Clyde L. Hardy v. United States of America, Leroy Ferguson v. United States

These appeals, at government expense with court appointed counsel, are from convictions for violation of various narcotics statutes. Appellants contend (a) that they were denied a speedy trial after arrest (Hardy’s arrest on March 19 and *234Ferguson’s on April 27, 1963; joint trial on August 19, 1963); (b) that this delay along with delay in arrest for eight months after the alleged offense (date of offense, August 27, 1962) deprived them of a fair trial in violation of due process of law; (c) that refusal of an instruction that evidence of an informant paid by police should be received with…