Alcatraz: A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years

by Michael Esslinger

  While serving his Federal term in Atlanta, Morris once more attempted to escape. On September 20, 1959 at 8:30 p.m., prison officer Paul Legg heard a loud crash and ran to see what had happened. He later would report that Morris had run toward him, attempting to conceal his identity, and had subsequently tried to sneak back into his cell without being noticed. Morris was reported, and was sentenced to punitive segregation in addition to forfeiting privileges. In 1960, Federal officials decided that Morris’s pattern of escape attempts, termed as “shotgun freedom” (although his escapes had never involved the use of a shotgun), would end at the Rock. On January 20, 1960, Morris disembarked from the prison launch and became inmate #AZ-1441. However, Frank’s long history of escape attempts would not end at Alcatraz – on the contrary, he was to go down in the annals of the island prison as one of its most daring escape artists ever.

  John and Clarence Anglin

  John W. Anglin. These mug shot photos illustrate the passage of approximately only two years, but his physical characteristics show significant changes. Note the handwritten entry on the Associate Warden’s Record from Leavenworth, stating that Anglin was not to be celled with his brother Clarence. At Alcatraz, they shared neighboring cells in B Block.

  Clarence Anglin

  Frank’s accomplices were equally well acquainted with life amid the dark world of organized crime. Brothers John and Clarence Anglin were also serving sentences at Alcatraz for bank robbery. They came from a large Florida family of fourteen children, and had been convicted along with their brother Alfred. On January 17, 1958, the brothers cased the Bank of Columbia in Alabama, and had made off with nearly $20,000 in cash. Five days later they were apprehended by FBI agents while hiding out in a small two-bedroom apartment in Hamilton, Ohio.

  All three brothers served sentences at the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, where they first became acquainted with Morris. On April 11, 1958, Clarence Anglin was sent to Leavenworth Penitentiary to be separated from his brothers, though John was soon transferred there as well. Then on October 8, 1960, John was caught assisting Clarence in an escape attempt at Leavenworth. John Anglin was working in the prison bakery, and the escape would involve cutting the top out of one breadbox and the bottom out of another, which provided ample room for Clarence to stand inside when they were stacked one on top of the other. After the breadboxes were stacked and Clarence was safely hidden within, John pushed them into the kitchen elevator – but a prison officer noticed that something was amiss, and halted the escape. Both brothers were subsequently transferred to Alcatraz. John was relocated on October 22, 1960, and Clarence followed on January 16, 1961, their transfer records stating the reason for the move as: “to ensure safer custody.”

  John Anglin, now inmate #AZ-1476, was assigned to cell #158 while Clarence, as inmate #AZ-1485, moved into #152. Warden Olin Blackwell had shown some leniency in allowing the brothers to reside in adjacent cells. This privilege also entitled them to sit together during meal periods. Meanwhile Frank Morris, who had been assigned to cell #138 on the same ground-level tier, was already considering the odds of making an escape from the island, and had begun his formative planning.

  Allen Clayton West

  Allen Clayton West would later claim (and it is believed by many historians) to have masterminded the escape.

  Convict Allen Clayton West, a native of New York, was also brought into the scheme – though he later claimed that he had been the one to design the plan that resulted in the successful escape. Some have strongly disputed his claim, since Morris had previously masterminded similar types of escapes, and pertinent reading materials on fabricating the apparatus used in the escape had been found in his cell. The style of this escape was also reminiscent of Morris’ earlier bank heists.

  West resided in cell #140 on the same tier as Morris and the Anglins, and regardless of who had actually masterminded the scheme, he proved to be the perfect accomplice. West carried a reputation as an arrogant criminal. He was serving out his second term at Alcatraz for a relatively unglamorous crime, interstate transportation of stolen vehicles. West also had a history of failed and aggressive escape attempts. In one such attempt at a Florida prison, West had held a gun to the Associate Warden’s head, demanded his car keys and then escaped in his car. West had become acquainted with John Anglin while serving time together at the State Penitentiary in Florida.

  The plan for the Alcatraz escape started to take shape in December of 1961. It was a complex strategy that involved the design and fabrication of ingenious lifelike dummies, water rafts, and life preservers, all made from over fifty rain coats acquired from other inmates (some donated and others stolen), and a variety of crudely fashioned tools. In later interviews with the FBI and Alcatraz Prison Officials, West indicated that he had masterminded the escape, and had brought Morris in last of all, after the Anglins. Although it is still unclear who actually conceived the scheme, West’s interview provides significant insight into the planning and details of the escape. It establishes that he was at least a key participant, and likely the most reliable source of a specific chronology for the planning sequence and the escape itself.

