29 Facts About Rufe Persful

Rufe Persful was an American criminal, convicted of murder, kidnapping and robbery.

Rufe Persful was considered one of the most dangerous criminals of his era by the authorities.

Rufe Persful was given the task of shooting fellow inmates with a shotgun if they attempted to escape.

Rufe Persful killed and disabled many prisoners during his time at the Arkansas Penitentiary, punctuated by periods of parole as a reward for his prison protection, and then re-offending and being sent back to resume his role.

In December 1934, Persful was convicted for kidnapping and robbery in Paragould, Arkansas and sentenced to 20 years, after which he was transferred to United States Penitentiary, Atlanta.

Rufe Persful was transferred to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary a year later but was recognized and continued to be tortured by his fellow inmates because of his past offenses.

In 1937, Rufe Persful attempted to cut off his hands in sheer desperation of his experiences at Alcatraz and was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Rufe Persful was eventually sent to McNeil Island Penitentiary, where he was again recognized and suffered much abuse from his fellow inmates, despite being heavily watched over by the prison staff.

Rufe Persful was released in April 1948 and moved in with a relative in Gary, Indiana, never to be convicted of a crime again.

At the age of 18, Rufe Persful was convicted of the murder and robbery of an elderly man.

Rufe Persful was sentenced to 15 years of farm labor in one of the Arkansas Department of Correction's prisons.

Rufe Persful was given the duty of "high power", shooting fellow inmates in the belly button if they attempted to flee from the fields.

Rufe Persful was sent to United States Penitentiary, Atlanta to serve twenty years.

Rufe Persful began being severely beaten and bullied by his fellow inmates.

Rufe Persful was involved in a brutal fight with Francis Keating, a former inmate of Atlanta who called him a "shotgun son of a bitch".

Rufe Persful became one of the most guarded inmates in Alcatraz.

Nonetheless, Rufe Persful continued to be heavily abused and in fear of his life.

The guard and another inmate took away the hatchet from Rufe Persful and put a tourniquet on his wrist to stop the bleeding.

Rufe Persful was said to have grinned maniacally as he chopped his four fingers off.

Rufe Persful was taken to the prison hospital, where he had to be forcibly restrained as the staff treated him.

However, the sequence of this incident is disputed, as it is mentioned that Rufe Persful's fingers were cut off due to his hand getting jammed while closing the workshop door.

Rufe Persful was assessed by the prison psychiatrist to have Dementia praecox, hebephrenic type and in January 1938 he was sent to Springfield Medical Centre via Fort Leavenworth.

Rufe Persful was known as a "wanton killer" for his murder of six men, his wife and child.

Rufe Persful was then transferred to McNeil Island, where he was booed in the dining hall.

Rufe Persful's job was to clean cells after the inmates had vacated them, to avoid confrontation.

In November 1941, Rufe Persful requested a transfer back to Alcatraz.

Rufe Persful specifically requested confinement in D-Block, but this was declined due to his mental instability.

Rufe Persful was beaten 18 months later when a fellow prisoner was given access to his cell during his cleaning duties.

Rufe Persful requested to be permanently locked inside his cell for the rest of the duration of his sentence.