Текст книги "Alcatraz: A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years "

Автор книги: Майкл Эсслингер

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At approximately 11:00 p.m. Sunday, December 16, 1962 inmate SCOTT was returned from the emergency section of Letterman General Hospital by Associate Warden Williard and Business Manager Bones, and brought to the Warden's office for questioning.

During the questioning SCOTT talked fairly freely and made several pertinent statements. In sequence he claims that over a period of time, which he refused to define, he impregnated string with floor wax and scouring powder and used this to cut the bars in the south-end window on the east side of the kitchen basement. He further claims that he had the bars partially cut and filled in with soap and painted over so officers would not detect it, and on both Saturday, December 15th and Sunday, December 16th, the officers were tapping bars and broke the spreader bar cut loose to the extent that he attempted to glue it back to prevent further detection. He claims that on the spur of the moment he decided he had better "go" before the cutting of the bars was detected, and asked PARKER if he would like to go with him. PARKER agreed and he (Scott) finished making the small cuts necessary on the bars, signaled to PARKER, and PARKER came down the elevator shaft and they went out the opening in the window.

He then claims they climbed some drain pipes in the corner to prevent an officer in the tower from seeing them; gained access to the roof; and lowered themselves to the ground on the opposite side of the building and behind the library by use of a knotted electric cord he had removed from the kitchen basement waxing machine. This particular descent was made, again, to prevent the tower officer from seeing them.

He then claims that he and PARKER went down the steep hill where PARKER fell and bruised himself considerable; they emerged near the north end of "A" Building, then slid down a steep cliff by holding on to a sewer pipe where they reached the water. At this point they inflated their floatation equipment, which consisted or two or three rubber gloves blown up and tied inside a piece of inmate shirt material that was crudely stitched together, this then being tied around their body. They then entered the water and for only a short time did he observe PARKER, and did not know what happened to him after that.

He claims that he spotted lights on the mainland; attempted to swim towards them and the tide carried him by; he then selected another light and repeated the performance, and this continued until he was washed on to a rock out near the Golden Gate Bridge. The tide was so swift and waves so high at this point that he claims to have almost drowned and could not maneuver around on the rock to keep the waves from covering him closing off his breath. It was at this point that he was rescued by members of the Fire Department at the Presidio of San Francisco and taken into custody by the Military Police at the Presidio. He was taken to the emergency hospital for treatment, but claims he does not recall the Associate Warden entering the room, and fails to remember several other things for a short period of time.

The inmates slid down this sewage drain pipe to make their escape into the icy Bay waters.

Under the cover of night, rain, and heavy fog, John Paul Scott washed up at Fort Point near the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, exhausted and groggy from the freezing water.

Over and above this, he stated he had heard in the yard for some months that there was a hole in the kitchen basement. He inferred but would not flatly state that some other inmate had partially cut through this window a long time ago. He indicated that the outside section of the window was partially cut by the use of a spatula that had notched edges. He added that the spatula and scraper used for this had been disposed of by putting them down the old butcher shop drain, and it should be noted that several days ago a spatula and scraper fitting that description was actually removed from that drain, and it was deteriorated to the extent to indicate that it had been there for several months.

He further claimed that the rubber gloves used for floatation purposes had been in the kitchen basement hidden behind one of the refrigerators for a long-long time. He would not establish a definite or approximate date. He claimed that he had made up five or six strings immersed in floor wax and thoroughly coated with scouring powder, and left them in his trousers that were hanging in the kitchen basement. These trousers were found but no such string could be located.

The two sections of bars had been removed and concealed underneath the large refrigerator to prevent early detection. He continually insisted that the so-called tool-proof stool bars were severed by this homemade abrasive string, and inferred that it had not taken very long to complete the job. The actual cuts on the bars had circular grooves and were highly polished and fresh, indicating that his described method was highly plausible. He offered as an excuse for his escaping that he had a long sentence and had no desire whatever to return to his detainer.

