Editing Robert Stroud (section)

==Early life and arrest==
Stroud was born in Seattle, the eldest child of Elizabeth Jane (née McCartney, 1860–1938) and Benjamin Franklin Stroud. His mother had two daughters from a previous marriage. His father was an abusive [[alcoholic]], and Stroud ran away from home at the age of 13.

At 18, in [[Cordova, Alaska]], Stroud met 36-year-old Kitty O'Brien, a [[prostitute]] and [[dance hall]] entertainer, for whom he [[pimped]] in [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]]. On January 18, 1909, barman F. K. "Charlie" von Dahmer allegedly failed to pay O'Brien for her services and beat her.{{Sfn|Odier|1982|p=210}}{{sfn|Campbell|1994|p=66}} Stroud confronted von Dahmer, and after a struggle shot him to death. Stroud surrendered himself.{{sfn|Campbell|1994|p=66}} According to police reports, he knocked von Dahmer unconscious and then shot him.

As Alaska was then a [[United States territory]], Stroud was prosecuted in the federal courts, where he was found guilty of [[manslaughter]] and sentenced to 12 years in [[McNeil Island Corrections Center|the federal penitentiary at McNeil Island, Washington]].<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/569568/Robert-Stroud|title=Robert Stroud|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|access-date=August 6, 2013}}</ref>