Robert Franklin Stroud (January 28, 1890 – November 21, 1963), known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz", was a Federal American prisoner who reared and sold birds and became an expert on the species. Despite his nickname, he actually only kept birds at Leavenworth jail, prior to being transferred to Alcatraz where he was not allowed to keep pets.
Robert Stroud was born in Seattle, Washington to Elizabeth and Benjamin Stroud who were of German or Hungar...
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Robert Franklin Stroud (January 28, 1890 – November 21, 1963), known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz", was a Federal American prisoner who reared and sold birds and became an expert on the species. Despite his nickname, he actually only kept birds at Leavenworth jail, prior to being transferred to Alcatraz where he was not allowed to keep pets.
Robert Stroud was born in Seattle, Washington to Elizabeth and Benjamin Stroud who were of German or Hungarian descent. He was the couple's first child, although Elizabeth had two daughters from a previous marriage. In 1903, Robert ran away from home at age 13. By 1908, he was in the frontier town of Cordova, Alaska. There, he met and began a relationship with 36-year old Kitty O'Brien, a dance hall entertainer and prostitute. In November, they moved to Juneau. O'Brien nursed him back to health from pneumonia, and helped him financially to recover by renting a popcorn machine.
According to Stroud, on January 18, 1909, while he was away at work, an...
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