Ex Parte Albright v. Clinger
Ex Parte Albright v. Clinger
Opinion of the Court
Relator, restrained of Ms liberty on a warrant of the Governor of this State, issued upon a requisition of the Governor of the State of Ohio, invokes habeas corpus to effect his release.
Relator, on a charge of non-snpport of minor children, was indicted, tried, convicted and sentenced to imprisonment in the Ohio penitentiary for a term of not less than one year nor more than three years. In accordance with the laws of that State he was paroled. In violation of his conditional liberation from imprisonment, he left Ohio, or failed to report his whereabouts to the Board of Clemency, and within four months thereafter he was charged and convicted of grand' larceny in Jackson County, Missouri, and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in the penitentiary. This sentence expired July 9, 1921. Upon his release he was re-arrested and is held in custody by the agent of the State of Ohio, under the authority before stated. Upon being apprised of relator’s violation of his parole, the Board of Prison Managers of that State revoked same. At the time his whereabouts were unknown to the board. Learning subsequently that he was confined in the Missouri penitentiary, upon the expiration of his sentence, the requisition referred to was applied for and granted, *86 to secure Ms return to the State of Ohio, to satisfy the judgment there pending’ against him.
The purpose of the authentication of the charge is one of the prerequisites to determine whether the person sought to he extradited is a fugitive from justice; and he is none the less a fugitive whether he has fled before or after conviction. It is held in Hughes v. Pflanz, 71 C. C. A. 234, 138 Fed. 980, that the term “charged with crime” as used in the Federal Constitution and statute (Art. 14, sec. 2, Con. U. S.; Sec. 5278, 3 Fed. Stat. Ann. p. 285), is used in its broad sense. “It would,” says the court, “he a very narrow and technical construction to hold that after the accusation, and before conviction, a person could he extradited, while after conviction which establishes the charge conclusively, he could escape extradition. The object of the provisions of the Constitution and statute is to prevent the escape of person charged with crime, whether convicted or un-convicted, and to secure their return and punishment if guilty. Taking the broad definition of ‘charged with crime’ as including responsibility for crime, the charge would not cease or be merged in the conviction, but would stand until the judgment is satisfied. . . . Any other construction would prevent the return of an escaped convict upon the charge on which they had been sentenced, and defeat in many instances the ends of justice.” There was no dearth of evidence to sustain the finding of the Governor of this State that the relator was a fugitive from justice. One who is shown to have committed a crime in one state and when sought for to be subjected to criminal process, is found in another state, is under the rulings of the Supreme Court of the United States, a fugitive from justice. [Ex parte Reggel, 114 U. S. 642, 29 Law Ed. 250; Roberts v. Reilly, 116 U. S. 80, 29 Law Ed. 544.] This showing constituted a prima-facie proof of the fact, that he was a fugitive. [In re Cook, 49 Fed. 833; Hyatt v. N. Y., 188 U. S. 691, 47 Law Ed. 657; Marbles v. Creecy, 215 U. S. 63.] In addition, it *88 was admitted by tbe relator not only in his pleadings, but in applications made to the Ohio Board of Prison Managers that while under sentence for a felony and on parole, he had violated the latter and had fled to this State. This was ample to satisfy the Governor of the fact and to authorize the granting of the requisition and the issuance of the warrant for the relator’s arrest and delivery to the agent of the State of Ohio, are not concerned with the character of the evidence that was adduced to authorize the Governor to grant the requisition — the character of same not having been prescribed by the Federal statutes. All that is required is that it be satisfactory to the mind of the Governor. [Munsey v. Clough, 196 U. S. 364, 49 Law Ed. 515; Farrell v. Hawley, 78 Conn. 150, 112 A. S. R. 98, 3 Ann. Cas. 874; Ex parte Hoffstot, 180 Fed. 240, 218 U. S. 665, 54 Law Ed. 120.] Where, therefore, the Governor in his warrant, as at bar, certifies that the relator is a fugitive from justice, a prima-facie case arises, to overthrow which evidence must be adduced by the relator, when he makes the issue of his flight in a habeas corpus proceeding to secure his release. [Ex parte Pelinsky, 218 S. W. (Mo.) 809; In re Keller, 36 Fed. 681; Eaton v. West, 34 C. C. A. 68, 91 Fed. 260; State v. Justus, 84 Minn. 237, 55 L. R. A. 325.]
A conviction of crime was a necessary condtion precedent to the granting of a parole. The one measured the punishment and the other was a manifest of the law’s clemency in its enforcement. So long as the terms of *90 the parole were complied with the clemency continued operative, but it ceased when those terms were violated. The right of the State of Ohio to the relator’s return was, therefore, based upon the unsatisfied judgment of conviction against him which entailed imprisonment. Upon a showing of these facts without more, the issuance of the requisition would have been authorized and the .incident that he was at large physically, instead of being indurance when he forfeited his right to clemency, was-a matter with which the Governor of this State need not concern himself. If the parole constituted a reason or ground, why the requisition should not have been granted, evidence in regard thereto should have been offered by the relator [Commonwealth v. Sheriff, 38 Penn. Co. Ct. 55.] None was offered and the original and the attested statements made a part of the application, sustained the Governor’s action. There is no merit in the application for habeas corpus and the prisoner is remanded to the custody of the agent of the State of Ohio. It is so ordered.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Ex Parte Harry Albright v. E.E. Clinger.
- Cited By
- 15 cases
- Status
- Published