Editing Carl Panzram (section)

===Early crimes===

On June 1, 1915, Panzram burgled a house in Astoria, Oregon and was arrested soon after while attempting to sell some of the stolen items. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, to be served at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, where he arrived on June 24. On arrival, he became inmate number 7390 and was under the supervision of warden Harry Minto, who believed in harsh treatment of inmates, which included beatings and isolation among other disciplinary measures. Later, Panzram stated that he swore he "would never do that seven years and I defied the warden and all his officers to make me."

Panzram was disciplined several times while incarcerated, including 61 days in solitary confinement, before escaping on September 18, 1917. Earlier, he helped Otto Hooker escape from the prison, and Hooker killed Minto while evading capture. As a fugitive, Panzram was involved in two shootouts before being returned to the prison. On May 12, 1918, he sawed through the prison bars and escaped again. This time, he avoided capture and caught a freight train heading east. He changed his name to John O’Leary and shaved off his moustache. He would never return to the Northwest.