By the age of thirteen, Stroud had become a desperately troubled youth and left home without a penny to his name. Young Bob set out for the small fishing town of Anacortes, Washington, begging for food and money. He would later claim it was here that he first started having sexual relations with prostitutes and venturing into the red light districts. Bob also learned to ride the romanticized train rails and lived by evening campfires with hobos and other runaways. At sixteen Bob finally returned home and offered fabulous stories of his adventurous escapades to his worshiping younger brother Marcus. At this time, Bob attempted to put his life back on track by working at a series of menial jobs. But despite his best intentions, this would prove to be a barren attempt.
In 1908, at eighteen years of age, Stroud drifted up to Juneau, Alaska, where he fell in love with saloon prostitute and cabaret dancer named Kitty O’Brien. Kitty was thirty-six, and she acted as a somewhat motherly figure to Stroud. One article derived from early Alaska oral histories described O’Brien as a “faded, wrinkled, blonde who was a wild-living drug addict, alcoholic and whore.” The Daily Record in January of 1909 wrote “Her face is badly marred with sores at the present.” She was known by locals for robbing drunks and disorderly conduct, but she had somehow developed a close bond with Stroud. The Record wrote, “They were both degenerates and criminally inclined.”
When Robert developed a severe case of pneumonia, Kitty took care of him and helped nurse him back to health, but dark clouds were on the horizon.
* * *
Charlie F. Dahmer, was a 33-year old bartender at the Montana Saloon, a popular tavern where Kitty hustled. It was rumored that Dahmer was an ex-boyfriend who was still in love with her. Whatever their relationship may have been, it was to play a decisive role in the events that followed. Notes from Stroud’s Alcatraz admission file would later state that “Kitty was addicted to the use of dope” and it was suggested that young Robert might also have been addicted.
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 Recordreported 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 move to Leavenworth also further complicated Stroud’s personal life. His family was still in Alaska which isolated him even more from any close personal contact. It is recorded that his mother would not make the trip to Kansas for nearly five years.
Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas.
Stroud’s first mug shot at Leavenworth, taken in 1912.
Despite his growing reputation as an inmate with a violent disposition, it was at Leavenworth that Stroud started to attend school. His initial foundation studies were primarily in Math and English, but later he undertook more intensive subjects such as astronomy and engineering. Self-study became a newfound outlet for Stroud’s energy. But along with his legitimate studies, Stroud also pursued courses in the art of survival, and he crafted weapons under the cover of night from items he obtained covertly. Over the next few years, Stroud would land himself in solitary confinement several times when guards discovered his crudely fashioned weapons and escape tools.
The next turning point in Stroud’s prison career began on Saturday, March 25, 1916, where Stroud has recounted that he attended a motion picture show in the prison auditorium. Following the film, he was escorted to the mess hall for supper. Stroud would later contend that he didn’t feel well and had lost his appetite. To maintain order, correctional officers strolled up and down the aisles, carefully monitoring the activities in the mess hall. A prison guard named Andrew F. Turner made repeated passes by Stroud’s table, allegedly delivering hard stares each time. Stroud apparently voiced his observation of the guard’s behavior to a fellow inmate, thus violating the strict rule of silence. Turner quickly walked over to Stroud and sharply demanded his prisoner number. Stroud had been put on notice.
Stroud’s second murder victim, Leavenworth Correctional Officer Andrew F. Turner. This wedding portrait was used during the murder trial.