United States ex rel. Brown v. Hill

Robert Brown was indicted, tried, and convicted in the district of New Jersey for passing and possessing counterfeit bills. On December 8, 1932, the court imposed a sentence that he “be committed for the term of five years in a Federal Penitentiary * * *, term to commence October 15, 1932.” He was promptly committed and thereupon began serving his sentence.

It is clear from the words of the sentence that the term of imprisonment was five years. It is equally clear that, in fixing the date for commencement of the term prior to the date of sentence, the learned trial judge intended to give the…