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On December 19, 1942, Robert Stroud "the Birdman of Alcatraz" was transferred to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. He was not the mild mannered inmate as portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the movie. From the article:
"Robert Stroud - The Birdman of Alcatraz
Robert "the Birdman of Alcatraz" Stroud
Robert Stroud, who was better known to the public as the "Birdman of Alcatraz," was probably the most famous inmate ever to reside on Alcatraz. In 1909 he brutally murdered a bartender who had allegedly failed to pay a prostitute for whom Stroud was pimping in Alaska. After shooting the bartender to death, Stroud took the man's wallet to ensure that he and the prostitute would receive compensation for her services. In 1911 Stroud was convicted of manslaughter, and he was sent to serve out his sentence at McNeil Island, a Federal penitentiary in Washington State. His record at McNeil indicates that he was violent and difficult to manage. On one occasion, Stroud viciously assaulted a hospital orderly who he insisted had reported him to the administration for attempting to procure narcotics through intimidation and threats. On another occasion he stabbed a fellow inmate.
Shortly after receiving an additional six-month sentence for his hostile actions, Stroud was transferred to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas, due to ceaseless complaints about his threats toward other inmates, and also because of overcrowding in the prison. In 1916, after Stroud was refused a visit with his brother, he stabbed a guard to death in front of eleven hundred inmates in the prison Mess Hall. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by hanging, and he was ordered to await his death sentence in solitary confinement. His mother desperately pleaded for his life, and finally in 1920 President Woodrow Wilson commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment without parole. As a result of Stroud's unpredictable and violent outbursts, Warden T.W. Morgan directed that Stroud be permanently placed in the segregation unit, to live out his sentence in total solitude.
Over the course of Stroud's thirty years of imprisonment at Leavenworth, he developed a keen interest in canaries, after finding an injured bird in the recreation yard. Stroud was initially allowed to breed birds and maintain a lab inside two adjoining segregation cells, since it was felt that this activity would provide for productive use of his time. As a result of this privilege, Stoud was able to author two books on canaries and their diseases, having raised nearly 300 birds in his cells, carefully studying their habits and physiology, and he even developed and marketed medicines for various bird ailments. Although it is widely debated whether the remedies he developed were effective, Stroud was able to make scientific observations that would later benefit research on the canary species. However, after several years of Stroud's informal research, prison officials discovered that some of the equipment he had requested was actually being used to construct a still to make an alcoholic brew.
In 1942 Stroud was transferred to Alcatraz, where he spent the next seventeen years - six years in segregation in D Block, and eleven years in the prison hospital. In 1959 he was transferred to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, and there on November 21, 1963, he was found dead from natural causes by convicted spy, close friend, and fellow inmate Morton Sobell. Stroud had never been permitted to see the movie in which Burt Lancaster portrayed him as a mild-mannered and humane individual, but "Birdman of Alcatraz" later earned Lancaster an Academy Award nomination for best actor."
"Robert Stroud - The Birdman of Alcatraz
Robert "the Birdman of Alcatraz" Stroud
Robert Stroud, who was better known to the public as the "Birdman of Alcatraz," was probably the most famous inmate ever to reside on Alcatraz. In 1909 he brutally murdered a bartender who had allegedly failed to pay a prostitute for whom Stroud was pimping in Alaska. After shooting the bartender to death, Stroud took the man's wallet to ensure that he and the prostitute would receive compensation for her services. In 1911 Stroud was convicted of manslaughter, and he was sent to serve out his sentence at McNeil Island, a Federal penitentiary in Washington State. His record at McNeil indicates that he was violent and difficult to manage. On one occasion, Stroud viciously assaulted a hospital orderly who he insisted had reported him to the administration for attempting to procure narcotics through intimidation and threats. On another occasion he stabbed a fellow inmate.
Shortly after receiving an additional six-month sentence for his hostile actions, Stroud was transferred to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas, due to ceaseless complaints about his threats toward other inmates, and also because of overcrowding in the prison. In 1916, after Stroud was refused a visit with his brother, he stabbed a guard to death in front of eleven hundred inmates in the prison Mess Hall. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by hanging, and he was ordered to await his death sentence in solitary confinement. His mother desperately pleaded for his life, and finally in 1920 President Woodrow Wilson commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment without parole. As a result of Stroud's unpredictable and violent outbursts, Warden T.W. Morgan directed that Stroud be permanently placed in the segregation unit, to live out his sentence in total solitude.
