We all know about the notorious prison in the Alcatraz Island. It is located in the San Francisco Bay. It was supposed to be the toughest prison in the world. It housed America’s most dangerous and difficult felons. It was closed as a prison in 1963 and now a tourist attraction.
Since it is located in the chilly waters of San Francisco Bay, it is believed no one successfully escaped from this prison. There were more than a dozen attempted escape.
One such attempted escape was made in to a movie “Escape from Alcatraz” starring Clint Eastwood. This is a 1979 movie dramatizing the 1962 attempted escape.
In 1962, 3 prisoners Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin made an extensive plan to escape from the prison and swim across the chilly waters. On the night of June 11, 1962, these 3 prisoners escaped from the Alcatraz.
Did they reach the shores? No one knows. It is believed they were drowned or eaten by the sharks. No bodies were found.
No one heard from any of these 3. Until now.
San Francisco police received a letter in 2013. That letter was released only last week. In that letter, a person claiming to be John Anglin (one of the 3 escapees) says that all 3 of them successfully made it that night. He also wrote:
"If you announce on TV that I will be promised to just go to jail for no more than a year and get medical attention I will write back to let you know exactly where I am.. "I am 83 years old and in bad shape. I have cancer."
The U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI investigated this letter. They said the results were deemed "inconclusive".
Love it! Love it! Love it!
ReplyDeleteA. Commit a crime.
B. Escape law enforcement and they don't have a single clue for years as to your whereabouts.
C. You elude the FBI for such a long time that the FBI are now called - Freaking Bumbling Idiots.
D. You become a legend!
Regards,
D.B. Cooper
Thanks for your comments Dan. You are a legend. You extorted a huge sum of money on a commercial flight from Portland to Seattle and parachuted out of the aircraft in the middle of the flight and never to be found again. This is the only unsolved air piracy in commercial aviation history.
DeleteYou are a class act. You gave a generous tip of dollars to the flight stewardess before parachuting out of the aircraft.
Reminded me of papillon... Sounds interesting! Thanks for this movie introduction, SG. Will watch it when I get a chance. Any idea if this movie available for download?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Sindhu. Please watch it. It is a good movie. I don't know how to or where to download Hollywood movies. But this movie is available in YouTube.
DeleteIs that letter is from the actual escaped prisoner? May be, as no bodies were found back then. I wonder if they didn't have a national database with fingerprints, etc. It would've been easier to catch escapees within the country.
ReplyDeleteDestination Infinity
Thanks for your comments Rajesh. One thing I learned is not to trust statements issued by organizations like the FBI. They may be working from a different angle and will not tell the public.
DeleteVery daring escape if they had really made it. Would like to watch this interesting movie. Thanks for sharing such dare-devil incidents.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Mr. KP. Since you like dare-devil incidents, my next post will be about the guy who posted his comments above, D. B. Cooper.
DeleteInteresting,a very daring plan it was.They wanted freedom at any cost.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Indu. Indeed a very daring plan.
DeleteI had watched the movie, many years back. Wanted to visit the prison when we were there. But the boats were full and we should have booked a couple of days before, it seems. Missed it. Both of us had watched the movie and remembered too:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Sandhya. I am sorry you missed the opportunity. Next time you visit the Bay Area, please let me know in advance and I will book the tickets for the Alcatraz Tour.
DeleteThank you, SG! You are definitely coming home when you visit Chennai next time! Promise?:)
DeleteThanks for the invitation Sandhya. I will certainly visit with you the next time I am in Chennai. I promise.
DeleteI find it very adventures S... :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Yashi. Yes, very adventurous.
DeleteEscaping successfully from this prison is very brave and bold. Will look out for Escape from Alcatraz. Thanks for an interesting post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Shilpa. Yes, very brave.
Deleteoh wow I didn't know that a letter had resurfaced. That's very interesting. I have seen that movie and have visited Alcatraz. I got the book on which the movie was based on and my dad liked it. I was really obsessed with that prison when I visited it. It is a scary place to be in.
