Afterall, they needed to be in the ducts and vents for extended periods of time. Perhaps they were driven by their long prison sentences, and the reality of prison life made them act. I escape from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my Brother Clarence and Frank Morris. They really just needed one to be loose for them to be able to pry it open and breathe the air of freedom. Because Yeah. The writer also claimed Morris died in 2008 and Clarence Anglin died in 2011. But they were not the only ones who tried to get off The Rock.. On top of that, the facility itself is an island fortress designed to keep inmates from ever leaving the island. If the men are alive today, Frank Morris would be 90 years old and John and Clarence Anglin would be 86 and 87. Yes we all made it that night but barely, said the letter. "For him to say he had cancer and was dying, I feel like they should have at least reached out to the family and let them know it existed," he said. Curiosity over the fate of the three men has never really abated. Theres no doubt in my mind they escaped from prison and lived out their lives.. The Marshal Service has reviewed the letter,and a statement from Donald O'Keefe, U.S. January 24, 2018 at 4:16 p.m. EST. KPIX 5 exclusively obtained it from asource. Merry Christmas.. In 1963, J. Campbell Bruce published Escape from Alcatraz, a history of the prison and those who had attempted to flee it, including Morris and the Anglins. "Morris is quiet and very intelligent," Fred Wilkinson, assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, told the Associated Press. The FBI closed its case on the Alcatraz escape on Dec. 31, 1979. The likes of Al Scarface Capone, Frank The Owl Banghar, and Whitey Bulger are just a few that called the prison home. The men shaved everyday, collected the shaving cream mixed with hair, and then blended it together with toilet paper and soap. The FBI closed the case on Dec. 31, 1979, saying there was no credible evidence that Morris and the Anglin brothers were still alive at that time, the Today show reported. According to CBS, the letter read: My name is John Anglin. In fact, inmate John Paul Scott made his escape in December 1962, just months after the Anglins and Morris fled. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Marshal Michael Dyke told the Today show: Obviously not. (Alcatraz itself closed in 1963, not because its reputation as an escape-proof purgatory diminished but because its upkeep became too expensive to sustain.) (He was, however, suffering from hypothermia and quickly recaptured.). This is no joke. If you announce on TV that I will be promised to first 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. West may have overthought his attempt to mask his efforts. John Anglin's cell, where he escaped through a vent in the wall, is one of the main attractions on the tour. I escape from Alcatrazin June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. The men detached the ventilation screens, removed their makeshift wall, and shimmied through the holes into the adjacent corridor. Dismantling the Suprem Court's argument about its own ethics Officials turned to the other incarcerated Anglin brother, Alfred, who was housed in an Alabama facility, to see if he knew anything. There, the escapees had the privacy to work on the other major part of their plan: constructing a raft and life preservers. Yes we all made it that night but The men were gone, which triggered prison officials to reach out to the FBIs San Francisco office. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved, Mickey Cohen and Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson. Coupled with the fact that the prison was said to be surrounded by shark-infested, 50-degree water and was located 1.25 miles away from the mainland, it was easy to see why Alcatraz had a reputation for being inescapable. Im 83 years old and in bad shape. All of this activity landed him in prison off and on for his entire adult life. A Letter from an Alcatraz Inmate May Give Insight to It goes on to say that Frank Morris died in 2008 and Clarence Anglin three years later. Its isolated location made it a difficult location to get into and out of. TikTokers Are Revealing The Truth About "Life-Changing" Moldavite Crystals, TikToks Things I Ate & Survived Trend Will Make You LOL, Heres How To Do The Wes Anderson-Inspired TikTok Trend, This Viral Twitter Thread Turns Your Big 3 Into A Color Palette, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. Smuggling them into their cells, and keeping them hidden was not too difficult for the inmates. Their brother Robert also claimed on his death bed that he had been in touch with John and Clarence, but lost contact with them in 1987. Along with his brother Clarence and fellow inmate Frank Morris, John Anglin broke out of Alcatraz in June of 1962 the second to last escape attempt ever made from the prison, which shut down the following year in 1963. "Thirty-sixmen tried 14 separate escapes," the FBI says. The three remain on the Marshal's Service most wanted list along with photos of what they might look like today. Alcatraz escape: Fugitive John Anglin's name on letter to police Known as an end of the line destination