Red Shirt Gordon

Red Shirt Gordon was a criminal who escaped from Folsom Prison in California as leader of the "Big Break" in 1903. Gordon and twelve other prisoners overpowered guards, took hostages, and escaped from the prison, which at the time had no walls. Six fugitives were captured (one in 1910), and one was killed. Two of the men were executed and three received life sentences. Five escapees, including Gordon, were never recaptured.

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Name Gordon, Red Shirt
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Famous quotes containing the words red, shirt and/or gordon:

    “How red the rose that is the soldier’s wound,
    The wounds of many soldiers, the wounds of all
    The soldiers that have fallen, red in blood,
    The soldier of time grown deathless in great size.”
    —Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)

    “Did Johnny look flashy?
    Yes, his white-on-white shirt and tie were luminous.
    His trousers were creased like knives to the tops of his shoes
    And his yellow straw hat came down to his dark glasses.”
    —David Wagoner (b. 1926)

    “My great comfort is, that the temporary celebrity I have wrung from the world has been in the very teeth of all opinions and prejudices. I have flattered no ruling powers; I have never concealed a single thought that tempted me.”
    —George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)