The Alcatraz federal penitentiary records show Harold Montgomery, convict, is serving a twenty-five year sentence for assault and robbery of the United States mail; that he was received at Atlanta on April 25, 1936, and was removed Alcatraz where he was received on August 22, 1934 that his age is given as thirty-three years.
REFERRED UPON COMPLETION UPON TO UPON OFFICE OF ORIGIN
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Capone’s library report showed that he was a prolific reader and enjoyed a variety of subjects. Peter Fleming’s Brazilian Adventures was a favorite of Capone’s as he checked it out multiple times. Other titles listed on his 1935 library report include Life Begins at Forty (Pitkin), Sailing Alone Around the World (Slocum), How to Enjoy Music (Reyser), Rudiments of Music (Kitson), Fortnight in Naples (Maure), Practical Flower Gardening (Cloud) and the classic Looking Forward (F.D. Roosevelt).
March 6, 1935
Mr. Sanford Bates
Director
Bureau of Prisons
Washington, D.C.
Dear Mr. Bates:
Enclosed is a copy of a letter that Capone, Number 85-AZ, has written to his wife.
My reason for sending you a copy of that it refers to the death of his dear pal, Frank. The newspapers recently had a story about the death of one Frank Rio, Chicago. In the article referring to the funeral there was a statement that among the floral offering was a huge piece from Al Capone. If there was such a floral piece, it was arranged for by some other member of the Capone family.
If the money that Capone is going to have his wife pay to the widow merely represents charity, it is one thing, but if the deceased was one of a gang or mob, it may be looked at differently. In other words, I want to be careful that I do not allow Capone to transact any gang business from this institution but on the contrary want to do everything possible to disrupt such associations. Perhaps the division of Investigation will know something about the dead man and connections.
Sincerely yours,
J.A. Johnston
Warden
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Warden Johnston’s suspicions were well planted relating to the subsequent letter. “Slippery” Frank Rio was alleged to be one of Capone’s most loyal bodyguards, and also had served time with Capone in the cell adjacent to his at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia in 1929. Rio died on February 23, 1935, of a coronary occlusion.
A contemporary photograph of Capone’s uniquely furnished cell at Eastern State Penitentiary. Before his arrival at Alcatraz, Capone had managed to set the terms of his own privileges while incarcerated at other prisons.
A portrait of Al Capone, which was pencil sketched by a fellow inmate.
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Mae and Sonny Capone
March 3, 1935
Capone, Mrs.
To my dear Wife:
Hello Ma, how are you, and how is our dear Son? Sure hope and pray that you both are well, after all this sad news about my dear Pal Frank. Gee, Ma, I sure felt terrible about it, to think him above all, and just at a time when he was about to get somewheres, with his dear wife and two kids. God, honey, it was awful, and I sure felt awful about it, but honey, I guess it was the will of God, and all we can do is take care of his family and pray for him. So please tell Ralph that from now on and until I die I want him to arrange with the office at home to see that Blanch gets fifty dollars $50.00 every week, and fifty more for each of his children, and the money for the kids to be put in a trust fund and not to be touched until the kids are twenty one years of age. And honey, I want you at times to keep in touch with her, and do all you can, also ask Ralph how sure he is that it was heart trouble as Honey, you know Frank was at all times real healthy and strong and really I can’t understand it and for Ralph to find out and let me know. Honey, you also did right by leaving home, and doing what you did with Blanch and also about the flowers, now then honey, all I can say is I will always say a pray for him, as he sure was a real pal to me. Also, tell Ralph to do all he can, and what he thinks is best in regards to things in general at home. Also thank him for his lovely letters, also Val’s and glad they are well, and happy and hope they will be that way forever. Also, tell him I still have not heard from Ahearn, and to do all he can, and to find out about that time I did at the County Jail, if I am entitled to it as Mr. Ahearn says I was, if so them it will be time for me to go to a parole, in the meantime I won’t do a thing until I hear from Ralph or you about that time I did in the County Jail, also glad that you all still feel confident that my friends still feel the same, also glad that Papie and Dennie and the Old Man feel the way they do, did you or Ralph talk to Max Baer about him seeing his friend out here. I hope you did as he is sure the right man, and can do it without any trouble at all.
Now dearest, let us forget business and unpleasant happenings and let me tell you dear, that I love, and adore you more now than ever, and my love is increasing more and more each day and as I said before, when your dear dad gets lucky and comes home again into your wonderful arms it will be a new daddy, and yours alone, so please believe me dear, as I sure will prove it to you later.
I got all of you wonderful letters up until the 25th, and honey they sure were wonderful and some of them were pips, and I sure got a wonderful kick out of them, gee, honey, how I wish I could do all I would like to and then I know honey we would all be happy. Of yet, I have not heard about Mimi and Albert coming here. When they do let them get in touch with the Warden and do what you did, about Mother, I don’t want to see her until later, got two letters from Sonny glad he liked my letter, and glad he done so good at school. Also Bibo’s few lines, give him my love and tell him to keep up the good work and write me every week. Also glad the weather there is getting better, and that you get plenty of sun, and honey get out and play golf every day, also glad you are felling better, and hope you will get well soon, about you coming here for Easter, it is OK, and will be glad to see you honey get this magazine called The Reader’s Digest of February, it has a story the name is A Woman Over Forty, it is OK and it will show that we can sure have plenty of good times for a long time after 40 so see dear, don’t worry and all will be OK. Ha ha. Kiss Joanie and Sonnie for me. Love to Val, Ralph, Mimi, Abe, Rose, and Elsie, and Dear, I love you alone, and have forgotten all about the other party.