Over the course of Stroud's thirty years of imprisonment at Leavenworth, he developed a keen interest in canaries, after finding an injured bird in the recreation yard. Stroud was initially allowed to breed birds and maintain a lab inside two adjoining segregation cells, since it was felt that this activity would provide for productive use of his time. As a result of this privilege, Stoud was able to author two books on canaries and their diseases, having raised nearly 300 birds in his cells, carefully studying their habits and physiology, and he even developed and marketed medicines for various bird ailments. Although it is widely debated whether the remedies he developed were effective, Stroud was able to make scientific observations that would later benefit research on the canary species. However, after several years of Stroud's informal research, prison officials discovered that some of the equipment he had requested was actually being used to construct a still to make an alcoholic brew.
In 1942 Stroud was transferred to Alcatraz, where he spent the next seventeen years - six years in segregation in D Block, and eleven years in the prison hospital. In 1959 he was transferred to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, and there on November 21, 1963, he was found dead from natural causes by convicted spy, close friend, and fellow inmate Morton Sobell. Stroud had never been permitted to see the movie in which Burt Lancaster portrayed him as a mild-mannered and humane individual, but "Birdman of Alcatraz" later earned Lancaster an Academy Award nomination for best actor."
Robert Stroud - The Birdman of Alcatraz
Posted from alcatrazhistory.com
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The Birdman of Alcatraz. The Story of Robert Stroud... Recorded by a Former Alcatraz Prisoner
This historical audio commentary features memories of Alcatraz prisoner Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz, by fellow convict Frank Hatfield, 1296-AZ. Fr...
Thank you, my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that on December 19, 1942 violent [homosexual] murderer Robert Stroud "the Birdman of Alcatraz" was transferred to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.
Images: One of the best-known inmates of the prison is Robert Stroud, The Birdman of Alcatraz, who has spent 53 of his 72 years behind prison bars
The Birdman of Alcatraz. The Story of Robert Stroud... Recorded by a Former Alcatraz Prisoner
"This historical audio commentary features memories of Alcatraz prisoner Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz, by fellow convict Frank Hatfield, 1296-AZ. Frank was serving a 15 year sentence for bank robbery when he arrived on Alcatraz in 1957. He served six years on Alcatraz before being transferred to U.S.P. Leavenworth in 1963. He was considered a close friend by James "Whitey" Bulger, 1248-AZ, and served time alongside many of the infamous prisoners on Alcatraz from the 1950s to 1960s era, including Mickey Cohen, Frank Morris, John & Clarence Anglin, Bumpy Johnson, and Robert Stroud. This audio of Frank Hatfield reminiscing about Stroud was recorded in 1987."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rkjpmbgerE
Background from biography.com/crime-figure/robert-stroud-birdman-of-alcatraz
"Early Years and Incarceration
Robert Franklin Stroud, who earned fame as the "Birdman of Alcatraz," was born on January 28, 1890, in Seattle, Washington. Raised by an abusive father, he stopped attending school after reaching the third grade. At age 13, he ran away from home.
At 18, Stroud made his way to Alaska territory to work on a railroad construction gang. He began a relationship with an older prostitute named Kitty O'Brien, and in early 1909, after O'Brien was beaten by a former lover, Stroud shot and killed the offender. (Some sources say Stroud was her pimp, and killed the man over failure of payment.)
Sentenced to 12 years in prison for manslaughter, Stroud was shipped to the federal penitentiary at McNeil Island, Washington, where he proved a difficult inmate. He assaulted a hospital orderly on one occasion and stabbed a fellow inmate on another, earning an additional six months to his sentence.
In 1912, Stroud was transferred to Leavenworth Federal Prison in Kansas. He displayed an interest in learning at his new facility, taking university extension courses in mechanical drawing, engineering, music, theology and mathematics. However, the violent tendencies did not subside: After his brother was turned away in an attempted visit in 1916, Stroud stabbed a guard to death in the prison mess hall.
Stroud was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. However, President Woodrow Wilson in 1920 commuted the sentence to life imprisonment without parole, and Leavenworth's warden determined that Stroud would serve his sentence in solitary confinement.
