Alright, my fellow people, we all know the history surrounding Alcatraz and how it has been deemed as impossible to escape from due to being planted on an island in a body of FREEZING water. In a previous article, I discussed how Alcatraz became the ultimate place for criminal masterminds to be transferred and do some time in. And boy, did these fellow inmates sure live up to the criminal mastermind because three of them were able to escape.
But, the question still remains today, did they survive?
The boys', Ryan and Shane, of BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime just did an episode surrounding this escape attempt and BOY did it have me HOOKED. After watching it, I did what I do best, research some more on it because anything that surrounds Alcatraz is interesting to me. It's on my bucket list to visit and tour one day because it's insane how Alcatraz is built and was ran.
On the morning of June 12th, 1962 it was discovered in an early morning bed check that not one, but THREE inmates were able to do the impossible- escape Alcatraz Prison. John And Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris had escape successfully overnight. Allen West who was also supposed to escape did not due to not being able to get past a certain part in his cell wall. But, West was apart of the creative escape plan- just not able to execute the escape.
The group used dummy heads made of plaster heads and painted flesh-tone with real human hair that somehow fooled the night guards. One of the men was granted to work as a barber and cut other inmates hair. How diabolical yet genius is that? Honestly, I find it insane how real it must have looked to the guards on the night shift.
The group actually began the plan in November-December of 1961 when one of them came across an old saw blade.
They used tools built by themselves such as a homemade drill from the motor of a broken vacuum cleaner. They were able to use it to loosen the air vents at the back of their cells around it so the entire wall could be removed. They would hide the holes with their instruments and when taking turns drilling, the others would play to cover the sound.
West, was not able to make it through the wall and was consequently left behind. Once the other three made it behind the cells they went to their secret workshop and took turns keeping watch while getting their belongings together. The used more than 50 raincoats to build a rubber raft and life preservers that they stitched together with the hot steam pipes.
How does one even think of things like this? Absolute genius, you can't deny it.
They built wooden paddles and used a music instrument to inflate the raft. They escaped through a ventilator at the top of the ceiling by climbing up the pipes. Once outside of the prison, they got to the shoreline and was on their merry way, but what happens on the water remains a mystery.
So, did they survive or die in their escape?
Some have deemed that they DID NOT survive due to the choppiness of the water and the frigid temperature of the water during the night. At most, they would have been able to survive to at least two hours in the water before hypothermia would set in, slowly killing them. But, many believe they were able to survive and might still be alive today or at least made it to the early 2000s.
Relatives of the Anglin brothers believed they survived due to Christmas cards being delivered to their mom three years AFTER the escape. And it had no postage. Other relatives came forward with a picture of the two brothers from the 1970s.
And more recently, such as the beginning of this very year, a letter surfaced that is supposedly from the Anglin brothers themselves. John Anglin supposedly wrote the letter stating they made it that night- barely. According to the letter, Frank died in 2008 and Clarence died in 2011. The letter has been investigated for DNA and fingerprints but came up inconclusive.
So, did they escape that fateful night of the summer in 1962? Or did they meet their fate in the frigid water?
Whether they made it or not, there is no denying that these group of inmates were able to live up to the criminal mastermind stigma surrounding the prisoners at Alcatraz.