for criminals serving long stretches, Alcatraz saw at least 14 escape attempts involving 36 prisoners. Someone claiming to be John Anglin wrote to Subscribe to the Secrets of the Dead Newsletter, Scanning the Pyramids Experts Answer Your Questions on Reddit, From Cleopatra to Roosevelt Historys Famous Romantics, Medieval French Coins, Ancient Mummy Wrappings and More Unearthed Secrets for July, Germanys Stonehenge, 9,000 Year Old Tools Found and More Unearthed Secrets, Roman Soldier Rescue Mission, Thrift Store Dal and More Unearthed Secrets. Morris entered his first prison at the age of 13, and by age 20 he was considered a career criminal. He asked the men to wait for him, and Morris tried to help him. Then they went to work clawing away at the seals of their air ventilation screens, little-by-little, bit-by-bit. I escaped from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my Alcatraz letter: Nephew of inmate weighs in on mystery If that wasnt enough, Dutch programmers contradicted the FBI when they released a study that found the tides suitable for escape! According to CBS, the letter read: My name is John Anglin. Said CBS security analyst Jeff Harp, who worked with the FBI for 21 years but did not work on the Anglin/Morris escape, So that means yes, and it means no, so this leaves everything in limbo., Whats more, the U.S. While Morris was decidedly the brains of the escape that would take place years later, the Anglin brothers were the brawn. Swimming in the Great Lakes would have been great training for the treacherous waters they found themselves in years later. "I escape from Alcatraz in June 1962. "Handwriting samples of all three escapees, John Anglin, Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris, were compared to the anonymous letter, and the results were deemed inconclusive," O'Keefe said. " San Francisco police did not make the letter public despite obtaining it five years ago,according to CBS. Marshals, which is the sole agency investigating the case today, says the FBI lab examined theletterfor fingerprints and DNA, and the handwriting. If you announce on TV that I will be promised to first 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, the letter says. The writer said that Morris died in 2008 and Clarence Anglin died in 2011. It was no small climb it was 30 feet to the ceiling. Eventually he did make it out of his cell, but by the time he reached the corridor and climbed to the roof, his three mates were long gone. All Rights Reserved. The writer tries to make a deal with authorities, saying: "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. He would be willing to turn himself in if authorities promised him only one year in jail and medical care. Considering how careful the men would have had to be for the remainder of their lives, keeping the rest of the family at arms length and being cautious with their words and actions, they would have had to devote much of their energy to never making a mistake. Yes we all made it that night but barely! Morris, who would be 95 today, would be the first to cross that threshold, followed by John and then Clarence, who were born in 1930 and 1931, respectively. Authorities could not find any bodies where the man claimed they would be buried. Behind the vent was an unmanned utility corridor that offered a path to the roof of their cell block. Escape from Alcatraz: Letter claims three inmates survived 1962 He escaped from Alcatraz, but did he escape to North Dakota? Veteran Aviator and Student Pilot He Helped Land After She Lost Her Nose Gear Take to the Skies Together, Oklahoma Man Charged After Allegedly Covering Up the Murder of the Woman His Wife Was Having an Affair With, Texas Man Continued His Date After Cops Say He Fatally Shot Someone Over $40, Autistic Artist Sebastian Franco Hopes to See Northern Lights as He Contemplates Going Completely Blind, Lori Vallow Daybell's Sister: 'You Expect Me to Just Keep Believing Without Ever Having a Question?'. Quietly, they tiptoed to the roofs edge and then shimmied down 50 feet of pipes. West cooperated, and told investigators about all the gritty details. It was inconclusive at best, fueling speculation that sparked a 56-year mystery that survives to this day. The three men are still listed as fugitives, according to the marshals. I have cancer.". The men were able to get out of their cells, but getting out of the cell block was a different story. The guy was a prison Houdini. Marshals Service. One of the reasons we know so much about this case is West. CBS San Francisco obtained the letter which says that John Anglin was 83 years old and that he was diagnosed with cancer. In 2011, a National Geographic special claimed that the FBI had found one suspicious crime following the escape in nearby Marin County: A blue Chevrolet had been stolen, and later had a near-accident on the road. I have cancer. Later, some paddle-like pieces of wood and bits of rubber inner tube were found in the water. The maximum-security level prison was regarded by the guards who worked there as Americas most escape-proof prison. The The letter states that Frank Morris died in 2008, while Clarence Anglin died in 2011, according to KPIX 5. Robbers John Anglin, his brother Clarence and