
- Carceral: first degree murder 1
- Carceral: horse stealing 1
- Carceral: larceny 1
- Carceral: manslaughter 1
- Carceral: murder 1
- Carceral: running an opium den 1
- Carceral: stole one cow 1
- carceral: unlawful sale of intoxicating liquor 1
- Carceral: wrongful imprisonment 1
- Institutional: imprisoned for longer than term 1
- Interpersonal: child custody 1
Age of Bound Party
- Adult 11
- Unindicated 3
- Minor 1
Points of Law Cited
- #15 An Ordinance Prohibiting The Smoking Or Inhaling Of Opium (Circa 1885 In Spokane Falls Wa) 1
- Immigration Act Of February 5th 1917 Sec 38 Us Vs Wo Jan 245 U S 552 62 L Ed 466 Act Of September 13th 1888 Section 13 Act Of March 3rd 1901 31 Stat 1093 Section 3 Act Of April 29th 1902 Stat Pt 1 176 33 Stat 394 Chinese Exclusion Act Colyer V Skeffington 365 Fed 29 222 Fed Rep P 745 Whitfield Vs Hanges Mcdonald Vs Siu Tak Sam 225 Fed 710 Backus Vs Owe Sam Goon 235 Fed 847 Chin Chan Kam Vs U S 232 Fed 855 Re Chan Foo Lin 243 Fed 137 Washington Act Of February 17th 1917 163 U S 228 94 Fed 832 149 U S 698 White Vs Chin Fong 63 L Ed 554 Mayo Vs U S 251 Fed 275 1
- Ordinance No 305 For The Territory Of Washington 1
- Section 833 Of The Code Of Washington Territory 1
People
- Turner George M 13
- Whittier Ej 4
- Peel J J L (Paul) 4
- Glispin James 3
- Hyde Sc 5
- Clement D A (Clerk) 4
- Forster George M 4
- Sutsinger Franklin (Frankie) 2
- Glispin James (Sheriff) 3
- White Sterling P (Bud White) 2
- Billings William 1
- Booge L 1
- Carpenter J W 1
- Clement Da (Clerk) 2
- Clement Sa (Clerk) 2
- Cody John 1
- Coyle Wilson D 1
- Dugan John 1
- Feuerbach Kate W (Clerk) 2
- Graves Frank H 2
- Him Chung (Jung Him) 1
- Norman B 1
- Obrien Nancy 1
- Packwood Sj (Sheriff Of Kittitas County) 1
- Powell Arthur 1
- Raridan Robert D (Rd ) 1
- Raymond Ray (Josie Wood) 1
- Rusk R J (Author Of Complaint) 2
- Shead Oliver 1
- Smith Jr 1
- Snyder J R 2
- Stanley Ruby (Witness) 1
- Stookey Alfred (Witness) 1
- Strobach R (Deputy) 2
- Swartz William C 1
- Turner W W D 2
- Warren J F 1
- Weid Of 2
- White Henry M 1
- Wilson Charles (Witness) 2
- Woodard George 1
- Yam Seid (Seid Yim) 1
- Henningson Henry (Witness) 1
- Aldrich Charles (Affiant For Defendant) 1
- Allen J S (Notary Public) 1
- Allen John B (Attorney In Criminal Case) 1
- Allen Js (Notary Public) 1
- Aminette A J (Commissioner General) 1
- Ansley George W (Subpoenaed) 1
- Anslinger Frankie (Witness) 1
- Babb A B (Witness) 1
- Baker Lidell 1
- Barthalomew W R (Witness) 1
- Barune Jb (Witness) 1
- Bearden Amos Light (Victim) 1
- Bearden Frank (Witness) 1
- Bearden Henry S (Witness) 1
- Belden Gt (Subpoenaed) 1
- Benson E F 1
- Bettis Ja (Notary Public) 1
- Bigham William (Foreman Of Grand Jury) 1
- Black J A (Juror) 1
- Black Wh (Subpoenaed) 1
- Blackfan C T (Juror) 1
- Blakely John (Affiant For Territory) 1
- Boggs T D (Witness) 1
- Bolden Gj (Subpoenaed) 1
- Bolster Herbet (Witness) 1
- Booge John J 1
- Books A (Deputy) 1
- Borge John J 1
- Botham Thomas (Affiant For Territory) 1
- Boyd Hj (Member Of Coroner's Jury) 1
- Boyle John M (Us Marshal) 1
- Bradshaw Joseph (Witness For Territory) 1
- Brindell Chase T (Witness) 1
- Brophy Jg (Witness) 1
- Brown Belle (Also Accused) 1
- Bruce Jl (Subpoenaed) 1
- Bruch Bf (Subpoenaed) 1
- Buell William (Witness) 1
- Burke Rose (Also Accused) 1
- Cahen Nj (Notary Public) 1
- Call Mel (Witness) 1
- Cane John (Witness) 1
- Cannon A M (Mayor) 1
- Capers Robert E 1
- Caton Nt (Nathan Thomas Caton) 1
- Chapman M (Subpoenaed) 1
- Chimley B H (Witness) 1