The 'Birdman' Is Hatched
During a break in the prison yard in 1920, Stroud came upon a fallen nest with baby sparrows. He took the birds back to his cell, sparking his longtime fascination with ornithology. Stroud began reading every book he could acquire on the subject and recorded his own observations on behavior and illness that the books failed to cover. He was granted permission to raise and breed canaries and reached a point where he had 300 of them living in cigar boxes in an adjoining cell. He also built a makeshift laboratory to develop homemade medicines for them, which he sold via mail order.
After successfully having a 60,000-word manuscript smuggled out of the prison, Stroud saw his Diseases of Canaries published in 1933. He continued his research, leading to the 1943 publication of his second book, Stroud’s Digest on the Diseases of Birds. Filled with pages of his own careful illustrations, the Digest came to be considered one of ornithology’s authoritative works.
Later Prisons and Death
In late 1942, Stroud was transferred – without his beloved birds – to the U.S. Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island, off the coast of San Francisco, California. Still in isolation, he continued writing, producing manuscripts on the history of the U.S. prison system and an autobiography, though he was denied permission to release them.
In 1955, Stroud was the subject of Thomas E. Gaddis's acclaimed biography Birdman of Alcatraz. While detailing the prisoner’s violent behavior, the book also painted him as a man fighting to maintain his dignity within exceedingly difficult conditions.
In 1959, Stroud was again transferred, to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. There, he finally earned a reprieve from his long stay in solitary confinement, taking a job in the prison print shop. In 1962, the feature film Birdman of Alcatraz was released in theaters, featuring Burt Lancaster in an Academy Award-nominated role as a mild-mannered, reformed version of Stroud.
Despite the increased attention, Stroud was unsuccessful in his attempts to attain parole. He also filed a lawsuit to have his manuscripts released, and a decision was still pending when he was discovered dead in his cell, from natural causes, on November 21, 1963.
From Beyond the Grave
Stroud's manuscripts went into probate, but his lawyer, Dudley Martin, sought to acquire them as administrator of the deceased inmate's will. He finally obtained the manuscripts in 1984 and tried to have them published, but found no takers, as publishing houses were leery of potential lawsuits from Alcatraz officers.
After the statute of limitations passed, Looking Outward, A Voice From the Grave finally appeared in eBook form in February 2014. Among other details, the book reveals Stroud's homosexuality and the corruption rife among prison guards and wardens. With the movie rights sold and the promise of additional volumes on the way, it seemed likely the Birdman's story would remain popular in the public's imagination.
One of the best-known inmates of the prison is Robert Stroud, The Birdman of Alcatraz, who has spent 53 of his 72 years behind prison bars.
Citation Information
Article Title Robert Stroud Biography
Author Biography.com Editors
Website Name The Biography.com website"
FYI SGT Mark Anderson SGT Jim Arnold SSgt Terry P. Maj Robert Thornton SFC (Join to see) SGT Steve McFarland MSG Andrew White Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D.
COL Mikel J. Burroughs SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL LTC Greg Henning SGT Gregory Lawritson SGT (Join to see) CWO3 (Join to see) PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC (Join to see)1sg-dan-capriSGT Robert R.
Images: One of the best-known inmates of the prison is Robert Stroud, The Birdman of Alcatraz, who has spent 53 of his 72 years behind prison bars
The Birdman of Alcatraz. The Story of Robert Stroud... Recorded by a Former Alcatraz Prisoner
"This historical audio commentary features memories of Alcatraz prisoner Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz, by fellow convict Frank Hatfield, 1296-AZ. Frank was serving a 15 year sentence for bank robbery when he arrived on Alcatraz in 1957. He served six years on Alcatraz before being transferred to U.S.P. Leavenworth in 1963. He was considered a close friend by James "Whitey" Bulger, 1248-AZ, and served time alongside many of the infamous prisoners on Alcatraz from the 1950s to 1960s era, including Mickey Cohen, Frank Morris, John & Clarence Anglin, Bumpy Johnson, and Robert Stroud. This audio of Frank Hatfield reminiscing about Stroud was recorded in 1987."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rkjpmbgerE
Background from biography.com/crime-figure/robert-stroud-birdman-of-alcatraz
"Early Years and Incarceration
Robert Franklin Stroud, who earned fame as the "Birdman of Alcatraz," was born on January 28, 1890, in Seattle, Washington. Raised by an abusive father, he stopped attending school after reaching the third grade. At age 13, he ran away from home.
