Science and the Bible by Bolton Davidheiser Chairman, Science Division Biola College TH E BIRDMAN OF ALCA TRAZ
R obert S troud , “ the birdman of Alcatraz,” is dead at the age of 73.* While in Leavenworth Peniten tiary he became famous for his re markable work on the diseases of birds, which he accomplished in his cell with makeshift equipment. Be cause of this work it was assumed by many that he had reformed, and there were numerous attempts to have him released from prison. A recent moving picture about his life, which distorted the facts, also aroused the public in his behalf. An article about him appeared in this column a few years ago (June 1959), but it differed from other arti cles in that it did not attempt to win sympathy for him. Since that time facts about his case which were not previously known to the public have been published, and they were read into the Congressional Record of July 25, 1962. Stroud was originally imprisoned for a murder which he committed in Alaska. A romantic setting has been given to the slaying, but in actuality there was none. He committed his second murder in the presence of 1200 other prison inmates, and wrote about it as follows: “ The guard took sick and died all of a sudden. He died of heart trouble. I guess you would call it a puncture of the heart. Anyhow there was a hole in it. I have never given any reason for doing it, so they won’t have much to work on, only that I killed him, and that won’t do much good, for I will admit that.” During the trials which followed he bragged about the murder, kicked and cursed, and threatened to kill another guard. He was sentenced to die, but was reprieved by President Woodrow Wilson. ' Next, before he could be restrained, he stabbed seven times a prisoner who refused to steal drugs for him from the prison hospital. He professed regret that he had not been permitted to complete this murder. At one time he said that at the age of 13 he had tried to kill his father in order to have complete emancipation from par
ental authority of any kind. He was charged with planning an organized mutiny at Leavenworth, which if carried out would have in volved killing officers and guards. When his cluttered living quarters were examined, a sharp knife was found concealed in his table, where it could have been drawn in an in stant. Also it was discovered that the smell of his caged birds had effec tively concealed the odor of a still he had built to produce alcohol from bird seed. He later boasted that he had been making 188 proof grain alcohol in his cell continuously for 12 years.. As a particularly difficult and dan gerous criminal he was transferred to Alcatraz. During most of his life in prison he seemed ,to specialize in antagonizing the authorities and breaking the rules. In spite of his vile nature and evil deeds William Straud had opportuni ties for parole, but they were never realized because he would not accept parole except on his own terms. It seems almost incomprehensible that a man of his intelligence would choose to spend his life in prison because of his unwillingness to accept the terms of parole. But it is even more incom prehensible that men who are guilty sinners in the sight of God refuse divine pardon and grace because they do not wish to accept the conditions which God has provided, demanding that they be allowed to dictate the conditions themselves. In God’s sight all are guilty, and the condition which He has established for life and free dom is that the guilty person realize that he is unable to save himself from condemnation and accept God’s gift of reconciliation through the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross. “ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).
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*He died November 21, 1?63.
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FEBRUARY, 1964
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