Victor Folke Nelson
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'''Victor Folke Nelson''' (June 5, 1898 – December 9, 1939) was a Swedish-American writer,"Prison Ethics." ''The Tennessean''. March 6, 1933."Bound to be Read." ''The Evening Sentinel''. Carlisle, Pa. March 16, 1933."The Articulate Convict Studies Prison Life." ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. April 8, 1933."What Convicts Think of Psychiatrists Told By One Who's Lived Long in Cells" ''Kansas City Times''. June 10, 1933.Norman S. Hayner and Ellis Ash. "The Prison As a Community." ''American Sociological Review''. Vol. 5, No. 4 (Aug., 1940), pp. 577–583. prisoner, and prison reform advocate.Abraham Myerson, introduction to ''Prison Days and Nights'', by Victor F. Nelson (New York: Garden City Publishing Co., Inc., 1936) He spent many years incarcerated in both the New York and Massachusetts prison systems and came to the attention of neurologist [[Abraham Myerson]] and penologist [[Thomas Mott Osborne]] for his potential as a writer.Merrill, Anthony. "The Man Who Broke Charlestown". ''Boston Sunday Advertiser Green Magazine''. December 17, 1939."Movie Made Escaped Convict Go Back to Charleston Prison". ''The Boston Sunday Post''. December 17, 1939."[https://hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu/repositories/24/resources/3564 Thomas Mott Osborne and Paul Revere Frothingham letters to Victor Folke Nelson.]." Retrieved on January 30, 2022. In 1932, Nelson published his book ''Prison Days and Nights'' with the assistance of Dr. Myerson. |
'''Victor Folke Nelson''' (June 5, 1898 – December 9, 1939) was a Swedish-American writer,"Prison Ethics." ''The Tennessean''. March 6, 1933."Bound to be Read." ''The Evening Sentinel''. Carlisle, Pa. March 16, 1933."The Articulate Convict Studies Prison Life." ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. April 8, 1933."What Convicts Think of Psychiatrists Told By One Who's Lived Long in Cells" ''Kansas City Times''. June 10, 1933.Norman S. Hayner and Ellis Ash. "The Prison As a Community." ''American Sociological Review''. Vol. 5, No. 4 (Aug., 1940), pp. 577–583. prisoner, and prison reform advocate.Abraham Myerson, introduction to ''Prison Days and Nights'', by Victor F. Nelson (New York: Garden City Publishing Co., Inc., 1936) He spent many years incarcerated in both the New York and Massachusetts prison systems and came to the attention of [[Neurology|neurologist]] [[Abraham Myerson]] and penologist [[Thomas Mott Osborne]] for his potential as a writer.Merrill, Anthony. "The Man Who Broke Charlestown". ''Boston Sunday Advertiser Green Magazine''. December 17, 1939."Movie Made Escaped Convict Go Back to Charleston Prison". ''The Boston Sunday Post''. December 17, 1939."[https://hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu/repositories/24/resources/3564 Thomas Mott Osborne and Paul Revere Frothingham letters to Victor Folke Nelson.]." Retrieved on January 30, 2022. In 1932, Nelson published his book ''Prison Days and Nights'' with the assistance of Dr. Myerson. |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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[[File:Boston Herald September 12, 1921.png|thumb|Thomas Mott Osborne, Attorney Edward J. Ziegler, and Victor Folke Nelson 1921]] |
[[File:Boston Herald September 12, 1921.png|thumb|Thomas Mott Osborne, Attorney Edward J. Ziegler, and Victor Folke Nelson 1921]] |
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Victor Nelson's first charge of larceny occurred when he was 18 years old, but was discharged by a [[grand jury]] in New York City. He was incarcerated twice in the [[Portsmouth Naval Prison]]—punishment for his [[absence without leave]]—where he met and worked as an office clerk for then prison commander [[Thomas Mott Osborne]]."In a Prison Cell I Sat: Nelson Escaped Hotel Police Trap." ''The Boston Daily Record''. January 2, 1933. Nelson received a [[dishonorable discharge]] from the US Naval Reserve in 1920. He cycled in and out of various New York and Massachusetts prisons from 1920 to 1932, spending a total of 12 and a half years incarcerated,"Victor F. Nelson, Notorious Ex-Convict, Believed Poisoned". ''The Boston Herald''. December 10, 1939. primarily for robbery and larceny crimes. In May 1921, at age 22, Nelson made a sensational and highly publicized run and escape from [[Charlestown State Prison]] in Massachusetts."Victor F. Nelson Eludes Pursuers." ''Boston Evening Globe''. May 