Death Row: An Affirmation of Life

by Caryl Chessman (Editor/Compiler), Dovie C. Mathis (with)

Trial by ordeal, by C. Chessman.--
An evening with Clinton Duffy, by C. Duffy.--
Life's hidden season, by D.C. Mathis.--
The death of Sareta, by J. Hill.--
Three letters to Cathy in the desert, by J. Hill.--
Poems by T.L. Varnum.--
Reflections of a condemned man, by L. Smith.--
An interview with James Park, by J.W.L. Park.--
Death by degrees, by R. Massie.--
End and beginning, by R. Massie.--
A pre-post-humous conversation with myself, by E. Smith.--
Death Row chaplain, by B. Eshelman.--
Strange journey into the realm of the psychic, by D.A. Roberts.--
Influences on the human soul, by D.A. Roberts.--
Expansion and return, by J. Rainsberger.

The compiler of this book was in contact with several men on death row. He includes an excerpt from Chessman's Trial by Ordeal, and the reflections of prison officials including Clinton Duffy; Byron Eshelman, death row chaplain at San Quentin; and James Park, associate warden of San Quentin. As poets and essayists, the prisoners discuss their tense but dull lives as they await execution, and comment on the television programs that give them some hold on sanity, with death in their midst. Jack Rainsberger, aware that his efforts in court have failed, offers a meditative poem on his crime and plight. There is nothing shockingly new or exceptionally good in this collection, but it provides glimpses into the lives of people who, by virtue of society’s branding, arouse curiosity, contempt and sympathy

241 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1972

About the author

Caryl Whittier Chessman was a convicted robber, kidnapper and rapist who was sentenced to death for a series of crimes committed in January 1948 in the Los Angeles area. The "first modern American executed for a non-lethal kidnapping", Chessman was convicted under a loosely interpreted "Little Lindbergh law" – later repealed, but not retroactively – that defined kidnapping as a capital offense under certain circumstances. His case attracted worldwide attention, and helped propel the movement to abolish capital punishment in California.

While in prison, Chessman authored four books, including his memoirs Cell 2455, Death Row. The book was adapted for the screen in 1955 and stars William Campbell as Chessman.