The Famous Escape from Alcatraz
There were many failed attempts at escape from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary but only one escape proved to be successful. Three men, Frank Morris and two brothers, John and Clarence Anglin teamed up in order to escape from the prison and make it, hopefully, to San Francisco and to freedom. There was a fourth man named Allen West who was also apart of the scheme but did not escape with the other men because he was too scared of getting caught. He was on his second term at Alcatraz and did not want to stay any longer.
|
Their Plan
|
It took months for the escape plan to design and carry out. The "leader" of the operation, Frank Morris, had a genius IQ and was in Alcatraz for various escapes form other prisons. The men fashioned crude tools that helped them dig out of the cells. Morris and West had adjacent cells, as did the Anglin brothers. The partnerships were lookouts so the other could dig his tool and vice versa. Once the holes were craved from the walls, the men planned to go through the pipes, up to the roof, down to the beach and float on homemade rafts to freedom. But to be able to be gone from their cells without the noticing of the night guards, the group needed it to look like they were still peacefully sleeping instead of escaping down to the beach. So they fashioned dummy heads that they placed in their beds to make it look like they were still there. The heads were constructed from a homemade cement-powder mixture that included materials as soap and toilet paper. They were decorated with flesh-tone paint from prison art kits, and human hair from the barbershop. They made the rafts from the prisoners rain coats. Many of these coats were donated but there were quite a few stolen as well. They also made life preservers from the coast as well. All the tools were crudely made but got the job done.
|
What Happened
|
No one really knows what happened to the three escapees. They did make out of the prison but it questionable if they made it to freedom. There are many theories around what happened to the group but there is no clear answer. Some think they made it to an island or San Francisco and started a new life. Others believe their rafts were not up to par and the men drowned in the Pacific or were eaten by sharks. There is some evidence supporting both theories but to this day it is unknown what happened to Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers. However, one thing is for sure they were the only ones to escape from Alcatraz.
|