12, 1921. He spent some days planning his escape, even modifying a pair of prison-issued shoes, replacing the heavy soles with homemade [[felt]] soles to enable both speed and silent running."In a Prison Cell I Sat: Ex-Charlestown Convict Tells Own Story of Life Behind Bars." ''The Boston Daily Record''. December 26, 1932. He made his break from a line of 13 prisoners after attending evening school in the prison chapel."In a Prison Cell I Sat: Dash for Liberty." ''The Boston Daily Record''. December 27, 1932. Despite an attempted intervening tackle from a prisoner trusty and bullets from a guard's gun, Nelson ran some distance, leapt, caught the lower end of the window bars, and scaled the 40-foot high wall of the prison's Cherry Hill section. At the top of the wall, he performed "what was always believed an impossible stunt: throwing his body across a 10-foot space to the wall,""Back in Prison After Restful Sojourn Here". ''Daily Springfield Republican''. September 12, 1921. where he managed to catch hold of the false coping of a small building in the corner where the south wing joined the main wall. The top of the false coping was too wide for him to grip with his fingers, but he managed to catch it with the crooks of his arms, regain his balance, and then topple over the outer wall to drop 30 feet down to the [[Boston and Maine Railroad|Boston and Maine railroad]] tracks, where two brakemen who saw him made no effort to stop him. |
Victor Nelson's first charge of larceny occurred when he was 18 years old, but was discharged by a [[grand jury]] in [[New York City]]. He was incarcerated twice in the [[Portsmouth Naval Prison]]—punishment for his [[absence without leave]]—where he met and worked as an office clerk for then prison commander [[Thomas Mott Osborne]]."In a Prison Cell I Sat: Nelson Escaped Hotel Police Trap." ''The Boston Daily Record''. January 2, 1933. Nelson received a [[dishonorable discharge]] from the US Naval Reserve in 1920. He cycled in and out of various New York and Massachusetts prisons from 1920 to 1932, spending a total of 12 and a half years incarcerated,"Victor F. Nelson, Notorious Ex-Convict, Believed Poisoned". ''The Boston Herald''. December 10, 1939. primarily for robbery and larceny crimes. In May 1921, at age 22, Nelson made a sensational and highly publicized run and escape from [[Charlestown State Prison]] in Massachusetts."Victor F. Nelson Eludes Pursuers." ''Boston Evening Globe''. May 12, 1921. He spent some days planning his escape, even modifying a pair of prison-issued shoes, replacing the heavy soles with homemade [[felt]] soles to enable both speed and silent running."In a Prison Cell I Sat: Ex-Charlestown Convict Tells Own Story of Life Behind Bars." ''The Boston Daily Record''. December 26, 1932. He made his break from a line of 13 prisoners after attending evening school in the prison chapel."In a Prison Cell I Sat: Dash for Liberty." ''The Boston Daily Record''. December 27, 1932. Despite an attempted intervening tackle from a prisoner trusty and bullets from a guard's gun, Nelson ran some distance, leapt, caught the lower end of the window bars, and scaled the 40-foot high wall of the prison's Cherry Hill section. At the top of the wall, he performed "what was always believed an impossible stunt: throwing his body across a 10-foot space to the wall,""Back in Prison After Restful Sojourn Here". ''Daily Springfield Republican''. September 12, 1921. where he managed to catch hold of the false coping of a small building in the corner where the south wing joined the main wall. The top of the false coping was too wide for him to grip with his fingers, but he managed to catch it with the crooks of his arms, regain his balance, and then topple over the outer wall to drop 30 feet down to the [[Boston and Maine Railroad|Boston and Maine railroad]] tracks, where two brakemen who saw him made no effort to stop him. |
