Harry Joseph Payne v. Paul J. Madigan, Warden, United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz, California

HAMLEY, Circuit Judge.

This is a habeas corpus proceeding involving Harry Joseph Payne, a federal prisoner confined in Alcatraz penitentiary. He is being held to serve twelve years under seven written judgments and commitments. These judgments and commitments expressly provide for seven consecutive sentences to be served in sequence corresponding to the numbers of the seven criminal cases.

In his application for a writ, Payne alleged that the oral pronouncements from the bench at the time of sentencing were too indefinite, ambiguous, and equivocal to sustain the consecutive sentences as set out…