Biography
John A. Cummings was a Missouri Catholic priest prosecuted for continuing to preach without taking the state's sweeping anti-Confederate "ironclad" loyalty oath. Convicted in September 1865, he was fined $500 and committed to jail until the fine and costs were paid. The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed, but the U.S. Supreme Court reversed in January 1867 in Cummings v. Missouri, holding the oath provisions unconstitutional as bills of attainder and ex post facto laws. The record establishes the jail-commitment order, though not how many days he actually spent confined. (Recorded as Father John A. Cummings)
