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:
Petition Subtype
- Carceral: immigration 8
- Carceral: public charge 6
- Carceral: Violation of Immigration Act of 1917 6
- Carceral: advocating or teaching the unlawful destruction of property 5
- carceral: advocating for unlawful destruction of property 2
- carceral: advocating for unlawful destruction 1
- Carceral: advocating for unlawful distruction of property 1
- carceral: advocating or teaching destruction 1
- Carceral: Chinese Exclusion Act 1
Race of Bound Party
- Unindicated 4
- Asian 2
- Russian 2
- Chinese 1
- Japanese 1
Points of Law Cited
- Us Const Amend V 4
- 1917 Immigration Act 1
- Gegow Vs Uhl 239 Us 3 Howe Vs Us 247 Fed 292 Ex Parte Mitchell 256 Fed 229 In Re Lum Lin Ying 59 Fed 682 In G N Ry Co Vs Johnson 254 Fed 683 Us V Redfern 180 Fed 500 Us Vs Suekichi 199 Fed 751 Us Vs Martin 193 Fed 795 Section 8375 Of Remington Ballinger's Codes "International Law Of Marriage" 1
- Sec 25 Of The Chinese Exclusion Act Comp St 1913 Sec 4274 Ex Parte Ng Kwack Kang 233 Fed 478 1
People
- White Henry M 8
- Neterer Jeremiah 7
- Pierce Ralph S 6
- Saunders Robert C 5
- Vanderveer George F (George T Vanderveer) 5
- Wilson William B 5
- Moore Ben L 2
- Callahan Wp (Immigration Inspector) 2
- Eliot S (Deputy) 2
- Harshberger Fm (Clerk) 2
- Kisil Alex 1
- Kolmitz Charlotte M 1
- Lievo John 1
- Martin Joe 1
- Merta Peter Williamson (Melta Peter Williamson Williamson Peter Williamson Peter M) 1
- Park Moy Share 1
- Reitman William 1
- Shiabata Taka 1
- Tschahle Rudolph (Rudolph Czable) 1
- Burford S J (Immigration Inspector) Harshberger F M (Clerk) Leitch D E (Deputy Clerk) Young D H (Notary Public) 1
- Callahan W P (Immigration Inspector) Harshberger F M (Clerk) Leitch D E (Deputy Clerk) Young D H (Notary Public) 1
- Capers Robert E 1
- Cushman Edward E 1
- Davis P V 1
- Hampton Alfred (Assistant Commissionergeneral) Dutton Ethel D (Clerk To Us Attorney) Harshberger F M (Clerk) Leitch D E (Deputy Clerk) How Moy Wah (Father Of Petitioner) Morgan G J (Notary Public) 1
- Harshberger F M (Clerk) Leitch D E (Deputy Clerk) Callahan W P (Immigration Inspector) 1
- Harshberger F M (Clerk) Leitch D E (Deputy Clerk) Kunikichi Shibata (Husband Of Petitioner) Bellinger (Judge) Hall Calvin S (Judge) Marshall C J (Judge) Sargent John H (Assistant Commissioner Of Immigration) Boyle John M (Us Marshall) Rooks A (Deputy) Young D L (Notary Public) Callahan W P (Immigrant Inspectors) Seidle F O (Immigrant Inspectors) 1
- Harshberger F M (Clerk) Leitch D E (Deputy Clerk) Sargent J H (Acting Commissioner Of Labor Of The United States) Boyle John M (Us Marshall) Williams Edward (Deputy Us Marshall) Fisher Thomas M (Immigration Inspector) Manning Leeta D (Deputy Clerk Us District Court Western District Of Washington) Young D H (Notary Public) 1
- Kiefer James 1
- Post Louis F 1
- Rudkin Frank H 1
- Storey James V 1
- Todd Hugh C 1
8 results
Download JSON Download CSVIn the matter of the application of William Reitman for a writ of habeas corpus
- Earliest record date: November 29, 1918
- Petition type(s): Carceral: immigration | Carceral: advocating or teaching the unlawful destruction of property | Carceral: Violation of Immigration Act of 1917 | Carceral: public charge | carceral: advocating or teaching destruction | carceral: advocating for unlawful destruction | carceral: advocating for unlawful destruction of property | Carceral: advocating for unlawful distruction of property
- Petition outcome: Unknown
- Fate of bound party: Unknown
In the matter of the application of Peter Williamson Merta, for a Writ of Habeas Corpus
- Earliest record date: December 9, 1918
- Petition type(s): Carceral: immigration | Carceral: Violation of Immigration Act of 1917 | Carceral: advocating or teaching the unlawful destruction of property | Carceral: public charge
- Petition outcome: Writ denied
- Fate of bound party: Remained in custody
In the matter of the application of John Lievo, for a writ of habeas corpus
- Earliest record date: December 17, 1918
- Petition type(s): Carceral: immigration | Carceral: Violation of Immigration Act of 1917 | Carceral: public charge | Carceral: advocating or teaching the unlawful destruction of property
- Petition outcome: Unknown
- Fate of bound party: Unknown
In the matter of the application of Rudolph Tschahle for a writ of habeas corpus
- Earliest record date: December 23, 1918
- Petition type(s): carceral: advocating for unlawful destruction of property | Carceral: immigration | Carceral: Violation of Immigration Act of 1917
- Petition outcome: Writ allowed
- Fate of bound party: Released from custody
In the matter of the application of Alex Kisil, for a writ of habeas corpus
- Earliest record date: January 8, 1919
- Petition type(s): Carceral: immigration | Carceral: Violation of Immigration Act of 1917 | Carceral: advocating or teaching the unlawful destruction of property | Carceral: public charge
- Petition outcome: Unknown
- Fate of bound party: Unknown
In the matter of the application of Joe Martin, for a writ of habeas corpus
- Earliest record date: January 8, 1919
- Petition type(s): Carceral: Violation of Immigration Act of 1917 | Carceral: immigration | Carceral: advocating or teaching the unlawful destruction of property | Carceral: public charge
- Petition outcome: Unknown
- Fate of bound party: Unknown
In the matter of the application of Moy Share Park for a writ of Habeas Corpus
- Earliest record date: April 2, 1920
- Petition type(s): Carceral: immigration | Carceral: Chinese Exclusion Act
- Petition outcome: Writ denied
- Fate of bound party: Remained in custody
In the matter of the application of Taka Shibata for a writ of Habeas Corpus
- Earliest record date: July 12, 1920
- Petition type(s): Carceral: immigration | Carceral: public charge
- Petition outcome: Writ allowed
- Fate of bound party: Released from custody
