Overview

On July 27, 1903, spurred into action by inmate Richard 'Red' Gordon, thirteen men attacked their jailers and made a run for freedom.Folsom Prison had only been open for 20 years and was already one of the toughest and most brutal prisons in the country. It had one major flaw--no walls. A statewide manhunt ensued, following a deadly trail of attacks, kidnappings, and murder. Among the escapees were Joseph Theron and Frank Case, both sentenced to life in prison for robbery, and Joseph Murphy, burglar and poet. Sightings were reported from San Franciso to Reno and in the end, five of the prisoners were never found.Join author Josh Morgan as he recounts the violence and heroism of Folsom Prison's biggest breakout.

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9781467155939

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Reviews

On the Run in the Land of Gold On July 27th, 1903, thirteen convicts at California's Folsom Prison, led by Richard ""Red"" Gordon, attacked prison guards, took hostages, emptied the armory and made a dash for freedom. Some would be captured and punished for the murders they committed along the way, some would be killed themselves, and others would forever elude authorities. My guest is Josh Morgan, author of ""The Folsom Prison Bloody 13: The Big Escape of 1903"". He joins me to share details of this epic escape and it's aftermath. The book is officially out on June 3rd. Erik Rivenes, Most Notorious Podcast ""Morgan's book has a cinematic quality. Not only is the pace swift and clear, but there's also an epilogue in which the fates of at-large prisoners is presented, not unlike the the epilogues in modern docudramas that let us know which of the characters got a comeuppance --and which skipped away into oblivion and legend."" Ed Goldman, Comstock Magazine

Author Information

Josh Morgan lives in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California with his wife and two daughters. You'll often find him running trails through the gold country and exploring Northern California, where his family has lived since the 1860s. Josh earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of the Pacific and works at Sierra College.

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