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Billy Mccune was given the death penalty for a rape conviction. The coverage of his trial in the local media disturbed him so much that he used a smuggled razor blade to mutilate himself in his cell late one night. In his autobiography, Mccune describes what went through his mind that night:

"I found myself studying the blade one night as I sat there on my cot alone. I had been reading the news of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and their version of what I was. Also the religious burden of death weighed heavy on me"

In the foreword, Danny Lyon describes what happened next as McCune, "cut his penis off to the root and, placing it in a cup, passed it between the bars to the guard." Lyon also asked Mccune about this act, which won McCune a level of infamy around the Texas prisons, during one of their tape recorded conversations, excerpted here:

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		intro
		transcript

		Billy's Prison Artwork
		My Last Mile, song and lyrics by Billy McCune
		Audio extras
		Billy's mug shot and report
		From the introduction to The Autobiography of Billy McCune
		Bleakbeauty The website of photographer Danny Lyon
		Portrait of the Art World: The National Portrait Gallery's exhibit featuring Billy McCune.
		Like a Thief's Dream A preview of Danny Lyon's new book, due in the fall of 2007.

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