Frank Morris would escape the notorious jail in California. Alcatraz escapee John Anglin Once a card came signed "Jerry" and another "Jerry and Joe," The family also produced a Christmas card, purportedly received in the family mailbox in 1962, saying, "To Mother, from John. I escape from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my Brother Clarence and Frank Morris. My name is John Anglin, the letter, which was provided to KPIX 5 by an unnamed source, began. What is sort of interesting, though, is this: The Anglin brothers were David Widners uncles and although Widner told CBS News in a follow-up report, I really havent come to a conclusion whether I believe that its John reaching out or not, he also noted that for a number of years following the escape, his grandmother would randomly receive roses. Yes we all made it that night but barely! But despite its simple beginnings, the letter is extraordinary because it might shed light on the only successful escape attempt that was ever made from the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco Bay. After months of meticulous planning- on the night of June 11, 1962 - the trio of bank robbers squeezed through the vents in the back of their cells. John Anglin's nephew David Widner, who lives outside Atlanta, weighed in on the appearance of the letter Thursday. Alcatraz closed the year after the escape, but the mystery remains open. 2023 Cox Media Group. Im 83 years old and in bad shape. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The pipes they climbed to get to the roof should have also provided their way out. In fact, the most successful attempt prior to this one was called The Battle of Alcatraz. In that instance, prisoners started a riot and took control of the cell-house. "Nearly all were caught or didnt survive the attempt. It remained in the hands of the military until 1934 when the Federal Bureau of Prisons acquired it for civilian use. Im 83 years old and in bad shape. The men wielded a plastic firearm to scare employees and exited with over $18,000, the equivalent of $174,000 today. Evidence in the last few years Only the worst criminals were sent toAlcatraz. The prison was in desperate need of repairs and renovations, but none ever came. Another brilliant aspect of their planning was how they masked their absence from their cells. The men were discovered missing on June 12, 1962, and the hunt was on. It was West who got the ball rolling when he came across some old saw blades that were apparently abandoned. I escape from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. The letter, sent to police in 2013 and recently obtained by local CBS affiliate KPIX, was from a man claiming to be John Anglin. In exchange for his cooperation, and since he did not actually escape, West was not further punished. Above all, he's a planner. "I escape from Alcatraz in June 1962 But then there was also the ventilator itself, and the men poked at the rivets around it. Frank passed away in October 2008, the note said. Marshal Service, however, took jurisdiction of all federal escapes in 1978 and considers the case an open one. Im 83 years old and in bad shape. In 2020, David Widner, a nephew of the Anglin brothers, told Georgia's Albany Herald that his family had been given some photographs by a man named Fred Brizzi. "The FBI examined the letter received in 2013 at the request of the U.S. US Federal Government, Wikimedia Commons; Getty Images, Justin Sullivan, Staff, John Anglin. It was They enjoyed less attention from the guards, a perk they enjoyed because of the fact that they were not violent offenders. Both subjects in the Brazil photo have short arms. I escape [sic] from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris, it reads. This week, CBS News obtained a copy of a letter, purportedly from John Anglin, that claims the three men succeeded in their escape. Yes we all made it that night but barely!". And why was there no attempt made to follow up with John Anglin or verify this possible lead? Their families insist they survived. Investigators doubt it. The As soon as the escape was discovered, the prison went into lockdown and officials searched the facility. Brizzi told Widner that they were John and Clarence. The term Thick as Thieves certainly applies here, as the three men all shared a passion for early exodus. Aletterallegedlywritten by one of the escapees recentlycame to light. All results came back inconclusive. It was a quadfecta if there is such a thing (there isnt), or perhaps even a perfect storm. At Alcatraz, they were reunited with Frank Morris, an inmate whom they had met at another prison and whoin addition to purportedly having a high IQalso had a penchant for escapes: He had broken out of a Louisiana facility where he had been serving time for a bank robbery, and was sent to Alcatraz after he was arrested for burglary in 1960. "My name is John Anglin. Instead of playing along with the instructions in the note, investigators did not make the announcement, and the notes author may already be gone. The Anglins and Morris made it as far as Seattle, he said, before the other men involved betrayed and murdered them. It claims brothers John and Clarence Anglin along with inmate Frank Morris