Robert E. Burns

Robert E. Burns was an American World War I veteran known for escaping from a Georgia chain gang and publishing the memoir, "I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang!", exposing the cruelty and injustice of the chain gang system. His memoir and story was adapted into the similarly titled 1932 Oscar-nominated film "I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang", starring Paul Muni. Burns also saw combat as a medic while serving in the U.S. Army during WWI.