  In the FBI interview, West stated that he began pondering the idea of escaping from Alcatraz in May of 1961. It was apparently common knowledge among inmates that there were eight ventilator holes in the ceiling of C Block that had not been used for several years. The vent covers had allegedly been cemented closed, according to many of the inmates in the general prison population. West stated that during a routine painting assignment he noticed that one of the ventilators had not been cemented shut. He said that after covertly examining the vent opening, he determined that that it would be possible, with minimal labor, to make a successful escape onto the cellhouse roof. West also claimed that during one of his painting assignments he had noticed that there was a vent duct which ran down the side of the cellhouse. He stated that given these two factors, he felt that a well-planned escape could conceivably succeed.

  During a routine painting detail, inmate Allen West noticed that one of the roof ventilators had not been cemented shut. This marked the beginning of his collaboration with Morris and the Anglins on one of the greatest prison escapes ever recorded.

  At around this time plumbers were working in the utility corridor, and after they had completed their work, West was ordered to clean out the refuse from inside the narrow space. While cleaning smaller particles from the floor on his hands and knees, he noticed something wrapped in soiled paper and hidden beneath a cement support. When he opened the package, he found that it contained several old rusty saw blades and some makeshift metal files. He guessed that they had been hidden for ten to twenty years, based on their severely rusted condition.

  West said that sometime after making this discovery he reported his finding to John Anglin, who was apparently already aware of the possibility of escaping through one of the ventilation openings in the roof. The two engaged in a lengthy conversation about the odds of success, and various methods of breaking out of the prison and swimming to the mainland. After considering several other options, one of which involved cutting the cell bars, they determined that the best escape route would be through the six-by-nine-inch iron ventilation grills at the rear of their cells. West explained to Anglin that he had already studied civil engineering references that he had obtained through the prison library, which contained a formula to break down the composite structure of cement by heating it to a temperature of 500 to 900 degrees. He also confided to Anglin that at one point he had obtained element wires similar to those of a bread toaster, and had plugged the wires into the electrical outlet in his cell, but could not generate enough heat to affect the cement.

  West alleges that he brought Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris into the scheme in December of 1961. John Anglin had apparently gotten hold of a sharpened spoon, and had started digging around the ventilator grill inside his cell. He had already made significant progress in penetrating the cement. After several we
eks’ time, the three inmates were all able to procure more spoons, and they initiated a concerted digging schedule that began after the 5:30 p.m. count and continued until 9:30 p.m.

  A magazine subscription request by Frank Morris. The list included several technical magazines, including Popular Mechanics, from which Morris would extract useful information on crafting materials to aid in his escape plot.

  This March 1962 issue of Popular Mechanics was found in Morris’ cell, and it was believed to have helped provide him with examples and ideas for fabricating the life vests that were used in the escape.

  Because the Anglins shared adjacent cells and Morris and West were also neighbors, they alternated daily digging schedules while the cellmates opposite stayed on lookout. After nearly a full month of work the inmates had made considerable headway, digging over fifty small holes around the perimeter of the vent. The excess debris was flushed down the toilet or brushed back into the corridor. Once each hole was completed, they used a mixture of soap and toilet paper to fill it in, and touch-up paint to conceal the tiny cavities. They also fabricated fake grills out of cardboard, painstakingly matching the paint finish. The fake grills were amazingly convincing and difficult to detect.

  A crudely fashioned wrench made the inmates used to remove the bolt of the ventilator grill.

  Photographs showing drill holes around the cell vent grill. These photos show cells B-346 and B-134, the homes of Robert Williams and June Stephens. Both cells were found to have drill holes around the ventilation grills.

  Morris and John Anglin finished digging their holes first, and John assisted Clarence by digging from the back wall of his cell. West later told officials that he had decided to leave his grill intact, to avoid arousing the suspicion of anyone doing maintenance work in the corridor. In May of 1962, Clarence Anglin was the first to climb the maze of plumbing and make it to the cellblock ceiling. Using a screwdriver, he attempted to loosen the 18½-inch-diameter metal coupling that secured the ventilator, without success. West then learned that the prison’s vacuum cleaner was broken. He was permitted to attempt a repair, and while inspecting the machine, he found that it utilized two motors. He carefully removed one of them and managed to get the other working, to avoid raising suspicion. Morris was able to modify the smuggled motor into a motorized drill. They attempted to use it in drilling out the roof ventilator, but achieved only limited success. The motor proved too noisy and not very effective.

  Robert Williams

  June H. Stephens

  After some lobbying, Morris was able to secure a work detail that required him to paint the uppermost areas of the cellblock. He fashioned a clamp out of clasps he had taken from his bed and bolted together, and this tool provided ample leverage to loosen the sticking bolts. He left the ventilator in place to avoid detection. Meanwhile with John’s help, Clarence had created their first dummy head. It was crudely fashioned from soap packed over a bundle of white cotton rags, painted with flesh tones from an artist’s paint kit, and topped with human hair acquired from the barbershop. In his official statement West remarks that Clarence, in jest, had named the dummy head “Oink.”

