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Willie Nelson sings about riding in the wide-open spaces with lyrics titled “Don’t Fence Me In”.
“Don’t Fence Me In” was the ballad of Texas inmate Dennis Wayne Hope.
Hope bragged that there wasn’t a prison in the state of Texas that could hold him.
The convicted armed robber went as far as to imitate the prisoner played by Paul Newman in Hollywood’s Cool Hank Luke.
Hope purchased a Jaguar for his girlfriend with money stolen during robberies in Dallas, Texas.
While on the run, Hope sent imprisoned convicts letters about life on the outside.
Hope impersonated armored car guards with fake ID cards and uniforms. He picked up tens of thousands of dollars in cash deposits.
During one getaway Hope calmly strolled past a police officer parked in a patrol car at the entrance to the grocery store he had just robbed.
During a television interview with investigative reporter Robert Riggs, Hope demonstrated how he could use the plastic refill of a ballpoint pen to unlock handcuffs.
This episode called “Don’t Fence Me In” chronicles Hope’s prison escapes and the fugitive hunters who get on this trail.
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