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Robert Simmons

Released
Gender:Male
Race:Black
Era:1910s
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Anti-War Conscientious Objection
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Biography

Robert Simmons was a conscientious objector imprisoned during World War I. Court-martialed for refusing military service, he was held at Alcatraz. (Documented in the Swarthmore College Peace Collection's World War I Conscientious Objectors database.) Archival note: originally from Savannah, Georgia; a religious C.O.; refused to work; beaten etc. by prison personnel; put in solitary confinement at least 3 times; African-American

Case

United States Disciplinary Barracks, Alcatraz
Charges: Disobeying orders; refusal of military service
Released: Feb 27, 1920
Sentence: Ten years at hard labor; dishonorable discharge
Convicted: Yes
Plead: Guilty — court-martial
Institution State: California