lived into old age after escaping the prison half a century ago. Once there, the easy part was over. The authenticity of the correspondence was never proven, and the FBI appeared to keep the letter private until 2018. The author says Clarence Anglin died in 2008 and that Morris died in 2005. My name is John Anglin. First published on January 25, 2018 / 8:20 AM. I have existing photographs of both Anglin brothers showing their full- length body. Marshals Service which is currently the only agency investigating the case remains skeptical. And it makes an offer. "I'm 83 years old and in bad shape. I have cancer. I have cancer.". They also fashioned wooden paddles. That statement contradicts what maybe a long-standing myth; that no one has ever successfully escaped The Rock.. I escape (sic) from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. The men grabbed their gear, climbed the bars and pipes in the corridor, and bang! Thats why we consider this particular escape to be the only successful one; 12 of the others resulted in the inmates either being recaptured or killed, and while an additional attempt the one made on Dec. 16, 1937 by Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe ended up with the inmates simply missing, its highly likely that they drowned in the San Francisco Bay, according to Alcatraz History. From there, they were able to launch their raft. Together they would form a partnership that pulled off one of the most daring prison escapes in American history, a story that is told to the over 1.4 million visitors that visit the prison each year. Alfred likely knew as much or as little as anyone else, yet when his body was exhumed it showed no signs of physical abuse. The agency believed that the men had drowned, according to NewsNation. The sons of migrant farmers, they had some 11 other brothers and sisters. Dyke had worked on the case for several years. They eventually made it out through the ventilator that led them to the prisonroof. However, one thing is certain: They initiated a daring escape from a prison deemed inescapable, and filled the pages of history with their brilliant plan and craftsmanship. Even though authorities at Alcatraz had been cautioned not to house the brothers near each other, they were placed in adjacent cells. I lived in Seattle for most of my years after the escape. The FBI officially closed the case in 1979, saying "no credible evidence emerged to suggest the men were still alive, either in the U.S. or overseas." Other supposed evidence, including a photo that allegedly showed the Anglin brothers in Brazil more than a decade after the escape also turned up over the years, adding to the mystery of what happened to the three men. They quietly snuck passed the guards outside of the showers and made their way to shore. Yes we all made it that night but barely! the letters writer stated. My name is John Anglin, the letter, which was provided to KPIX 5 by an unnamed source, began. The proof that 3 men survived their escape from Alcatraz - N A photo of them, supposedly snapped by a family member, exists. The breakout of three inmates from the famous Alcatraz prison in 1962 has been the subject of wild speculation for more than half a century. Not only was there the Christmas card, but theories abound that the Anglins ended up in Brazil. Marshals Service shared new age-progressed images of Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin and his brother John Anglin depicting what the FBI believes the men would look like now. After local law enforcement received the letter, they placed a call to the FBI. John Anglin escaped from Alcatraz Prison in 1962 by making a plaster head of his likeness and putting it in his bed to fool the guards. Not bad fellas. Brizzi, a friend of the Anglins, claimed the men had not only survived their escape attempt but had made it to South America. About 60 years have passed since three inmates from the federal prison on Alcatraz escaped, never to be seen again. The Rocks unique geographic location made it an ideal place to build a prison. Marshal for northern California,falls far short of putting the matter to rest. "Handwriting samples of all three escapees, John Anglin, Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris, were compared to the anonymous letter, and the results were deemed 'inconclusive,'" said a statement from the US Marshals Service. The fate of three particular inmates, however, remains a mystery to this day Its one mystery wed all like to solve.". In fact, they only used a weapon one time: a toy gun. People were incarcerated on the 22-acre island (which took its name from the Spanish word alcatraces, which is most often translated as "pelican" or strange bird), since the 1850s, but it was only transferred to the Department of Justice in 1933, when it got a makeover with more secure cells, guard towers, and protocols that accounted for prisoners multiple times a day. