Convicted of the murder and robbery of an elderly man at the age of 18, he was sentenced to 15 years in Arkansas State Penitentiary, but unlike a standard prison, it involved farm labor.

In December 1934, Persful was convicted for kidnapping and robbery in Paragould, Arkansas and sentenced to 20 years, after which he was transferred to United States Penitentiary, Atlanta.

He was transferred to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary a year later but was recognized and continued to be tortured by his fellow inmates because of his past offenses.

He was eventually sent to McNeil Island Penitentiary, where he was again recognized and suffered much abuse from his fellow inmates, despite being heavily watched over by the prison staff.

After several months, he committed an armed robbery and was sentenced to 5 years in the penitentiary, but again resumed his former position, during which he killed one and permanently disabled three others who attempted to flee.

[2] In December 1934, Persful was convicted of the kidnapping of a nightwatchman in Paragould, Arkansas and robbing the Schug Brothers of some $1000 with his companion Riley Gunn.

The Atlanta prison officials eventually learned of the frequent abuse and violence facing Persful, and in December 1935 sent him to Alcatraz.

[3] Persful was involved in a brutal fight with Francis Keating, a former inmate of Atlanta who called him a "shotgun son of a bitch".

[2] Persful's mental instability grew while in Alcatraz, partially due to the strict silence enforced there by Warden Johnston; as a result some nine months later he took an axe and cut off four fingers from his left hand.

[2][3][5] However, the sequence of this incident is disputed, as it is also mentioned that Persful's fingers were cut off due to his hand getting jammed while closing the workshop door.

[7] In the months following the mutilation incident Persful's mental health continued to decline; he would frequently complain of there being an alligator living in his cell and he attempted to make nooses out of bed linen and towels to hang himself.

He was assessed by the prison psychiatrist to have Dementia praecox, hebephrenic type and in January 1938 he was sent to Springfield Medical Centre via Fort Leavenworth.