O.G. BLACKWELL

Warden

The following is Warden Blackwell’s report to the Bureau of Prisons on Daryl Parker, also dated December 17, 1962:

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT of JUSTICE

BUREAU OF PRISONS

UNITED STATES PENITENTARY

ALCATRAZ CALIFORNIA

December 17, 1962

MEMORANDUM FOR FILE

Re: Statement of Inmate Daryl Lee Parker, #1314-AZ

At approximately 6:30 p.m. Sunday, December 16, 1962, inmate PARKER was returned from escape status and brought to the Associate Warden’s office. During questioning he was very reluctant to make any statements, however, eventually he did say that he and inmate J. PAUL SCOTT, #1403-AZ, left the main dining hall shortly after the 5:20 p.m. count, gained access to the basement by way of the elevator, and escaped through the end window on the east side of the kitchen basement after having removed two sections of the bars. From this point, he claims that he climbed up the drainpipe and gained access to the roof, crossed over and went down the other side by means of an electric extension cord, then proceeded to the water and entered. From this point on he does not know what happened to SCOTT, or how he reached "Little Alcatraz."

Following this, he refused to make any further statements.

O.G. BLACKWELL

Warden

An inventory list submitted by Officer Irvin Levinson, representing contraband items that were found in the kitchen basement following the escape of Parker and Scott.

By all accounts, Scott very nearly died in his quest to reach the shore. Open-water swimmer Lisa Johnson would later state that Scott really couldn’t take credit for “swimming to shore, ” but that actually he “was carried” by the three-knot-per-hour tide. Even Scott himself admitted that he hadn’t anticipated how violent the ocean currents could be. In fact, they were so powerful that Scott was washed onto the rock at Fort Point and lay naked except for his socks, after his clothing had been ripped from his body by repeated banging against the rocks. When Scott was revived at Letterman, he was shaking so convulsively that he could not speak. His body temperature had dropped to 94 degrees, or 4.6 degrees below normal. He was lucky to have been spotted in his near-death state. John Paul Scott’s spectacular but futile swim from Alcatraz Island to Fort Point destroyed once and for all the official position that escape from this Federal prison was impossible. As the press snapped photos of Scott wrapped warmly in knit army blankets when he was being taken from Letterman at 10:45 p.m. for his cruise back to Alcatraz, he gave them a coy smile. He had come the closest of any escape artist yet to breaking the Rock.

Scott sustained several cuts and bruises from the sharp rocks when he washed up at Fort Point.

Both inmates would be transferred from Alcatraz following its closure in 1963, and Parker would make another unsuccessful escape attempt in March of 1967, while imprisoned at Atlanta. He built a makeshift ladder nearly thirty feet in length, but his attempt ended when a tower officer opened fire on him, forcing him back down. Parker was later paroled on August 20, 1974.

Scott would also continue to build his resume of crime. In May of 1963 he was transferred back to Atlanta, where he was again found with contraband materials for an escape. His record states that he worked in the hospital as an X-Ray Technician, and was finally paroled on July 10, 1968.

Scott got married for a second time on January 20, 1970 in East Point Georgia, to Margie Morgan, a middle-aged widow. A later arrest report would indicate that Scott resided with his wife “in a very comfortable, spacious, ranch-style home. ”  The report went on to say, “he himself built this home and has resided there since 1970. Estimated value is over $50,000 dollars.”  It was also documented that he owned four other homes, but had placed them in his wife’s name. Scott also re-enrolled at Georgia State University for a short period. He later took a job as a lab technician at Clayton General Hospital in Riverdale, Georgia, and was described as a model employee. He then started his own business, and built and sold several homes. But despite his successful integration back into society, his skeletons still haunted him.

Scott’s driver’s license, issued during a short stint of freedom in 1974.

