Imprisoned for murder at the age of 18, Robert Stroud (1890–1963) spent more than fifty-four years in jail (forty-seven in isolation), where he became a self-educated authority on birds and bird diseases and author of an important reference, Stroud’s Digest of the Diseases of Birds, published in 1942. A self-taught legal scholar as well, Stroud wrote an exhaustive history of the federal legal system. ALS in pencil signed “Love, Bob, Robert Stroud, #594,” one page both sides on a lightly lined 8 x 10.25 sheet of prison stationery, August 31, 1946. Stroud writes to his sister Mamie. In part: “The least week I have seen some of the coldest weather that we have had out here in four years, I have my feet wrapped in a blanket as I write this. I have not heard from Mark yet. I don’t know what the trouble can be. He was supposed to be here on the 25th, and he probably was for I received a publisher’s book list he sent on to me several days ago…. If you can keep them … the chickens are better … whether you kill them or eat them, and there is no point in selling them and buying other … that will not be as good. Yes, I can see a lot of the town and the lights often look nice at night. There are the man colored signs. I like this western country very much, but I don’t think I would care to live in Seattle again. I want to get where there is more sunshine. If some things I have in mind work out as well as I think they should, I am going to try to get myself a place over on the east side of the P— Range…. There will be plenty of scenery, alright, but that will be mostly rocks. The best thing will be that the sun will shine every day in the year and all night be cool enough to sleep. Of course I don’t know how things are going to work out. They look very good, but I’ve built my hopes up so many times and always had something go wrong. I don’t see how anything can this time, but I keep looking for ships. It seems as if this set up is made for me. There will be two trials over town next month and I have been asked to be a witness at each of them…. I think I told you that there was a good letter in American Canary for August. The Cuban bird breed[ers?] votes avariciously to support the campaign for my release….” Intersecting mailing folds, otherwise fine condition. R&R COA.
