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~ ~ @ woes Wids Ui G0, a CARYL WHITTIER CHESSMAN, aka, Carl W. - Chessman, Carol Whittief/Chessman, Carol Wx Chessman, Cary} W.* Chessman, Caryl Whittier Chessman . t BACKGROUND OF CHESSMAN: |. y { AL \ . ‘Caryl Whittier Chessman was born May 27, 1921, at St. Joseph;-— Michigan, as Carol Chessman. He was the only child born to Whittier and" Hallie Chessman. He attended school in Los Angeles and completed the twelfth grade in high school. Prison recerds reflect that he is of the Baptist faith but has never attended church regularly. On 8-8-40, he married one Lucy Gaylord in Las Vegas, Nevada. , This marriage has now been dissolved. Chessman has never served in the military service,” * : F . = . Chessman has been confined to the death row in San Quentin Prison in -- California since 1948 awaiting a sentence of death for kidnaping - robbery. : During thig 12-year period, his fight to avoid execution has become known throughout the world and is currently serving as a focal point for those advocating : the abolishment of capital punishment. Chessman has studied law while in prison and has personally handled many of his appeals and other legal maneuvers. ° Chessman reputedly possesses high intelligence, and in one test given to him, he achieved an intelligence quotient of 172 and was rated a "genius," While confined to San Quentin, Chessman has written several books concerning his case. The manus¢ripts for these books were smuggled out of the oe prison in some cases by his attorneys. Perhaps the best known of his books is "Cell 2455 - Death Row" which was a "best seller," and it was -subsequently made into a movie. His other books are "Trial by Ordeal,"' "The Face of Justice" and ) "Obsession." The last named, acgording to "Time" magazine, ‘is a novel which was first published in Europe and is scleduled for publication in the United States next month CHESSMAN'S CRIME: ™ : In January, 1948, Los Angeles Police were baffled by a bandit described as “completely heartless" who, in a 20-day period, committed numerous . robberies and sex atrocities. , q During this crime spree, the criminal became known as the “Red Light - Bandit" because of his method of operation. Posing as a policeman with a flashing ‘ _ COPTES-BEStnovens - an BLOF sai—st992 « « pat