The following is a case report filed by the U.S. Attorney following another bank robbery in which Scott participated:

Details of the Offense reveal that at approximately 3:18 p.m. on September 5, 1975, Ronald Coleman Anderson, J. Paul Scott and Leon Johnson entered the Hearon Circle Branch of the Spartanburg Bank & Trust Company located on the Asheville Highway, Spartanburg, S.C. All three were dressed in coveralls, dark ski masks and brown jersey gloves. All were carrying pillowcases. Anderson was armed with an AR-l6 rifle, Scott was armed with a Model 10 shotgun, and Johnson was armed with a .22 handgun. During the course of the robbery, two deputies of the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office appeared at the drive-in window in a marked car, and were observed by the bank robbers. The robbers fled the bank, and shooting ensued outside the bank between the robbers and one of the deputies, with no injuries being sustained to either of the deputies, the robbers, or either of their vehicles. A chase ensued which culminated in the parking lot of a construction company located approximately one mile from the bank. As the car containing the deputies rounded the corner into the parking lot, the bank robbers fired on them, rendering the sheriff's car inoperable and slightly wounding one of the deputies in the rear of the neck. The getaway vehicle utilized by the robbers was determined stolen the previous night from a motel parking lot in Greenville, S.C. Witnesses at the switch site believe the bank robbers drove from the construction company parking lot in a two-tone blue Ford Granada, Mercury Monarch, or late model Monte Carlo.

Scott was again arrested in June of 1976 with Morris Lynn Johnson, one of the FBI’s ten most wanted fugitives, in eastern New Orleans. In the following report, Scott described his plight in his own words, and recounted the story of yet another attempted escape:

In February of 1977, I received a 25-year sentence for Bank Robbery in Columbia, South Carolina. I was first confined at the USP Atlanta, Georgia, however, on March 15, 1977, I was notified that I was being transferred to the USP, Leavenworth, Kansas. I was to be transported on a Federal Bureau of Prison bus.

I was confined in a Jackson, Miss. County Jail during the night of Friday, March 18, 1977. Another inmate gave me a full-length hacksaw blade. On Saturday, March 19, 1977, I smuggled the hacksaw blade on the prison bus. There were about 25 other inmates on the prison bus. I was handcuffed and had leg irons on. I sat by myself in the right hand side near the middle of the bus. I had made up my mind that I would try and escape, since on Friday I had also obtained a paperclip and a ballpoint pen cartridge.

During the morning ride thru Louisiana I was able to pick the lock on first my handcuffs and then my leg irons. It took me about one hour to cut through the bar on the bus window. I had ripped a piece of my shirt and used it to get a good grip on the hacksaw blade. No one knew what I was doing until I had finished cutting the bar and had kicked out the window. No other inmates helped me in any way.

I was able to kick out the window and escape thru the hole I had cut in the window bar. The bus came to a stop but I still fell when I escaped thru the window. I ran approximately 100 feet from the bus, but stopped when the bus guards started shooting at me. They must have fired about five or six times, however, I was not hit. I was placed back in the bus, and they radioed ahead to FCI about my escape and capture.

Scott remained a violent and incorrigible inmate until his death at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, Florida on February 22, 1987. His bold escape from Alcatraz with Daryl Parker remains as one of the most notable incidents ever to occur in the history of the island prison.

An excerpt from Parker’s inmate record in 1982, showing that he still maintained his passionate desire to escape from prison.

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The Fall of an Icon

Perhaps one of the greatest ironies of Alcatraz was that the frigid and treacherous waters of the San Francisco Bay, which had proved to be the ultimate deterrent to escape for nearly three decades, finally contributed to the downfall of America's super-prison. Immediately following the escape of Morris and the Anglins, the prison fell under intense scrutiny due to its deteriorating structural condition and the diminishing security measures that resulted from governmental budget cuts. These developments should not be credited to the escape, as many of the decisions were already in process before the attempt was made. In a January 1963 structural report, the following conditions were described:

In August of 1961, a state-of-the-art Control Center was built in the Armory to enhance prison security.