Love,
Alphonse Capone
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Department of Justice
United States Penitentiary
Alcatraz Island, California
March 25, 1935
Sanford Bates, Director
Bureau of Prisons, Washington DC
Dear Sir:
I have just received your letter of March 20, 1935 in enclosing a newspaper clipping about Al Capone having been placed in solitary for striking the prisoner. The incident, which occurred on February 20, 1935, was reported to you in my report of punishments for the month of February.
William Colyer
This is what happened: Alphonse Capone, #85-AZ, and William Colyer, #185-AZ, were working in the laundry on opposite sides of a mangle. Capone was feeding towels into the mangle; Colyer was taking them out on the other side. Colyer became angered because, according to his claims, Capone was not feeding the mangle properly, with results the towels for coming through partly wet, but Capone’s claim was that he was feeding them through correctly but faster than Colyer could handle them. At any rate, Colyer, receiving some towels on his side did not suit him, threw them back at Capone, whereupon Capone went around the mangle to Colyer’s side and punched him in the eye. Colyer sought to get a tool to resist Capone but Capone picked up a wooden bench and either struck Colyer in the wrist or Colyer, endeavoring to strike him, hit his wrist against the bench, at any rate the result was a sprained wrist.
It all happened very quickly and the guard on duty separated them and brought them both immediately to the deputy, who heard their stories and lock them both in solitary. Capone was in solitary from the time it occurred, on February 20, until February 28. Colyer was in so
litary from the occurrence on February 20 to February 26. After removal from solitary, they were both kept in isolation until March 2, 1935.
The story did not leak out until March 14 when the San Francisco Call-Bulletin, telephoned me and asked so many questions about it but I could tell from the character of the questions that they had a substantially accurate story, and that they were merely trying to get verification from me in order to justify the publication. I declined to confirm their information and declined to give them any particulars; nevertheless they went ahead and published the story. All the other newspapers in San Francisco and the several press associations called up repeatedly about the manner and finally when the Associated Press called a second time I decided the best course to pursue in order to get minimized and to keep the others from feeling that the call bulletin had some way of “scooping” them Westwood knowledge that the incident had happened but without giving them particulars. In other words I declined to give them the information but put in such a way as to let them know that it would not be denied if they published it. The Associated Press handled the matter so decently it seemed to me to be the best course to pursue.
I have no idea whether Call-Bulletin security information but from the fact that several weeks have elapsed I feel that no person connected with the institution told directly to them but the some chance remark just trickled along and filtered through several sources until it reached the paper.
From the numerous inquiries that are made about Capone and other “big shots” who had a lot of newspaper notoriety and the persistence of the papers in endeavoring to get their so-called human interest stories or any item to which they can attach one of the names, I am really surprised that they did not get it earlier. All of the newspaper men agree with me about the wisdom of our policy of not giving out information; nevertheless, they fall back on necessities of their calling in the highly competitive nature of their business to justify their reaching in, in effort to get leads and leaks.
They have resorted to every form of questioning and invention of stories about which they then ask questions concerning Capone, Mrs. Capone and Capone’s relatives, their connections, his tax suits, and whether he smokes cigars, and the state of his health, and where he is working, and if we know about the flowers that he sends to funerals, and is Mrs. Capone living in San Francisco, and so on, and so on.
As I’ve said before, each of the newspaper-men will personally agree that we have a good policy, but each intern will resort to various methods of trying to break in. Sometimes they get sore at us, but on the whole they have played quite fair.
Sincerely yours,
J. A. Johnston
Warden
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April 11, 1936
Sanford Bates, Director
Bureau of Prisons, Washington DC
CONFIDENTIAL
MEMORANDUM TO MR. BATES
Ralph Capone and Mr. Tedrow, a lawyer, came to my office yesterday by previous appointment to continue the discussion which I had last week with Mrs. Alphonse Capone concerning what they believe to be the imminent danger in which Al Capone stands at Alcatraz. I previously told Mrs. Capone that we could not consider transferring her husband but if she had any definite information concerning the names of the men who were threatening him we would give him every possible protection and Alcatraz and do it in a way that would not involve her.
In today’s discussion Ralph Capone stated that among the other prisoners at Alcatraz there were many of his brother sworn enemies with whom he had trouble on the outside and that particularly all of these men had life or extremely long sentences to do and in their own minds have little to lose. The fact that Capone has a relatively short sentence with only two and half years left increases their animosity in the family believes that Capone’s release date draws nearer his danger will be increased. I asked Capone for names and details and he told me the following items with the understanding that the fact that he had told them would be use with the utmost confidence and without involving any of the family.