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Nelson’s friends gave him money for clothing and on the day of his escape Nelson joined a game of "scrub" baseball at [[Boston Common]] while authorities were searching for him."Osborne Brings Noted Escaped Convict Back to State Prison Here". ''The Boston Herald''. September 12, 1921. He remained in Boston for ten days, then traveled through Massachusetts, West Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania before heading to Ohio. While in Pennsylvania he took a job selling enlarged photographs—work that he was able to continue doing for his employer as a traveling salesmen when worries about being detected by law enforcement made him eager to leave [[Pittsburgh]]—and he briefly stayed in [[East Liverpool, Ohio]], due to interest in a local girl he had encountered on the train."In a Prison Cell I Sat: Blonde Lass Upsets Jail-Breaker’s Flight." ''The Boston Daily Record''. December 30, 1932. After just a short time in East Liverpool, Nelson was nearly apprehended by a team of Pennsylvania and Ohio detectives, but he managed to escape across the state line into West Virginia where none of the detectives had jurisdiction to make arrests."In a Prison Cell I Sat: Quest of Blonde Leads Nelson to Police Trap." ''The Boston Daily Record''. December 31, 1932. |
Nelson’s friends gave him money for clothing and on the day of his escape Nelson joined a game of "scrub" baseball at [[Boston Common]] while authorities were searching for him."Osborne Brings Noted Escaped Convict Back to State Prison Here". ''The Boston Herald''. September 12, 1921. He remained in Boston for ten days, then traveled through Massachusetts, West Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania before heading to Ohio. While in Pennsylvania he took a job selling enlarged photographs—work that he was able to continue doing for his employer as a traveling salesmen when worries about being detected by law enforcement made him eager to leave [[Pittsburgh]]—and he briefly stayed in [[East Liverpool, Ohio]], due to interest in a local girl he had encountered on the train."In a Prison Cell I Sat: Blonde Lass Upsets Jail-Breaker’s Flight." ''The Boston Daily Record''. December 30, 1932. After just a short time in East Liverpool, Nelson was nearly apprehended by a team of Pennsylvania and Ohio detectives, but he managed to escape across the state line into West Virginia where none of the detectives had jurisdiction to make arrests."In a Prison Cell I Sat: Quest of Blonde Leads Nelson to Police Trap." ''The Boston Daily Record''. December 31, 1932. |
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In 1936 Nelson suffered a broken neck in a car accident."Former Convict Declared Suicide". ''The Boston Herald''. December 11, 1939. After this injury, which caused him ongoing pain and discouragement, he struggled with depression and began drinking heavily."Think Nelson Took Own Life". ''The Boston Post''. December 11, 1939. His wife, Pearl, remained a consistent support to him, despite his growing challenges. However, in August 1936 he was jailed for 30 days on a charge of drunkenness after Pearl filed a domestic violence complaint."Prison Protégé Jailed." ''The Boston Record''. March 24, 1937."Nelson Lands in Jail Again." ''The Boston Post''. August 2, 1936. In March 1937 he was sentenced by Judge Elmer Briggs of the Boston Plymouth District Court to Bridgewater State Farm (where chronic alcoholics were often sent at the time, and which later became the [[Bridgewater State Hospital]]"[http://chc.library.umass.edu/state-archives/2017/04/18/industry-records-massachusetts-state-farm-bridgewater-mass/ Industry records: Massachusetts State Farm (Bridgewater, Mass.)]." Commonwealth Historical Collaborative. Retrieved February 19, 2022.) after assaulting an elderly neighbor while intoxicated. In August 1938 he appeared in [[Boston Municipal Court]] and pleaded not guilty to a charge of defrauding a hotel keeper and in November 1938 was arrested after getting into an automobile accident on [[Park Drive (parkway)|Park Drive]] and fined $50 by the Roxbury Court for “operating a vehicle under the influence.”"Greater Boston News Briefs and Personal Paragraphs: Roxbury." ''The Boston Globe''. November 22, 1938. |
In 1936 Nelson suffered a broken neck in a car accident."Former Convict Declared Suicide". ''The Boston Herald''. December 11, 1939. After this injury, which caused him ongoing pain and discouragement, he struggled with depression and began drinking heavily."Think Nelson Took Own Life". ''The Boston Post''. December 11, 1939. His wife, Pearl, remained a consistent support to him, despite his growing challenges. However, in August 1936 he was jailed for 30 days on a charge of drunkenness after Pearl filed a domestic violence complaint."Prison Protégé Jailed." ''The Boston Record''. March 24, 1937."Nelson Lands in Jail Again." ''The Boston Post''. August 2, 1936. In March 1937 he was sentenced by Judge Elmer Briggs of the Boston Plymouth District Court to Bridgewater State Farm (where chronic alcoholics were often sent at the time, and which later became the [[Bridgewater State Hospital]]"[http://chc.library.umass.edu/state-archives/2017/04/18/industry-records-massachusetts-state-farm-bridgewater-mass/ Industry records: Massachusetts State Farm (Bridgewater, Mass.)]