Page "Robert Stroud" Paragraph 5

Stroud assaulted a hospital orderly who had reported him to the prison administration for attempting to obtain morphine through threats and intimidation, and had also reportedly stabbed a fellow inmate who was involved in the attempt to smuggle the narcotics.

On September 5, 1912, Stroud was sentenced to an additional six months for the attacks and was transferred from McNeil Island to the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Then on March 26, 1916 after being there six months, Stroud was reprimanded by cafeteria guard, Andrew F. Turner, for a minor rule violation which would have annulled Stroud's visitation privilege to meet his younger brother, whom he had not seen in eight years.

Angry at Turner about this, he stabbed Turner to death in a furious rage.

Stroud's mug shot and information in the warden's notebookStroud was convicted of murder and sentenced to execution by hanging on May 2.

He was ordered to await his death sentence in solitary confinement.

The sentence was thrown out in December by the U. S. Supreme Court, because the jury had not said that it intended for Stroud to hang.

In a second trial held in May 1917, he was also convicted, but received a life sentence.

That sentence was also thrown out by the Supreme Court on constitutional grounds.

Stroud was tried a third time starting in May 1918, and on June 28 he was again sentenced to death by hanging.

The Supreme Court intervened again, but only to uphold the death sentence, which was scheduled to be carried out on April 23, 1920.