William Jennings Bryan Burke, at right, escaped from Folsom Prison in 1929 by hiding in a coffin. He was recaptured several states away and returned to prison.

Prisoners in the early days wore striped suits to make them more identifiable should they escape.

While in Folsom Prison, Billy Burke created his famous toothpick carnival. A section of it is currently on display at the Folsom Prison Museum which is open to the public.

* 30th Anniversary Ebook Edition

This is a true story of my 23 years in Folsom Prison. These were years of fear, hate and frustration with men who had no hope of freedom. I knew only one thing:
I had to escape! -- Billy Burke
 

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PROLOGUE: I first met Billy Burke in 1975 while I was on an assignment for The Sacramento Bee newspaper. I wrote a feature story on his toothpick circus, all the while feeling the story of his life as a convict needed to be told in hopes of helping young people who might otherwise follow in his footsteps. The simple words and language are Billy's, spoken from experience and from the heart, with very little editing on my part. The first edition in 1979 was in paperback format. This second edition prepared in 2009 is presented in Ebook form -- Nan Nichols

>>>Buy now at Amazon.com for the Kindle version, or Barnes & Noble for the Nook version.

The old dining room at Folsom Prison shows prisoners sitting on one side only at long tables.

Billy, as a free man in later years, was photogrpahed with prison permission, revisiting a cell which was similar to his own during his 23 years at Folsom Prison.