The cellblocks which are located over the basement areas are considered unsafe for occupancy during a severe earthquake. For minor earthquakes and normal loadings the supporting structures are considered safe at this time, although further deterioration will result in an unsafe condition. The present structural condition of the basement does not conform to the 1961 Uniform Building Code.... The present structural damage in the basement area is of continuing nature, which structural members deteriorated to a point where they will soon be inadequate to support the cellblock structures under normal loading conditions.

Criminologists were also starting to publicly cast doubt on the effectiveness of Alcatraz as a deterrent for organized crime. The corrosive effects of the saltwater and the exorbitant cost of running the prison (Cost per inmate had risen to over $13.00 per day, as compared with $3.88 at USP Atlanta, not including an estimated five million dollars in expenses for restoration) provided U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy with grounds for closure.

An aerial view of Alcatraz before its closure in 1963.

Several photographs from 1962, showing the severe deterioration of the concrete structure.

The base of the north wall of the utility corridor inside the main cellhouse. Senior Officer James Lewis is seen indicating the gaps that had appeared in the crumbling cement, due to years of environmental corrosion.

In the autumn months of 1962, the Federal Bureau of Prisons started to transfer inmates to other institutions, and prepared to shut down the facility. Bureau Director James Bennett wrote:

During the 1960's, financial considerations determined the issue and freed me from my dilemma. Alcatraz's buildings and steel towers were gradually being eroded by the salt spray, and would cost several million dollars to restore. The cost of supplying the island prison was exorbitant since food and water had to be brought across the bay. Alcatraz was also expensive to run, because it was located far from the continental center of population, far from most of the other prisons, and men had to be transported long distances from and back to the East and Middle West.

The daily per-prisoner operating costs at Alcatraz were far higher than at any other federal institution. So we drew up plans for a new maximum security prison to be built in the heart of the continent at Marion, Illinois, which could be built and operated at a lower cost. When the federal funds were made available for the new prison, we could close Alcatraz down

On March 21, 1963, the final day of operation for Alcatraz, Warden Blackwell invited a press pool to witness the last small group of inmates leaving the Rock. On that day, twenty-seven inmates filed into the Mess Hall for the last time, and lined up at the steam tables for one final breakfast. Even on the last day of the prison’s operation, the meal period would last only twenty minutes, as the Warden was determined to adhere to the rigid regulations right up to the final hour. While the inmates sat in the Mess Hall, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Prisons Fred T. Wilkinson answered questions for the press, and took reporters on a brief tour of the cellhouse. After the inmates had filed back to their cells, each one was met by an officer and then handcuffed and shackled, and prepared for final departure.

Correctional Officer Keith Dennison standing guard inside the main cellhouse corridor on the day of the prison’s closure.

The inmates stood quietly until the cellhouse officer gave the final signal to march quietly down Broadway in a single-file procession. There were only the eerie sounds of the inmates’ shackles, and the snapping shutters from the press-pool cameras. Several men covered their faces as the flash bulbs burst off in quick succession, trying to capture the final march of prisoners at Alcatraz. Interestingly enough, the last inmate to be incarcerated at Alcatraz would also be the last to leave. Frank C. Weatherman, inmate #AZ-1576, was the last inmate to board the prison launch. When the press asked him how he felt about the closure, he uttered what would become the prison’s eulogy: “Alcatraz was never good for anybody.”  The members of the press were then invited back into the cellhouse for coffee and donuts in the Mess Hall. Meanwhile the remaining officers left their posts and secured their weapons for the last time. USP Alcatraz then closed its doors after twenty-nine years of operation.

The final march down Broadway by the last group of inmates, on March 21, 1963. The prisoners were subjected to the strict Alcatraz regimen even in the final hours of the prison’s operation.

Frank C. Weatherman was the last inmate to be incarcerated at Alcatraz.

Correctional officers watching a plane carrying the last group of prisoners from Alcatraz, as it took off from San Francisco International Airport after the closing of the prison on March 21, 1963.

