No. 427.

HEADQUARTERS DIVISION OF CUBA,

Havana, October 15, 1900. The Military Governor of Cuba, upon the recommendation of the secretary of justice, directs the publication of the following order relating to the writ of habeas corpus:

WHO MAY PROSECUTE WRIT-WRIT MAY ISSUE ON ANY DAY-PARTIES.

I. A person imprisoned or restrained of his liberty within the island of Cuba, for any cause or upon any pretense, is entitled, except where he has been committed or is detained by virtue of the judgment of a competent judge or tribunal, to a writ of habeas corpus, as prescribed in this order, for the purpose of inquiring into the cause of the imprisonment or restraint, and, in a case prescribed by law, of delivering him therefrom. A writ of habeas corpus may be issued and served on any day, but it can only be made returnable on a working day.

The parties to a case instituted by the writ of habeas corpus may appear by attorney, as in other cases.

HOW AND TO WHOM APPLICATION FOR WRIT SHOULD BE MADE.

II. Application for the writ must be made by a written petition, signed either by the person for whose relief it is intended or by some person in his behalf, to any of the following judges or tribunals, or to the chief justices or associate justices thereof:

1. The judges of instrucción, in cases arising out of the acts of the municipal and correctional judges within the territorial jurisdiction of said judges of instrucción.

2. The audiencias and the sala de lo criminal of the audiencia of Havana, in cases arising out of the acts of the judges of instrucción within the territorial jurisdiction of said audiencias and said sala de lo criminal.

3. The supreme eourt, in cases arising out of the acts of the audiencias and the sala de lo criminal of the audiencia of Havana.

4. The judges of instrucción, or the audiencias and the sala de lo criminal of the audiencia of Havana, at the option of the petitioner, in cases arising out of the acts of any civil authority or official, or of any corporation, association, or private individual, by which any person has been restrained of his liberty.

Cuando corresponda conocer del caso á una audiencia ó sala de lo criminal de la audiencia de la Habana ó Tribunal Supremo, podrá presentarse la solicitud á cualquiera de sus presidente ó magistrados.

CONTENIDO DE LA SOLICITUD.

III. Para fijar la autenticidad de la solicitud y la identidad del que la presente, éste prestará juramento sin pagar por ello derechos, ante un notario público, ó el juez ó un miembro del tribunal á quien se presente dicha solicitud. En ésta se consignará—

1. Que la persona á cuyo favor se pide el mandamiento está encarcelada ó privada de su libertad; el lugar de la prisión ó privación y el nombre ó designación del empleado ó de la persona por quien ha sido presa ó privada de su libertad.

2. Que no ha sido encarcelada ni detenida por virtud de ninguna sentencia de un juez ó tribunal.

3. La causa ó pretextos del encarcelamiento ó de la privación de libertad según el leal saber y entender del peticionario.

4. Si el encarcelamiento ó privación de libertad existe por virtud de un auto, providencia ó decreto se agregará una copia del mismo á la solicitud, á no ser que el solicitante asegure que, por razones de la traslación ó de la ocultación de la persona encarcelada ó privada de libertad con anteriordad á la solicitud no pudo exigirse tal copia, ó que ésta se exigió y fué rehusada.

5. Si se alega que el encarcelamiento ó privación de libertad es ilegal, el peticionario hará constar en qué consiste la ilegalidad que aduce. Si el solicitante ignorase alguna de las circunstancias que se indican en este artículo, deberá también consignarlo expresamente.

CUÁNDO SE HA DE CONCEDER EL MANDAMIENTO PENALIDAD POR

NEGARLO.

IV. El juez ó tribunal autorizado para conceder el mandamiento lo concederá sin demora, siempre que se presente una petición al mismo, como se prescribe en esta orden, á menos que aparezca de la petición misma ó de los documentos que la acompañen, que el peticionario no tiene fundamento legal para obtener el mandamiento. Si se quebrantare este párrafo, el juez, ó si la solicitud fué hecha á un tribunal, los miembros del mismo que consientan el quebrantamiento, indemnizarán mancomunada y solidariamente á la persona presa ó privada de su libertad con cien pesos, que se cobrarán por medio del ejercicio de una acción á nombre de ésta.

When an audiencia or the sala de lo criminal of the audiencia of Havana or the supreme court has jurisdiction, the petition may be presented to its chief justice or any of its associate justices.

CONTENTS OF PETITION.

III. The petition must be sworn to by the petitioner, who shall be thus identified before a notary public, or the judge, or a member of the tribunal to which the application is made, without cost to such petitioner, and must state in substance:

1. That the person in whose behalf the writ is applied for is imprisoned or restrained of his liberty, the place of imprisonment or restraint, and the name or description of the officer or person by whom he is imprisoned or restrained.

2. That he has not been committed and is not detained by virtue of any judgment of a judge or tribunal.

3. The cause or pretense of the imprisonment or restraint, according to the best knowledge and belief of the petitioner.

4. If the imprisonment or restraint is by virtue of a mandate, a copy thereof must be annexed to the petition, unless the petitioner avers either that by reason of the removal or concealment of the person imprisoned or restrained before the application a demand of such a copy could not be made, or that such a demand was made and the copy was refused.

