Case 67: The Battle of Alcatraz

DESCRIPTION
Alcatraz Prison was the solution to America’s overwhelming crime problem. It didn’t aim to rehabilitate like other prisons. It aimed to punish.
The worst-of-the-worst inmates of all the other prisons across America were shipped to Alcatraz, inmates who were deemed unmanageable for traditional penitentiaries.
CREDITS
Narration - Anonymous Host
Research and writing - Milly Raso
Production, scoring - Mike Migas
Additional scoring - Andrew Joslyn
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[@derekneach7975]

I love how I can binge all of the episodes right here on KZbin

[@zhouse2472]

I've been slowly listening to your cases for over a year....I put off some of these w/events I've "known" about....but am now down to finally listening to them. Like the one on Jonestown...SO impressed w/the details of which I didn't know that told the 'story' all over again in a way that makes me research the event all over again. Your story-telling ability is the best. You've come a long way from the very first videos....I even re-listen to some stories. I'm always shocked you don't have tons of 'likes'....Remind them!

[@twelvesmylimit]

My second time of listening to this. Amazing work, as always, Casefile team!

[@zero_bs_tolerance8646]

So cold-blooded. I felt so bad for those guards. Thank you for this excellent upload.

[@INDLIS]

There was also the incident that scared Associate Warden EJ Miller. What happened was, Miller (armed with a gas billy) decided to investigate and he was going down the main cell house he spots Coy (dressed in a guard’s uniform) who then opened fired with a rifle and in the confusion, the gas billy blew up in Miller’s face and had to discard it. Following the events after the failed escape of 1946, prison officials secured the gun gallery with cyclone fence wire which made it even stronger There were 2 minor escape attempts after the failed escape of 1946. On July 23, 1956 bank robber and murderer Floyd Wilson disappears from the dock and began gathering driftwood in attempt to make a raft Unfortunately the alarm went off and he spent the next 12 hours hiding among large rocks before giving up. Then 2 years later on September 29, 1958 marked the last violent escape attempt. Post office robber Aaron Burgett and bank robber Clyde Johnson overpowered and tied up a guard while working outdoors on garage detail. Both men made it to water but Johnson was recaptured within an hour but Burgett wasn’t until 13 days later (with his body floating ashore) Prior to his death, Burgett tied up wood scraps to his feet to make fins, plastic bags tied to his belt (as water wings) and rocks in his pockets which caused him to sink like a stone.

[@malovela]

Rocks in his pockets???

[@andrespleins4560]

Love this podcast, thanks for the info!

[@jordanstinson5791]

This podcast mentioned the escape attempts from Alcatraz, the first attempt occurred on the 27th April 1936 when armed robber; Joseph Bowers was caught scaling the fence in attempt to reach the shore. During the attempt, he was shot by a guard in the West Road Tower and fell 15 metres to his death. The escape attempt where a guard was killed with an claw hammer occurred on the 23rd May 1938 when armed robbers; Rufus Franklin, Thomas Limerick and James Lucas attacked the guard; Royal Cline in the wood workshop, when the inmates made it to the roof, a guard shot Limerick and Franklin while Lucas surrendered. Cline and Limerick died of their injuries the following day while Franklin and Lucas were convicted of Cline's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The escape attempt where an inmate used a US Army uniform occurred on the 31st July 1945 when armed robber and murderer; John Giles had stolen a US Army Technical Sergeant uniform from the laundry and hopped on a US Army ferry thinking it was heading to San Francisco shoreline. Unfortunately, the ferry was heading to Fort McDowell on nearby Angel Island, where US Lieutenant Gordon L. Kilgore noticed the uniform was incorrect and the army pass that Giles had as a forgery, resulting in Giles being detained and turned over to the Alcatraz guards, this attempt earnt Giles the nickname as Wrong-way Giles by the other inmates.

[@INDLIS]

Clearance Carnes’s story after the 1946 escape attempt didn’t end there. By the 1960’s he transformed from participant to informant. He was one of the inmates who helped out in the 1962 great escape.

[@dsmtsi1995]

Love this podcast. But the amount of ads is soooo brutal.

[@jaded5559]

Ads are Good for them, though.

[@INDLIS]

Joe Cretzler and Sam Shockley were also caught after an earlier failed escape attempt in 1941. While working in a one of the workshops, Cretzer and Shockley along with Arnold Kyle (Cretzer’s brother in law) and Floyd Barkdoll overpowered and tied up 4 guards then attempted to breakout through a bared window (with no luck) but gave up to one of their captives (Paul J. Madigan) by talking them out of it. Guard Harold Stites was also responsible for putting down the 1938 escape attempt (the first attempt that involved the use of violence). Stites was stationed in a guard tower on the roof of the Model industries when he noticed that 3 inmates were running towards his tower. He opened fired and took down 2 of the inmates Thomas Limmerick and Rufus Whitey Franklin while a 3rd man James Lucas surrendered. Franklin survived his injuries but Limmerick died along with guard Royal Cline (an unarmed guard who had been beaten to death with a hammer 🔨) by the men minutes before they climbed to the roof in an attempt to fight their way out against the tower officer

[@ah-shar-ya2363]

So most dangerous criminals at this time were robbers....they have nothing on today's criminals. Great Podcast, binging on them for over a week now.

[@gcliffy1]

That tapping noise is awful 😖