During the history of Alcatraz as a Federal prison, there were 1576 register numbers issued, with twenty-eight inmates receiving two numbers under separate prison terms. Theodore “Blackie” Audett would be alone in the distinction of having been issued three numbers, for three separate terms at Alcatraz. In the final assessment, 1546 inmates served time at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.

Theodore “Blackie” Audett would hold the unique distinction of being the only inmate ever to serve three separate terms at Alcatraz.

In July of 1964, the abandoned prison was turned over to the General Services Agency, which offered use of the property to other governmental agencies. John Hart, a former correctional officer at Alcatraz, remained on the island with his family as a lighthouse keeper and caretaker for the island. They continued to receive the San Francisco Chronicle, which was regularly dropped by a news helicopter, but otherwise lived in relative isolation.

The island remained essentially abandoned while several parties presented proposals for its use, ranging from erecting a West Coast version of the Statue of Liberty, to building a monument in honor of America’s Space Program, complete with a memorial modeled on an Apollo space capsule. In June of 1968, San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto issued an appeal for public propositions. After a series of long battles and debates, which included an acceptance by the board of a proposal by Texas millionaire Lamar Hunt to develop the island as commercial property, the Secretary for the Department of the Interior ordered a draft plan for public recreational use of the abandoned prison site. But the battles over Alcatraz were not yet over. A group of Native American activists would also choose the island as the ideal place to make a political stand.

The Indian Occupation

On November 20, 1969, a large group of American Indians landed on Alcatraz and claimed it for the Indian Nation. They offered to purchase the island for twenty-four dollars, payable in beads and red cloth – the same amount paid by the government to natives for “a similar island 300 years ago.”

A Native American tee-pee is clearly visible next to one of the island pathways in 1970. This was a symbol of their quest for peace and freedom.

The massive fires that were started on June 1, 1970 during the Indian Occupation ultimately destroyed several key structures, including the Warden’s mansion and the lighthouse.

On November 20, 1969, a large group of American Indians landed on Alcatraz and claimed the island as Indian property. The group articulated great plans, and hoped to establish an educational Native American Cultural Center. Overwhelming public support had developed for the movement, with advocates ranging from celebrities to members of the Hell's Angels. The Indians had the attention of both the media and the government. Federal officials met with the group, often sitting crossed-legged on blankets inside the old prison Dining Hall, discussing the social needs of the Indians. The volume of visitors became overwhelming, and the island started to become a haven for the homeless and the less fortunate. The Indians soon were faced with the same problems that had assailed the prison administration: there were no natural resources on the island, and all food and water had to be ferried over by boat. This was an expensive and exhausting process.

Despite special prohibitions that had been declared by the Native Americans, drugs and alcohol were prominently smuggled onto Alcatraz, and the situation quickly became unmanageable. The social organization of the group soon fell apart, and the Indians were forced to resort to drastic measures in order to survive. In an attempt to raise money to buy food, they allegedly began stripping copper wiring and tubing from the island buildings for sale as scrap metal. The worst tragedy occurred when Yvonne Oakes, the daughter of one of the key activists, fell to her death from the third story balcony of an apartment building. The Oakes family left the island in grave despair, and never returned. Then late on the evening of June 1, 1970, fires started by the occupants raged through several of the prison buildings, as well as the Warden's home, the lighthouse keeper's residence, and the Officers’ Club, and badly damaged the historic lighthouse that had been built in 1854.

By now tensions had developed between Federal officials and the Indians, as the Federal agents blamed the activists for the destruction, and the activists blamed government saboteurs. The press, which until this point had been largely sympathetic toward the Indians, now turned against their cause, and began to publish stories of alleged beatings and assaults among the island’s new residents. Public support for the Indians fell drastically. The original organizers had all deserted the island, and those who remained fought amongst themselves, thus providing clear evidence of a loss of solidarity in their society. On June 11, 1971, twenty Federal marshals and Coast Guard officers descended on the island and removed the remaining residents. All were taken to Treasure Island under protective custody, and this marked the official end of the Indian occupation of Alcatraz.

