John James Pearson v. Dan Gray, Warden, Kentucky State Reformatory

Petitioner was indicted for the offense of obtaining property under false pretenses and was tried and convicted by a jury. The Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Kentucky, sentenced him to five years imprisonment. Petitioner filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the District Court of Kentucky. The petition was denied and a motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis was also denied. To this judgment this appeal is prosecuted.

As found by the District Court in its memorandum opinion filed July 18, 1956, the facts in brief are as follows: Petitioner tried to appeal his conviction by…