A Vanishing Act: The Alcatraz Escape

Case summary

The night of June 11, 1962, Clarence Anglin, John Anglin, and Frank Morris escaped from the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco Bay, California. They slipped papier-mâché heads into their bedding, escaped from the main jail building and left the island on an inflatable raft. Allen West, the fourth conspirator, failed to escape and stayed on the island.

The FBI and local law enforcement followed hundreds of leads, however no convincing proof has ever been found to support the success or failure of the endeavour. In 1979, the FBI found that the three men died in the chilly waters of San Francisco Bay before reaching the mainland.

To this day the US Marshals Service case file remains active; Morris and the Anglin brothers are still on its wanted list.

Photo Credits: Britannica, Identiv, PBS

the inmates

Frank Morris

• Born in Washington, D.C. in 1926 Frank Morris, was orphaned at the age of 11. He spent the most of his youth in foster homes.

• He was convicted of his first criminal offence at the age of 13, and he spent the most of his early years in jail serving criminals lunch. He was eventually charged with grand larceny in Miami Beach, automobile theft, and armed robbery.

• He did time in Florida and Georgia, escaped the Louisiana State Penitentiary, and was apprehended a year later and sent to Alcatraz.

• Morris scored in the top 2% of the overall population for IQ.

John and Clarence Anglin

• John and Clarence Anglin were born into a 14-member family in Donalsonville, Georgia. Their parents relocated to Ruskin, Florida, in the early 1940s, where they worked on truck farms and tomato fields. They were bonded as children and were excellent swimmers.

• Clarence was 14 years old when he was arrested breaking into a gas station. In the early 1950s, the brothers began robbing banks and other enterprises together, focusing on closed companies to avoid injury. They claimed to have used a toy pistol during a bank theft.

• In 1958, they stole the Bank of Columbia in Columbia, Alabama. All got 35-year sentences and served time at Florida State Prison, Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, and Atlanta Penitentiary.

Allen West

• Allen West, born in 1929 in New York City, was arrested more than 20 times throughout his life.

• He was arrested for automobile theft in 1955 and transported to Alcatraz in 1957, where he became inmate AZ1335 following an escape attempt from Florida State Prison.

Citations

1. “Eugene Register-Guard.” Google News Archive Search, Google, news.google.com/newspapers?id=QvtVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3435%2C2039766. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.

2. “Federal Bureau of Prisons.” BOP, www.bop.gov/about/history/alcatraz.jsp. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.

3. “The Spokesman-Review.” Google News Archive Search, Google, news.google.com/newspapers?id=eqlWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6485%2C3950469. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Bhavya is a high school student in London that likes reading, baking, playing the guitar, skateboarding, playing tennis, and spending time with her dog! She joined Case File ZERO because she aspires to be a criminal justice lawyer, and is interested in learning more and informing others about famous cases.