Thirteen Years In The Oregon Penitentiary

KELLEY, JOSEPH [BUNKO].

Publication: Privately printed for Joseph (Bunko) Kelley, 1908, Portland, Oregon

First edition. 8vo. Gray printed wrappers, 142 pp., frontispiece, preface, illustrated, plates, portraits. The author was sent to prison for a life sentence in 1895 for the crime of murder in the second degree. He was released in 1908. Shortly after regaining his freedom, he privately published this 142-page account of his incarceration describing his life in prison ... its brutal corporal punishment, especially the routine use of flogging; the poor medical care and neglect of sick and mentally ill prisoners; corruption, favoritism, and abuses of power by prison officials; the unsanitary living conditions and inadequate food; the psychological effects of long-term imprisonment; his encounters with notorious inmates, including outlaws such as Harry Tracy and Dave Merrill; etc. An important firsthand source on conditions in the Oregon State Penitentiary at the turn of the twentieth century. Six Guns 1218 says, "Scarce" and "Contains some material on Harry Tracy and Dave Merrill, with whom the author was in prison." Former owner's bookplate on verso of front cover else a near fine tight copy. A rare outlaw item.