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Imperial Valley Press
El Centro, Imperial County, California
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Folsom Prison convict Judas Benjamin, silent for 17 years after killing an Alameda County policeman in 1917, died in his cell on Sunday, July 24 report.
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FOLSOM PRISON, Cal., July 24. (U.P.)-The silence which concealed the secret of Judas Benjamin, Folsom convict, for 17 years, continued until death, prison authorities said today as they prepared to bury the man who killed an Alameda county policeman in 1917.
Benjamin was never known to have spoken to a fellow prisoner or a guard during his 17 years in prison. He left his cell only four times.
"I'm afraid to leave my cell for fear something will happen to me." was the only explanation he would give Warden Court Smith.
He spent his time reading and writing, translating the bible from Hebrew into English, preparing scores of briefs, some of which went to the United States supreme court. He said he was an attorney.
Benjamin entered the penitentiary March 3, 1917, for the murder of a policeman who sought to arrest him for stealing a bottle of milk. He died in his cell Sunday.
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Domestic News Details
Primary Location
Folsom Prison, Cal.
Event Date
Died Sunday
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Outcome
died in his cell sunday
Event Details
Judas Benjamin, who entered Folsom Prison on March 3, 1917, for murdering an Alameda county policeman while stealing a bottle of milk, remained silent for 17 years, speaking only once to explain his fear of leaving his cell. He spent his time reading, writing, translating the Bible from Hebrew to English, and preparing legal briefs, claiming to be an attorney. He left his cell only four times and never spoke to fellow prisoners or guards.