." Commonwealth Historical Collaborative. Retrieved February 19, 2022.) after assaulting an elderly neighbor while intoxicated. In August 1938 he appeared in [[Boston Municipal Court]] and pleaded not guilty to a charge of defrauding a hotel keeper and in November 1938 was arrested after getting into an automobile accident on [[Park Drive (parkway)|Park Drive]] and fined $50 by the Roxbury Court for “operating a vehicle under the influence.”"Greater Boston News Briefs and Personal Paragraphs: Roxbury." ''The Boston Globe''. November 22, 1938. |
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On December 8, 1939, at the age of 41, Nelson phoned his wife after leaving home, telling her he intended to leave the state and that he was contemplating taking his own life. Nelson was found dead on December 9, 1939, in a room at the 66 Bowdoin St. boarding house in West End, [[Boston]]."Dr. Brickley Says Nelson Took Poison." ''The Boston Globe''. December 11, 1939. Police had received a call from an anonymous woman who informed them that they "would find a man ill in the room." Police learned that Nelson had rented a room at the boarding house and that shortly after two women had visited him there. Police found lipstick-covered cigarette butts in the room, as well as a mostly full bottle of liquor and some liquor glasses, and they sought the two unidentified women for questioning. A chemical analysis of the liquids in the liquor bottle and glasses was ordered, and a determination of "barbiturate poisoning, manner not known" was entered into the City of Boston Registry Certificate of Death for Nelson.City of Boston Registry, Certificate of Death record for Victor Folke Nelson, No. 10407, filed December 14, 1939. |
On December 8, 1939, at the age of 41, Nelson phoned his wife after leaving home, telling her he intended to leave the state and that he was contemplating taking his own life. Nelson was found dead on December 9, 1939, in a room at the 66 Bowdoin St. [[boarding house]] in West End, [[Boston]]."Dr. Brickley Says Nelson Took Poison." ''The Boston Globe''. December 11, 1939. Police had received a call from an anonymous woman who informed them that they "would find a man ill in the room." Police learned that Nelson had rented a room at the boarding house and that shortly after two women had visited him there. Police found lipstick-covered cigarette butts in the room, as well as a mostly full bottle of liquor and some liquor glasses, and they sought the two unidentified women for questioning. A chemical analysis of the liquids in the liquor bottle and glasses was ordered, and a determination of "barbiturate poisoning, manner not known" was entered into the City of Boston Registry Certificate of Death for Nelson.City of Boston Registry, Certificate of Death record for Victor Folke Nelson, No. 10407, filed December 14, 1939. |
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Medical examiner William J. Brickley reported that Nelson had told three different people on previous occasions that he intended to take his own life using drugs. Brickley deemed the cause of Nelson's death "self ingestion of poison." Further investigation by Boston police Captain William D. Donovan and Sergeant Joseph Maraghy revealed that prior to his death, Nelson had registered and left two suitcases filled with writings, personal papers, and clothing at a house on Derne St. in West End Boston. Nelson had been writing a book on alcoholism at the time of his death, which was to be called ''Mornings After''. |
Medical examiner William J. Brickley reported that Nelson had told three different people on previous occasions that he intended to take his own life using drugs. Brickley deemed the cause of Nelson's death "self ingestion of poison." Further investigation by Boston police Captain William D. Donovan and Sergeant Joseph Maraghy revealed that prior to his death, Nelson had registered and left two suitcases filled with writings, personal papers, and clothing at a house on Derne St. in West End Boston. Nelson had been writing a book on alcoholism at the time of his death, which was to be called ''Mornings After''. |
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