ReplyDeleteMy post on the prison:
https://bookishmuggle.com/2009/07/07/deadly-prisons/
Thanks for your comments Ash. I am glad you had the opportunity to visit Alcatraz. Very scary. Will read your post.
DeleteCircumstantial evidence uncovered in the early-2010s seemed to suggest that the men had survived, and that contrary to the official FBI report of the escapee's raft never being recovered and no car thefts being reported, a raft was discovered on nearby Angel Island with footprints leading away, and a car had been stolen on the night of the escape by three men, who could have been Morris and the Anglin brothers, and that officials then engaged in a cover-up. Relatives of the Anglin brothers presented further circumstantial evidence in the mid-2010s in support of a longstanding rumor that the Anglin brothers had fled to Brazil following the escape; a facial recognition analyst concluded that the one piece of physical evidence, a 1975 photograph of two men resembling John and Clarence Anglin, did support that conclusion.
ReplyDelete1.New evidence presented in a 2015 History Channel special shows a photo allegedly showing escaped brothers
ReplyDeleteJohn and Clarence Anglin in Brazil – 13 years after the great escape.Widner (david/Ken)the nephews say their uncle made it because they got xmas cards in mail box with out envelope/ Stamp?
Breezy came to house told Marie he saw them in Brazil.
2.The letter was sent to the SFPD Richmond station in 2013.From John Anglin.My name is John Anglin. I escape from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. I'm
83 years old and in bad shape. I have cancer. Yes we all made it that night but barely!"
3.black man John Leroy Kelly & Robert Michael Kyle confession .He help trio escape,then he betray them in Seatltle.
4.David Gold He talks a good talk but has no PROOF is he Hoax?
A black man John Leroy Kelly. tells nurse in hospital.She goes to the Spot and takes her son to the spot (outside Seattle) she said still some yellow paint on the big rocks.As she said John Leroy Kelly had told her.She said She & son then pour red paint made a big circle put x where John said He & Robert M Kyle had brought upon demise of John & Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris.And by them Nurse / Son pour paint in circle where they thought it may of happen they had ruin the crime scene ? Makes you wonder what Else these 2 did to the crime Scene ? If the nurse want to remain anonymous why didn't she leave well -enough alone? why did she say she miss Kelly after he died? He was just a patient in hosp or was he something more? How far are Nurse & son connect to case? Did they ever find the priest that talk to John Leroy Kelly. Did they ever find Robert Michael Kyle? Supposedly John Leroy Kelly died March 17,1997 in Seattle Washington?Were these guys apart of the infamous D.P.Cooper? If R M Kyle want to do in anglins/Morris ,for the money why didnt R M Kyle do in John Leroy Kelly for the money so he did not have to share it & get rid of the evidence & conspiractor who link him to the case?Rachael Van Anglin (Miller) (1901 - 1973) Marie Anglin Widner with sunglasses with her whole family in a picture at the funeral and John - Clarence Anglin men are dresss up as women to attend the funeral of their mother -is circumstantial evidence - because Marie wait til 2015 history channel made the show to spill the beans on what she knew about her brothers disappearance to tell the public they got xmas cards with out envelope -stamp so their is no way to find out where they came from ? Marie said her oldest brother Robert Anglin had contact with them since after escape til after 20 or so yrs later .So the Anglin - Widner family did not want the public to know - but now their must be a reason to come out public ? Now Ken/David reap the rewards of Uncle Alcatraz escape story?Fred Brizzi's widow says he never met Alcatraz escapees John and Anglin in Brazil ? So what's up with red clay Ant Hill with 2 men ? is it in Brazil or southern U.S. red clay earth is found? Anglins record Fred Brizzi a man that family friend known for criminal activity with rap sheet mile long? Did Breezy with his yacht help Anglin Morris escape? He had a plane as well for his criminal activities ? Ken & dav complain about authorities stalk follow them question them - to get info out of them - but they didnt want that -why - because - didn't want info found out?
ReplyDelete