  The inmates used clever decoys to fool the guards during the late night counts. The amazingly detailed and lifelike dummy heads that were tucked under the blankets were fashioned primarily from scrap bits and pieces. The materials used included soap chips, concrete, wire, plaster, glue, paint, and hair that had been smuggled from the prison barbershop.

  Thomas Kent (pictured) along with Darwin Coon were two of several inmates who helped to smuggle materials that were used in the escape.

  Concealed contraband materials that were used in the escape, and were later found in one of the inmates’ cells.

  Using glue stolen from the glove shop, the inmates then started to cut and bond the raincoats into a makeshift raft and life preservers. Each evening following the completion of their self-imposed work details, they would hide the materials on top of the cellblock to minimize any chance of being caught with the contraband goods. The inmates also acquired an elaborate array of forged tools. West was able to lift an electric hair clipper while working on a paint detail in the barbershop. He used the clipper, along with drill bits stolen from the Industries Building by another inmate, to fashion a makeshift motorized drill. The motor later proved too small, and the drill would require something more effective.

  After months of preparation, the inmates had fashioned all of the gear they needed to aid them in their escape, and they had meanwhile continued loosening the ventilator grill on top of the cellhouse. John carefully completed the valve assembly on a six-by-fourteen-foot raft constructed from raincoats. Morris modified an accordion-type musical instrument called a concertina, which would be used to inflate the raft. While the others progressed well in their activities, West fell behind in digging out the ventilator grill at the rear of his cell. His primary role had been to construct the life preservers and special wooden paddles for the raft, which didn’t require him to leave his cell.

  On the night of June 11, 1962, Morris indicated that the top ventilator was loose enough, and he felt that they were ready to make their attempt. At 9:30 p.m., immediately after lights-out, Morris brought down the dummies from the top of the cellblock and announced that the escape would take place that night. Clarence Anglin attempted to assist West with his grill from the utility corridor, but was unsuccessful. Applying great force and dealing hard kicks to the grill proved futile. In the end, Morris and the Anglins had no choice but to leave West behind. The inmates made their final thirty-foot climb up the plumbing to the cellhouse roof, traveled one hundred feet across the rooftop, and then carefully scaled down the fifty feet of piping to the ground. This would be the last anyone ever saw of Morris and the Anglin Brothers.

  By 1:45 a.m. West was finally able to complete the removal of his grill and climb to the rooftop, but by then all of his accomplices had disappeared. With no raft or other means to escape, he was forced to return to his cell. Some of the inmates would later report that they had heard an unusual disturbance among the seagulls during the late evening hours.

  A Photograph of Frank Morris’s cell taken on June 12, 1962. This view shows how the cell appeared as the officers conducted their counts on the night of the escape. After lights out at 9:30 p.m., the cellhouse was considerably darker, and the heavy blanketing likely made it difficult to discern the mannequin figures.

  The cellhouse utility corridor where inmates Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin emerged from the tunneled openings in the back of their cells, and ascended through the maze of plumbing to the top of the cellblock.

  On the morning of June 12, 1962 at 7:18 a.m., Correctional Officer Lawrence Bartlett discovered that Frank Morris was missing from his cell. After some verbal prodding, Bartlett had nudged what he thought was Morris’ head. When it shockingly rolled off the bed and onto the floor, he realized that it was only a decoy. Alcatraz immediately went into complete lock-down status with scores of officers deployed in search of the missing inmates. The FBI quickly arrived on Alcatraz, and using bloodhounds they successfully tracked the inmates’ path to the water’s edge.

  The rooftop ventilator through which the inmates made their final exit from the cellhouse.

  The inmates quietly trekked across the rooftops of the cellhouse and the hospital before making their descent down a pipe along the west wall of the prison.

  In one of the interviews he gave after the escape, Allen West described how their plan had been to use the raft to make their way to Angel Island. After resting, they would reenter the bay on the opposite side of the island and then swim through a waterway called Raccoon Straights and on into Marin. They would steal a car, burglarize a clothing store, and then venture off each in their own direction. West told a correctional officer that he had in fact been the mastermind of the escape. He was immediately taken to A Block under strict isolation precautions. FBI Agents and military personnel combed the bay waters in search
of potential leads. The FBI would find several significant pieces of evidence in the bay waters of San Francisco.

  The perimeter search map utilized by the prison officials and the FBI. Investigators plotted the presumed path of the escapees to the water’s edge.

  On June 14, 1962 one of the search boats found a small eight-by-ten-inch rubber packet floating in an active whirlpool about two or three feet below the water’s surface. The location of the find was approximately 2,700 yards off Angel Island, which is a little more than a mile north of Alcatraz. The container was made from the same olive drab material as the inmates’ raincoats, and held several personal items believed to have belonged to Clarence Anglin. Inside were seventy-nine photographs of family and friends, many with personal inscriptions to Clarence, and several other miscellaneous slips of paper with addresses and phone numbers.

  An officer examining the false grill sections behind Allen West’s cell.

  A frontal view of Clarence Anglin’s cell following the escape.