- Clark Ralph L (Witness) 1
- Clements D A (Clerk) 1
- Cody John (Sheriff) 1
- Coff Warner (Subpoenaed) 1
- Cole Josiah (Witness) 1
- Collings H B (Acting Solicitor For U S Department Of Labor) 1
- Condon William (Witness) 1
- Corrigan A J 1
- Corrigan John L 1
- Craft John (Witness) 1
15 results
Download JSON Download CSVSterling P. White v. John Cody
- Earliest record date: December 21, 1884
- Petition type(s): Carceral: manslaughter
- Petition outcome: Writ dismissed
- Fate of bound party: Remained in custody
In the matter of the petition of Arthur Powell for the writ of Habeas Corpus
- Earliest record date: April 30, 1885
- Petition type(s): Carceral: horse stealing
- Petition outcome: Unknown
- Fate of bound party: Unknown
Territory of Washington V. Wilson D. Coyle
- Earliest record date: April 5, 1885
- Petition type(s): Institutional: imprisoned for longer than term | Carceral: assault with a deadly weapon
- Petition outcome: Writ allowed
- Fate of bound party: Unknown
Territory of Washington v. William C. Swartz
- Earliest record date: July 9, 1885
- Petition type(s): Carceral: stole one cow
- Petition outcome: Writ denied
- Fate of bound party: Remained in custody
Writ of habeas corpus for Sterling P. White, an important witness
- Earliest record date: October 12, 1885
- Petition type(s): carceral: appear to testify (ad testificandum)
- Petition outcome: Writ allowed
- Fate of bound party: Remained in custody
City of Spokane v. Frankie Sutsinger
- Earliest record date: November 27, 1885
- Petition type(s): Carceral: drug use
- Petition outcome: Writ allowed
- Fate of bound party: Released from custody
In re Frankie Switzinger for writ of Habeas Corpus
- Earliest record date: November 23, 1885
- Petition type(s): Carceral: running an opium den
- Petition outcome: Writ allowed
- Fate of bound party: Unknown
In the matter of the application of Ray Raymond for a writ of habeas corpus
- Earliest record date: June 26, 1886
- Petition type(s): Carceral: first degree murder
- Petition outcome: Writ allowed
- Fate of bound party: Unknown
In the matter of the application of John Dugan for a writ of Habeas Corpus
- Earliest record date: May 30, 1887
- Petition type(s): carceral: accessory to the crime of murder
- Petition outcome: Writ allowed
- Fate of bound party: Released from custody
Territory of Washington v. George Woodard
- Earliest record date: July 5, 1887
- Petition type(s): carceral: unlawful sale of intoxicating liquor
- Petition outcome: Writ allowed
- Fate of bound party: Unknown
Samuel O'Brien v. Nancy O'Brien
- Earliest record date: February 2, 1887
- Petition type(s): Interpersonal: child custody
- Petition outcome: Writ allowed
- Fate of bound party: New custody arrangement reached
B. Norman v. J.F. Warren
- Earliest record date: January 25, 1837
- Petition type(s): Carceral: wrongful imprisonment
- Petition outcome: Writ allowed
- Fate of bound party: Unknown
Joseph Deveriske v. Territory of Washington
- Earliest record date: April 7, 1888
- Petition type(s): Carceral: larceny
- Petition outcome: Unknown
- Fate of bound party: Unknown
Chung Him and Seid Yam v. Henry M. White
- Earliest record date: September 13, 1888
- Petition type(s): Carceral: deportation
- Petition outcome: Writ allowed
- Fate of bound party: Unknown
In the matter of the application of Mary E. Teller for a writ of Habeas Corpus
- Earliest record date: July 11, 1887
- Petition type(s): Carceral: murder
- Petition outcome: Writ denied
- Fate of bound party: Remained in custody
