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ESCAPE ATTEMPTS
There were, however, prisoners who decided not to wait for a Gas Powered
Motor Scooter transfer to another prison. Over the 29 years (1934-1963)
that the Federal prison operated, 36 men (including two who tried to
escape twice) were involved in 14 separate escape attempts. Twenty-three
were caught, six were shot and killed during their escape, and two
drowned. Two of the men who were caught were later executed in the gas
chamber at the California State Prison at San Quentin for their role in
the death of a correctional officer during the famous May 2-4, 1946,
"Battle of Alcatraz" escape attempt. Gas Powered Motor Scooter
Whether or not anyone succeeded in escaping from Alcatraz depends on the
definition of "successful escape." Is it getting out of the cellhouse,
reaching the water, making it to land, or reaching land and not getting
caught? Officially, no one ever succeeded in escaping from Alcatraz,
although to this day there are five prisoners listed Gas Powered Motor
Scooter as "missing and presumed drowned."
Following are summaries of the 14 escape attempts: Gas Powered Motor
Scooter
#1. April 27, 1936 - While working his job burning trash at the
incinerator, Joe Bowers began climbing up and over the chain link fence
at the island's edge. After refusing orders to climb back down, Bowers
was Gas Powered Motor Scooter shot by a correctional officer stationed
in the West road guard tower, then fell about 50-100 feet to the shore
below. He died from his injuries. Gas Powered Motor Scooter
#2. December 16, 1937 - While working in the mat shop in the model
industries building, Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe had, over a period of
time, filed their way through the flat iron bars on a window. Gas
Powered Motor Scooter After climbing through the window, they made their
way down to the water's edge and disappeared into San Francisco Bay.
This attempt occurred during a bad storm and the Bay's currents were
especially fast and strong - most people believe Roe and Cole were swept
out to sea. Officially, they are listed missing and presumed dead. Gas
Powered Motor Scooter
#3. May 23, 1938 - While at work in the woodworking shop in the model
industries building, James Limerick, Jimmy Lucas, and Rufus Franklin
attacked unarmed correctional officer Royal Cline with a hammer (Cline
died from his injuries). The three then climbed to the roof in an
attempt to disarm the correctional officer in the Gas Powered Motor
Scooter roof tower. The officer, Harold Stites, shot Limerick and
Franklin. Limerick died from his injuries. Lucas and Franklin received
life sentences for Cline's murder. Gas Powered Motor Scooter
#4. January 13, 1939 - Arthur "Doc" Barker, Dale Stamphill, William
Martin, Henry Young, and Rufus McCain escaped from the isolation unit in
the cellhouse by sawing through the flat iron cell bars and bending
tool-proof bars on a window. They then made their way down to the
water's edge. Correctional officers found the men Gas Powered Motor
Scooter at the shoreline on the west side of the island. Martin,
Young, and McCain surrendered, while Barker and Stamphill were shot when
they refused to surrender. Barker died from his injuries. Gas Powered
Motor Scooter
#5. May 21, 1941 - Joe Cretzer, Sam Shockley, Arnold Kyle, and Lloyd
Barkdoll took several correctional officers hostage while working in the
industries area. The officers, including Paul Madigan (who later became
Alcatraz's third warden), were able to convince the four that they could
not escape and they surrendered.
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