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. More than 55 years and oneClint Eastwood movielater, the escape has earned its place in history as the most infamousprison break of the 20thcentury. Once the saw blades were acquired, it was Morris who put the other men to work. The letters author claims that after escaping the prison, he lived in Seattle before moving on to North Dakota and eventually settling in Southern California. In 1933, the U.S. Justice Department took over, changing Alcatraz from a military prison to a federal one meant for particularly dangerous prisoners. Once they crawled through, theyclimbed up a network of pipes and plumbing ina commonly unguarded space. They had nothing to lose, really. January 26, 201800H:40GMT/UTC/ZULU TIME, John Anglin, Frank Anglin, and Frank Morris before their escape, by Kathy DiNuzzo and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, San Francisco. Please enter valid email address to continue. He was also smart enough to recruit others. The FBI says this is the most recent piece of evidence that forced the agency to reopen the iconic cold case. Letter possibly from famous Alcatraz escapee says they survived escape and that he lived in North Dakota for eight years.https://t.co/yFVYYmzfNn. Still, men tried. But as fate would have it, they were all in cells in close proximity with each other. Its possible that Brizzi and Widners accounts, sensational as they are, could be accurate. I have cancer. Ken and David Widner, the nephews of escapee bank robber John Anglin, have slammed "inhumane" authorities for keeping secret a 2013 letter purporting to be from their uncle. His grave is in Argentina under another name. The U.S. A 1958 Alcatraz prison breaks strange ties to an Alabama bank Legend has it that no one ever successfully escaped the grim, federalisland prison in San Francisco Bay, shuttered in the early 1960s after three decades of service. But brothers John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris disappeared into the night andhave never been found. After all, it had to be installed somehow, didnt it? Can you imagine how he felt in that moment, after all those months of planning? As for the US Marshals, they tell KPIX 5 they consider this lead closed with no merit. Marshals Service said in a statement to the television station. In it, Chief Justice John Roberts says he wont testify before the committee. The Anglins took the initiative on this project and managed to produce a paper mache using several materials. Escape from Alcatraz: US Marshals Service share new, age The FBI dedicates a page to the escape on its website. As luck would have it, they all managed to be placed next to each other. The idea was to be prepared for the choppy Bay waters en route to freedom in nearby Marin County. If, by chance, a random guard came around and had a look inside the cells, he would see what appeared to be quiet inmates sleeping on their racks and carry on with his rounds. John The original FBI investigation concluded the men drowned after they recovered a lone rain jacket, used as a makeshift life preserver and pieces of a wooden paddle. They used spoons, a saw, and even pieces from an old vacuum cleaners motor to create chisels. I'm 83 years old and in bad shape. A view of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in the 1930s when it was America's premier maximum-security prison. This past summer, we got an exclusive tour of some never-before-seenparts ofAlcatraz. In a newly The US Marshals Service took jurisdiction of the case in 1978 and considers it still open. My name is John Anglin, the letter, which was provided to KPIX 5 by an unnamed source, began. According to KPIX 5, the FBI first learned of the letter after it was sent to the San Francisco Police Departments Richmond station in 2013. "It's interesting, I mean it's obviously a very famous case here in San Francisco," said KPIX 5 Security Analyst Jeff Harp. If you announce on TV that I will be promised to first 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. By 1979, the FBI had officially closed its case. ", The letter makes an offer: "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". WebFamily members of the Anglin brothers occasionally received many unsigned postcards and messages over the years. "My name is John Anglin," reads the letter. US Marshals, the FBI, and local law enforcement came to their own conclusion: The men drown and never made it to shore. Im 83 years old and in bad shape. Come daylight, the illusion stopped working. They smashed open the ventilation shaft. Escape from Alcatraz: Letter claiming inmates survived But recently, the U.S. In hindsight, maybe they should have separated these guys when sentencing them. Within days, letters sealed in rubber were found, along with paddle-like pieces of wood and pieces of rubber inner tube in the water. After six months of preparation and gathering of materials, their plan was complete! Of the Anglins, Wilkinson was less complimentary. GP appointments crisis laid bare as figures show family doctors are cramming in up to 60 patients per day. John and Clarence Anglin, Two of the Only Men to The 50+ raincoats they had collected during their tenure at The Rock were meticulously stitched together, then vulcanized using the heat from steam pipes circulating in the walls of the prison. Who Is John Anglin? This Letter Might Reveal What Happened "For him to say he had cancer and was dying, I feel like they should have at least reached out to the family and let them know it existed," Widner said.