He stated that among those were active against his brother Charles Berta, William Colyer, Basil Banghart, Phil Ryan, and James Sergeant. He stated that Berta had conceived a harebrained idea for escaping by dynamiting his way out of Alcatraz and had asked Capone to back it financially. Capone refused to have anything to do with it and thereby incurred the enmity of Berta and the other “rattle-heads” who were in on the scheme.
Charlie Berta
Basil Banghart
Phil Ryan
F. Lovell Bixby, Assistant Director of the Bureau of Prisons.
Ralph Capone says that Alphonse Capone’s quarrel with Colyer extends back into their pre-institutional careers and that the fight between Colyer and Capone in the laundry several months ago was not a spontaneous matter but the result of long continued threats and muttered insults to which Colyer had been subjecting Capone.
Ralph Capone states that he had trouble with Sergeant at McNeil Island while he was there. According to his story, Sergeant conceived a plan of escape and wanted to have Ralph Capone finance it. Ralph Capone refused and that led to bad feelings.
He states that the Touhy gang or any of their associates, mentioning Banghart and Ryan, particularly, would do almost anything to injure or kill Alphonse Capone. He says that they believe the Capone was responsible for their going to prison. Max Factor, Ralph says, was a close friend of Capone in Chicago and one factor son was kidnapped by the Touhy’s, Capone’s “friends persuaded them to give him back.” Later when the Touhy’s kidnapped Max Factor himself, they said to him, “Let’s see your friend Capone get you away from us.” When the Touhy’s were later brought to trial they asked Capone to get Factor not to testify but Capone would not interfere and therefore they believe that his refusal to interfere resulted in their going to prison.
I am convinced that the family is genuinely apprehensive for this safety and that their stories are not simply for the purpose of scaring us into a transfer. I do not think we should transfer him as he is probably safer there than he would be anywhere else in spite of the character of the population, because the institution is so closely guarded. I think, however, that the matter should be brought to Warden Johnston’s attention and it is probable that he should take special precautions to keep Capone away from the rest of the population, particularly those mentioned in this memorandum.
F. Lovell Bixby
Assistant Director
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May 18, 1936
Dear Ralph:
This is pertaining to your brother Al now in Alcatraz, Calif. Enclosed you will find the true statements in regards to the conditions that exist there at present. Upon arriving at the Island Al your brother was approached by the Touhy Bunch and others of his clicks to advance $5,000 to be used as an escape plan to hire a gun-boat and for people on the outside on threat of his life, which they have attempted time and time again for him refusing to advance same. A year or so ago this same bunch planted a table knife under his seat in dining room which would have caused him going to the hole and maybe lose his good time, which the Deputy Warden knew at the time that Al could not have done it; a party by the name of Whaley working in the kitchen at the time of the last strike, with the Touhy bunch tried and are trying their utmost to poison Al with food and contraband candy. Al in turn would not touch same it being that he was told what they were trying to do to him, at the present time until I left there last month.
Bob Sheridan
Walton “Sparky” Sparks
Bert McDonald
There are two other workers in the kitchen by the name of Sparky prison #200 and Bob Sheridan #199 which are pretending and making Al feel that they are his friend, waiting for an opportunity to knife or poison him. To be frank with you and you full realize the meaning and danger fir your brother AL is that he must by all means get out of there be sent to another prison. They have marked him for his life and it is only a matter of time you will hear the saddest news of your l
ife, knowing beyond a doubt that his life is at stake. Being that I was the orchestra leader and due out May 6th, 1936, a party by the name of Chas. Berta and McDonald #115 approached me and said unless Al gave me the O.K. to get them $,5000 for an escape plan and forward it to the following address:
Mrs. Myrtle Bloxham,
1717 – 4th St.,
South Bellingham, Washington,
and –
Mrs. G. Berta,
1298 Filmore St.,
San Francisco, Calif.
that they would get AL and that he would never leave there alive. I was to get in contact with the following people and have arrangements made for an escape with said money to be turned over to these people.
Thomas Cros, and ex-convict out of McNeil Isl. following locations to find the above for me to get or write to the Chaplin of the Christian Science Church at McNeil Island to receive the address of the mother on false pretense to be a friend and to get in personal contact with Thomas Cross, and for me to give him the outlay of the prison ground and also the secret signals which will be as follows:
A fast motor boat with a row boat behind to go around the island two days in succession after Berta had a visit from his wife which she in turn would set the date and time; I was to see lawyer of San Francisco by name of Nat Coughlin, he is in turn would get me in touch with Berta’s wife and for me to give her plans for escape and for me to write to a convict now in Leavenworth, Kansas, by name of Dooley Chas., who is due out soon and know all the plans, he in turn is a friend of Thos. Cross and also to the ones in Alcatraz Prison. Said prisoner received plans and information through a fellow that was transferred back to Leavenworth, Kansas, about six months ago by name of Mike. The previous day of my release from Alcatraz I was interviewed by the Deputy warden, called and brought before him in the show room in regards to these escape plans which he in turn happens to know all about it. He agrees with me that Al’s life is in danger and would like to see him transferred out of there.
Letters from Alcatraz Page 8