From Penitentiary to National Park

Despite the fact that Alcatraz has been closed for several decades, its reputation still lives on, and continues to inspire both fictional and non-fictional books and films. The fictional movie “the Rock,” starring Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage, and Ed Harris, and JJ Abrams television series “Alcatraz” are just a few productions set against the backdrop of Alcatraz.

Alcatraz will forever remain woven into the fabric of life in San Francisco, and it will stand as an iconic symbol in the annals of American history and folklore.

Former Alcatraz inmates reunite with officers and family members at one of the anniversary events held on Alcatraz each year. Seen here are former inmates Glenn Nathan Williams and Jim Quillen. Both men have written compelling books about their time served at the infamous prison.

Former inmate Glenn “Nate” Williams with the author in 1991 on Alcatraz during a research visit for this book (photo courtesy of Joy Williams).

Willie Radkay, a veteran of Alcatraz. He is seen here during one of the reunions in 2002, at age ninety-one. Radkay and Machine Gun Kelly shared cells adjacent to one another, and was also close friends with Dale Stamphill and Basil “Owl” Banghart.

Armory Officer Clifford Fish returned to Alcatraz in 2002, which was the first time since his retirement from the prison in 1962. He is seen with a Discovery Channel film crew filming inside the Alcatraz “Dungeon”.

Former inmate Tom Kent and Father Bernie Bush meet with visitors inside the cellhouse chapel to discuss their memories of Alcatraz during a reunion event.

Former Alcatraz Inmate Bob Luke with the author during his first ever look inside the East Gun Gallery in 2011. Luke had kept his past a secret for over 50-years, before finally going public and visiting Alcatraz as a free man.

Former inmates Darwin Coon (left) and Leon Thompson (right) with former guard John Hernan (center) inside the prison hospital during an Alcatraz reunion event in 2003. Thompson passed away in 2005 and Coon in 2011. Thompson’s obituary read in part: “He was a tough guy of the old school, a bank robber and hardened criminal who spent 24 years in prison including four years of hard time in Alcatraz. He also turned his life around, becoming a best-selling author who spent his last free years riding motorcycles and gardening, painting and raising two wolves, among other pets, at his home in Fiddletown, an old Gold Rush town in Amador County.”  Darwin Coon was also an important presence on the Rock and frequently returned to meet with visitors. He lived in San Francisco with a prominent view of Alcatraz outside his window. He openly shared his story and helped shape the real story of life inside Alcatraz.

Thompson on Alcatraz in July of 1960.

Alcatraz’s youngest Correctional Officer Frank Heaney, with former officer Larry Quilligan in 2008. Both men arrived on Alcatraz during the same period and roommates for a brief period on the island.

Frank Heaney arrived at Alcatraz in 1948. He was hired by Warden Swope when only 21-years of age and became the youngest officer to serve on the island.

In 1972, Congress created the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Alcatraz Island was included as part of the new National Park Service unit. The island was opened to the public on October 25, 1973, and it has since become one of the most popular Park Service sites, with more than one million visitors from around the world each year. Today Alcatraz is considered an ecological preserve, and it is home to one of the largest western gull colonies on the northern California coast. The thrill of touring Alcatraz derives both from the awareness of its historical significance, and from the various portrayals of prison life that have been popularized through Hollywood motion pictures. People come from all over the world to meet eye-to-eye with the ghosts of America's toughest criminals. Meanwhile, many of the former inmates are still trying to come to terms with their imprisonment on Alcatraz, and they seek to understand why people would visit a place that represented for them only a monument of pure anguish and deep despair.

“There will always be the need for specialized facilities for the desperados, the irredeemable, and the ruthless, but Alcatraz and all that it had come to mean now belong, we may hope, to history.”

– James V. Bennett, Director of the Bureau of Prisons

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