STROUD ROBERT: (1890-1963) American Prisoner and Ornithologist, known as The Birdman of Alcatraz, an

STROUD ROBERT: (1890-1963) American Prisoner and Ornithologist, known as The Birdman of Alcatraz, an

STROUD ROBERT: (1890-1963) American Prisoner and Ornithologist, known as The Birdman of Alcatraz, and considered to be one of the most notorious criminals in American history. A.L.S., Love, Bob, Robert Stroud #594, two pages, 4to, Alcatraz, California, 6^th August 1954, to his sister, Mamie Stroud. Writing in bold pencil, Stroud acknowledges receipt of his sister's letter and continues 'I also had a long sales letter from Marc this evening. The second I have had this week, but can't say that I am feeling any better about the whole situation. I do not think that he has fouled things up intentionally, that is, not consciously so, but it amounts to the same thing anyway, and the sad part of it is that he has really worked hard and spent a lot of money, but I cannot get him to carry things through to the end nor can I breaking of the bad habit of consistently lying to me, when the truth would serve his purpose a lot better. So I am still thoroughly dispirited about the whole thing. He now says that he will have the book ready to send in in November, and it will be out in the spring, but I cannot see where I am ever going to get anything out of it, so I am probably a fool for not calling the whole thing off now. Which is what I should have done years ago'. Stroud also writes of his health, 'Physically I have been feeling pretty good the last few weeks, but I have not been sleeping much. I had about four hours last night, which is the most of any night this week. I never did require a great deal of sleep, but when I do not get that little that I do require, it gets me down' and of his activities within prison, 'I have been reading all week on a French book, La Commune, which is the 4^th book of a series dealing with the conditions in France leading up to, during and following the war of 1870…..This is a phase of history with which I was not very familiar, and it is one with which it would profit a lot of people in this country to be more familiar. It is from this set of circumstances that the communists take their name, although it was not until years later that the name was used in this country. Commun (spelled without an e on the end) means common in French, and what we call a city council is there called the common council or commune (spelled with an e). What we call communist today was at that time in France spoken of as members of the society international de oeuvres, or the International Society of workers. In England and the United States up until the First world war it was known as the 3^rd International Trade Unions Congress. In 1871 the city of Paris, disgusted with 21 years of treason and inefficiency which led to defeat by Germany……refused to give up its arms and fought a war against the national government, and many of the disgraceful conditions that led to that cruel and bloody impasse exist in this country today. The difference being Paris, which is different from any other city in the world, because for a thousand years it has attracted to it the most independent thinkers of the world, who have always been ready to fight for their rights….' Also signed in the return address panel at the head of the first page. VG

 

Stroud served seventeen years of his life imprisonment at Alcatraz from 1942-59 and was allowed access to the prison library where he began studying law.