February 2013 Auction Ends Thursday, February 28th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/28/2013
Robert Stroud typed letter signed as a prison inmate and ornithologist. The infamous Birdman of Alcatraz writes from the United States Penitentiary Leavenworth, dating his letter 18 September 1931, and making several hand-corrections to it. He writes to Fred E. Daw of Oak Park, Illinois, addressing him as ''Dear Friend''. Signed ''Robert Stroud'' in pencil, letter reads in part, ''...birds with cinnamon blood throw evenly marked birds more often...breed two of them together and then line breed for four generations...only one bird in 20 would be perfectly marked, but...if one has the patience...it only means you may have to raise a million birds before one hits that way...That is the law of probability...You can predict with certainty such thing [sic] as muders [sic] suecides [sic] and moter [sic] acidents [sic] in any given group of people with...mathematics and still know nothing of what will make the individual incidents happen...'' Runs 2pp. on two sheets, measuring 8.5'' x 11''. Corrections have been made in Stroud's hand, with lines of blue colored pencil added to the left margin of the second page by an unknown hand. Toning, creasing and chipping to left and right edges. Very good. With PSA/DNA COA.
'Birdman of Alcatraz'' Robert Stroud Letter Signed From Prison -- Discussing Bird Breeding & Crime -- ''...That is the law of probability...You can predict with certainty such thing as muders...''
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