The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-04-14
Stroud Appears Unconcerned
as Date of Execution
Approaches ,".
BY RUSS SiM'ONTON .
Al s A Staff C.nrresnondent

Fort LeavenWOrth, Kan, April a..
The sun OF spring afternoons projects
the sharp, black shadow OF the gal
lows arm from which he'll swing
across the checkerboard of Robert F.
Stroud, 80, "two-time killer in the
death house Of the federal peniten-
tiary here.
Still Stroud plays checkers.
He plays three games at one time
by mail---with women in Seattle, Fort
Worth and Washington. d. C.N s..
He can hear carpenters mauls COM
pleting the scaffold in the yard out.
side his window, where he must hang
for the murder of Robert Turner, pris-
on guard, unless President Wilson
heeds his mothers cry for mercy be-
fore April %, the execution date.
Before tStroud's cell door guard
with a revolver and a shotgun has
orders not to- let his eyes stray so
long as a single second from the con.
aemned man. At night a blazing cleo
trio arc light throws the <whitewashed
cell in liyid brilliancy. They take no
chances with Stroud. ~ t3
Seems Unconcerned
But this young man, the first con-
demned to legal hanging in this state
in so years, reads and writes, and
plays checkers, all ,lnmindfuf. appar.
emily, of the nearness of the hang
mans moose. u" -i .-.
LeCause o.rouu wi',t,'ru ',au
through a wall that builders said
dynamite alone could pierce and
s used no tool but table knife, he
is not permitted so much as a
steel pen now. He must write
with pencil. eat his food with his
,'noers from a wooden platter and
never know a moments freedom
from the eyes Of prison guards.
Stroud was born in Seattle. He
went to Alaska when he was ls in
1908. He had been in Juneau two
weeks when he shot an elderly man.
the rival for the affections, of wo-
man of 40 years
For that he was sentenced to serve
II years He began his term at the
Mcneil Island Penitentiary In Wash
ington.
ne stabbed a prisoner there within
the month of his arrival. Hhe lost
his good behavior time" and six
months were added to his term.
died-Then Killed Again
Stroud was transferred to Fort Lea
venworth in 1912, and for three years
was model prisoner. He became a
correspondence college student and
studied rhetoric, music and drawing.
Then Stroud killed his second mar.
There are two stories Of the killing.
One is that it was plain murder. The
other, Stroud's is this:
A brother whom he had not seen
for eight years came to visit him here
on Saturday afternoon. Prison rules
forbid visit then, and Marcus, the
brother, was told to come on Monday.
~ was excited at his coming
Stroud says, 80 excited that broke
a prison table regulation in the din
ing hall that evening. Turner took
my number, and l knew that when my
brother came on Monday ! would be
W INC 8uaTo"oooS' u"oS'S " o~S "''''
Didn't Mean To kiIi'
81 stopped Turner in corridor on
Sunday noon and asked him to excuse
the offense. He raised his club 10
strike me and I killed him with a
table knife in self defense. We had
all heard he was western bad man,
who had Dragged he could handle
prisoners. just lost myself in terror.
I did not mean to kill ,...
Stroud had three trials. Two were
mis-trials and the United States SD
preme Court upheld the verdict of
death passed at the last trial.
Stroud's mother, Mrs. Elizabeth
Stroud, has never relaxed her e.
forts to free her son since his
first conviction. She has made a
dozen trips from Alaska to Wash
ington and spent $4,000 money
she saved and borrowed accord
ina to Stroud's halfsister, Mamie
Stroud.
"Neyer Had Chance
The sister says: Bob wasn't bad
boy. He didn't have much of a
chance that's all. He always wanted
to be an electrician, but he never got
the training.
Mothers doing everything she can
to save him, but I'm afraid she cant
I'll continue to go over and see him