5. If the imprisonment or restraint is alleged to be illegal, the petitioner must state in what the alleged illegality consists.

If the petitioner should not have knowledge of the facts referred to in Paragraph III he must so state.

WHEN WRIT MUST BE GRANTED-PENALTY FOR REFUSING.

IV. A judge or tribunal authorized to grant the writ must grant it without delay, whenever a petition therefor is presented, as prescribed in this order, unless it appears from the petition itself or the annexed documents that the petitioner is not entitled by law to prosecute the writ. For a violation of this paragraph a judge, or, if the application was made to a tribunal, each member of the tribunal who assents to the violation, shall be jointly and severally responsible to the person imprisoned or restrained in the sum of one hundred dollars, to be recovered by an action in his name.

FORMA DEL MANDAMIENTO.

V. El mandamiento expedido como se prescribe en esta orden tendrá sustancialmente la siguiente forma, y los blancos se llenarán debidamente:

El Pueblo de la Isla de Cuba, á
Ordenamos á Vd. que presente á

-, que se dice preso ó privado de su

libertad por Vd., haciendo constar cuándo y porqué se realizó tal prisión ó privación de libertad, cualquiera que sea el nombre por que dicho ó llamado, ó el delito que se le impute, ante del juez 6 tribunal) en

sea conocido (insértese aquí el nombre inmediatamente después del recibo de este mandamiento, para estar á lo que dicho juez 6 tribunal resuelva, debiendo traer Vd. consigo este mandamiento.

Firmado el día ·

de

de 19-.

EFICACIA DEL MANDAMIENTO.

VI. El mandamiento no será desobedecido por ningún defecto de forma, con tal que en él se llenen los siguientes requisitos:

1. Si el que tiene la custodia de la persona presa ó privada de su libertad es designado, bien por su título oficial si lo tiene, ó bien por su propio nombre; ó si ambas cosas son desconocidas ó inciertas, por su apelativo supuesto ó apodo. Cualquiera persona á quien se haya entregado el mandamiento se considerará ser aquella á quien se ha dirigido, aun cuando se le haya dirigido con un nombre ó generales equivocados ó á otra persona, siempre que bajo su poder ó custodia ó disposición se encuentre la persona presa ó detenida.

2. Si la persona que se ordena sea presentada es designada por su nombre ó se describe de cualquier otra manera de modo que pueda venirse en conocimiento de la persona que se desea.

CUÁNDO SE HA DE EXPEDIR EL MANDAMIENTO SIN PREVIA SOLICITUD.

VII. Cuando un juez ó un miembro de un tribunal autorizado por esta orden para librar mandamientos de habeas corpus tenga pruebas de que cualquiera persona está ilegalmente detenida ó privada de su libertad, dentro de su jurisdicción, expedirá un mandamiento de habeas corpus para socorrer á esa persona aun cuando no se haya hecho petición con ese fin.

CUMPLIMIENTO DEL MANDAMIENTO SU CONTENIDO.

VIII. La persona á quien ha sido debidamente entregado el mandamiento expresará clara é inequívocamente en un informe por escrito1. Si tiene ó ha tenido bajo su custodia, poder ó sujeción, á la persona para cuyo socorro se ha expedido el mandamiento.

2. Si en ese concepto tenía á dicha persona cuando el mandamiento le fué entregado y aun la tiene, expresará con qué autoridad y por qué

FORM OF WRIT.

V. The writ issued as prescribed in this order must be substantially in the following form, the blanks being properly filled up:

by you imprisoned or

is called or

We command you that you have the body of restrained of his liberty, as it is said, together with the time and cause of such imprisonment or restraint, by whatsoever name the said charged, before (here insert the name of judge or tribunal) at immediately after the receipt of this writ, to carry out the order of the judge or tribunal then and there to be made, and bring with you this writ.

VI. The writ shall not be disobeyed for any defect of form, and particularly in either of the following cases:

1. If the person having the custody of the person imprisoned or restrained is designated, either by his name of office, if he has one, or by his own name, or, if both names are unknown or uncertain, by an assumed appellation. Any person upon whom the writ is served is deemed to be the person to whom it is directed, although it is directed to him by a wrong name or description, or to another person, provided that the person imprisoned or restrained of his liberty is in his custody.

2. If the person directed to be produced is designated by name or otherwise described in any way, so as to be known to be the person intended.

WHEN WRIT TO ISSUE WITHOUT APPLICATION.

VII. Where a judge or a member of a tribunal authorized by this order to grant writs of habeas corpus has evidence that any person is illegally imprisoned or restrained of his liberty within his jurisdiction, he must issue a writ of habeas corpus for the relief of that person, although no application therefor has been made.

RETURN -ITS CONTENTS.

VIII. The person upon whom the writ has been duly served must state plainly and unequivocally in his return:

1. Whether or not he has, or at any time whatsoever had in his custody, or under his power or restraint, the person for whose relief the writ was issued.

2. If he so had that person when the writ was served and still has him, he must state fully the authority and true cause of the imprison