Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers
There has, in the history of the Federal Penitentiary at Alcatraz, been only one successful escape, in June 1962. Even the success of that escape is questionable—even today, no one knows if the three men made it from the prison to land, or if they drowned on their journey. With that, here’s what is known about the escape of Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin, and John Anglin.
The Anglin brothers were bank robbers; however, they chose targets that were closed, and did not use weapons in their crimes. They did, on the other hand, try very hard to escape from prison. The two men were both skilled swimmers, and accustomed to swimming in very cold waters.
Frank Morris began a life of crime while still in his early teens. He was most notable for his intellect, being exceptionally gifted.
Morris and the Anglin brothers planned their escape with a fourth man, Allen West. West was unable to remove the ventilation grill in his cell to join the others, and cooperated with investigating authorities.
The four men, using a plan crafted by Morris, had adjoining cells. Each worked to increase the size of the ventilation opening in his cell. These ventilation openings led to an unused utility corridor. They carefully worked to conceal their work, and used a variety of found objects to widen the corridors. In addition, they crafted papier-mache heads to hide their efforts, using a mixture of soap and toilet paper, painted with paint from the workshops, and with hair from the barbershop floor.
On June 11, 1962, the three men climbed through the ventilation holes into the service corridor, then up a ventilation shaft to the roof of the prison. They slid down a kitchen vent pipe, and climbed two 12-foot barbed wire fences. They reached a hidden spot on the coastline and inflated a raft, setting out for Angel Island. A widespread search provided no definitive answers as to the fate of the three men, but various individuals have claimed to have seen them and had contact with them in the years following their escape from Alcatraz. The U.S. Marshals have kept the three escapees on their “Most Wanted” list.