The movie Je suis un évadé (1932) was based on Burns' escape from a Georgia chain gang after his conviction for a $5 robbery. Burns was an unemployed Word War One vet from Brooklyn, New York living in a local flophouse when he and a friend decided to rob a grocery store. After his escape he made his way to Chicago where he became a successful $20,000 a-year magazine editor. Ten years later a vengeful wife turned him in to the police after learning of an affair. Burns was returned to Georgia to finish out his 6 to 10 year sentence but managed to escape once again the following year. This time he found refuge in New York City where he wrote "I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang" (1931).He later settled in New Jersey where popular public opinion helped three successive governors refuse to extradite him to Georgia. In 1945 Burns voluntarily returned to Georgia to appear before the state pardon and parole board. While the board refused to grant Burns a full pardon, they did expunge his prison sentence and restore his civil rights.Burns went on to head a tax investigation service in New Jersey and a prominent leader in civic affairs. He died after a long illness on 5 June, 1955, at Veterans Hospital in East Orange, NJ.