Letters From Alcatraz - Michael Esslinger [85]
The first crucial turning point in Stroud’s life came on January 18, 1909, when he murdered Dahmer. There are several narratives of the events surrounding the murder, but the official account given in the Alcatraz Warden’s Notebook stated the facts as follows:
There are two stories connected with the killing, one of which is that this woman (Kitty O’Brien) did not come home one night; that when she returned to her crib in the morning she told Stroud that she had spent the night with one Charles F. Dahmer, a local bartender in a local saloon; that Dahmer abused her and only paid $2.00 whereas the usual and customary fee was ten dollars; that Stroud thereupon proceeded to a local hardware store, now extinct, and asked to buy a few shells for his pistol; that the proprietor of the store refused to sell him anything but a full box of shells; that he thereupon left and returned some time later in the afternoon, purchased a box of shells, went into the residence of Dahmer, fired five shots at him, three of which took effect in his body, proceeded to rob him of whatever money he had on his person and returned to this woman’s crib and gave her the money he had taken from Dahmer. The other story is to the effect that he waited several days before committing the murder, but that the reason was the same in both stories. For this crime, Stroud was sentenced to 12 years in the USP, McNeil Island, Washington (rec’d at McNeil about 8-23-09).
Stroud later claimed that Dahmer had beaten Kitty savagely, almost killing her. Furthermore, he alleged that Dahmer had stolen a gold locket that Stroud had given her as a special gift. He later described that when he had walked into her room she was almost dead and that when he had taken her into his arms, she begged: “Kill him Robert... please kill him...” Stroud maintained that he went to Dahmer’s small cottage demanding an answer as to why he had assaulted Kitty. Dahmer was resistant and Stroud asserted that Dahmer charged at him and that “it was either him or me.” Dahmer suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head and died instantly. After the killing, Stroud turned himself into the U.S. Marshal’s Office. He was subsequently tried and convicted of manslaughter. During his trial, the Daily Record reported that Stroud “appeared to glory in the notoriety that he obtained by the killing.” Since the crime had been committed on federal territory, Stroud was sent to McNeil Island, the U.S. Penitentiary located in Puget Sound, Washington. Kitty had also been indicted, but charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence.
Robert Stroud in 1909, at eighteen years of age.
Stroud arrived at McNeil on August 23, 1909 as inmate #1854-M and had to learn to live under the rigid prison regulations. The silent system was in full force and the prison rule resembled that of a tough military establishment. Prisoners moved about the penitentiary in drill formation and those who violated the rules were thrown into a dark and unsanitary solitary confinement cell, and fed only rations of stale bread and water. The prison was old and poorly ventilated and lacked any type of modern plumbing. At McNeil, Stroud worked in the prison laundry and quickly became known as a problematic inmate. His records indicate that he was violent and difficult to manage. There were ceaseless complaints of threats made against other inmates.
After serving nearly twenty-eight months at McNeil, Stroud violently stabbed a fellow inmate who allegedly “snitched” on him for sneaking food back to his cell. He was sent to serve time in solitary confinement and received an additional six-month sentence for his hostile act. On September 5, 1912, Stroud was transferred by train to the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. Robert Stroud had now become inmate L-17431. Leavenworth was known simply as the “Big Top” and was considered as one of America’s toughest prisons. The