At 18, Stroud made his way to Alaska territory to work on a railroad construction gang. He began a relationship with an older prostitute named Kitty O'Brien, and in early 1909, after O'Brien was beaten by a former lover, Stroud shot and killed the offender. (Some sources say Stroud was her pimp, and killed the man over failure of payment.)
Sentenced to 12 years in prison for manslaughter, Stroud was shipped to the federal penitentiary at McNeil Island, Washington, where he proved a difficult inmate. He assaulted a hospital orderly on one occasion and stabbed a fellow inmate on another, earning an additional six months to his sentence.
In 1912, Stroud was transferred to Leavenworth Federal Prison in Kansas. He displayed an interest in learning at his new facility, taking university extension courses in mechanical drawing, engineering, music, theology and mathematics. However, the violent tendencies did not subside: After his brother was turned away in an attempted visit in 1916, Stroud stabbed a guard to death in the prison mess hall.
Stroud was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. However, President Woodrow Wilson in 1920 commuted the sentence to life imprisonment without parole, and Leavenworth's warden determined that Stroud would serve his sentence in solitary confinement.
The 'Birdman' Is Hatched
During a break in the prison yard in 1920, Stroud came upon a fallen nest with baby sparrows. He took the birds back to his cell, sparking his longtime fascination with ornithology. Stroud began reading every book he could acquire on the subject and recorded his own observations on behavior and illness that the books failed to cover. He was granted permission to raise and breed canaries and reached a point where he had 300 of them living in cigar boxes in an adjoining cell. He also built a makeshift laboratory to develop homemade medicines for them, which he sold via mail order.
After successfully having a 60,000-word manuscript smuggled out of the prison, Stroud saw his Diseases of Canaries published in 1933. He continued his research, leading to the 1943 publication of his second book, Stroud’s Digest on the Diseases of Birds. Filled with pages of his own careful illustrations, the Digest came to be considered one of ornithology’s authoritative works.
Later Prisons and Death
In late 1942, Stroud was transferred – without his beloved birds – to the U.S. Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island, off the coast of San Francisco, California. Still in isolation, he continued writing, producing manuscripts on the history of the U.S. prison system and an autobiography, though he was denied permission to release them.
In 1955, Stroud was the subject of Thomas E. Gaddis's acclaimed biography Birdman of Alcatraz. While detailing the prisoner’s violent behavior, the book also painted him as a man fighting to maintain his dignity within exceedingly difficult conditions.
In 1959, Stroud was again transferred, to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. There, he finally earned a reprieve from his long stay in solitary confinement, taking a job in the prison print shop. In 1962, the feature film Birdman of Alcatraz was released in theaters, featuring Burt Lancaster in an Academy Award-nominated role as a mild-mannered, reformed version of Stroud.
Despite the increased attention, Stroud was unsuccessful in his attempts to attain parole. He also filed a lawsuit to have his manuscripts released, and a decision was still pending when he was discovered dead in his cell, from natural causes, on November 21, 1963.
From Beyond the Grave
Stroud's manuscripts went into probate, but his lawyer, Dudley Martin, sought to acquire them as administrator of the deceased inmate's will. He finally obtained the manuscripts in 1984 and tried to have them published, but found no takers, as publishing houses were leery of potential lawsuits from Alcatraz officers.
After the statute of limitations passed, Looking Outward, A Voice From the Grave finally appeared in eBook form in February 2014. Among other details, the book reveals Stroud's homosexuality and the corruption rife among prison guards and wardens. With the movie rights sold and the promise of additional volumes on the way, it seemed likely the Birdman's story would remain popular in the public's imagination.
One of the best-known inmates of the prison is Robert Stroud, The Birdman of Alcatraz, who has spent 53 of his 72 years behind prison bars.
Citation Information
Article Title Robert Stroud Biography
Author Biography.com Editors
Website Name The Biography.com website"
FYI SGT Mark Anderson SGT Jim Arnold SSgt Terry P. Maj Robert Thornton SFC (Join to see) SGT Steve McFarland MSG Andrew White Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D.
COL Mikel J. Burroughs SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL LTC Greg Henning SGT Gregory Lawritson SGT (Join to see) CWO3 (Join to see) PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC (Join to see)1sg-dan-capriSGT Robert R.
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