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Cell 2455, Death Row
''Cell 2455, Death Row: A Condemned Man's Own Story'' is a 1954 memoir and the first of four books written on death row by convicted robbery, robber, rape, rapist and kidnapping, kidnapper Caryl Chessman (27 May 1921 – 2 May 1960). Sentenced to death in 1948 under California's Federal Kidnapping Act, Little Lindbergh Law, Chessman became internationally famous for waging a legal battle to stay alive and fight his conviction and death sentence through voluminous appeals. Chessman became a ''cause célèbre'' for the movement to ban capital punishment. Before he was executed in 1960, he was the at the longest-lived death row inmate in modern history. Publishing history Chessman began writing his memoir after San Quentin Prison Warden Harley Teets told him he should do something with his life. Chessman wrote his autobiography, detailing his life in crime, with Teets's encouragement. The book was sold by literary agent Joseph Longstreth, who publicized the book, championing the con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caryl Chessman
Caryl Whittier Chessman (May 27, 1921 – May 2, 1960) was a convicted robber, kidnapper, serial rapist, and writer who was sentenced to death for a series of crimes committed in January 1948 in the Los Angeles area. Chessman was charged with 17 counts and convicted under a loosely interpreted "Little Lindbergh law" – later repealed, but not retroactively – that defined kidnapping as a capital offense under certain circumstances. His case attracted worldwide attention, and helped propel the movement to end the use of capital punishment in the state of California. While in prison, Chessman filed numerous legal actions of dubious merit that led to him being considered vexatious. One judge wrote in 1957: " hessman isplaying a game with the courts, stalling for time while the facts of the case grow cold." Chessman wrote four books, including his 1954 memoir '' Cell 2455, Death Row''. The book was adapted for the screen in 1955 and stars William Campbell as a character modelle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |