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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
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anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
00:02:58
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website from the residue of the great depression
00:03:08
and prohibition emerged the Public Enemy crime wave of 1930s America high-profile
00:03:13
outlaws racketeers and organized crime gangs terrorized American cities fighting to control million-dollar
00:03:19
illegal industries robberies kidnappings murders gang wars corruption shootouts and smuggling were rampant notorious
00:03:29
gangsters such as Machine Gun Kelly kill a couple Bonnie and Clyde bank robber and prison escapee John Dillinger and
00:03:36
real-life Scarface crime boss Al Capone reigned over America completely indifferent to the law traditional
00:03:44
prison didn't intimidate rich and renowned career criminals who ruled regional prisons by bribing prison staff
00:03:49
intimidating other inmates and smuggling information in an hour in response the United States Department of Justice
00:03:57
sought to create the ultimate crime deterrent a revolutionary prison guarded by incorruptible staff where all inmates
00:04:04
were of equal low status and nothing could get in or out in October 1933 the Department of Justice acquired ownership
00:04:14
of Alcatraz Island a 22-acre Rock in the middle of the cold and treacherous waters of San Francisco Bay California
00:04:22
located 1.2 miles from the northern shoreline of San Francisco City the barren sandstone island featured
00:04:28
decaying remnants of its 150 year history including a lighthouse fortified stone walls a citadel and an old
00:04:36
military prison upon the structural remains of the old military Citadel they constructed a looming fortification of
00:04:44
concrete and steel encompassed by guard towers spotlights chain-link fences coiled barbed wire and thick tulle proof
00:04:53
steel bars they designed a revolutionary maximum-security Federal Penitentiary named Alcatraz prison the most expensive
00:05:01
prison ever built at the time had featured a main cell house with four cell blocks known as a B C and D box
00:05:08
that were three levels higher with a total of 336 prison cells Alcatraz prison was the solution to America's
00:05:16
overwhelming crime problem it didn't aim to rehabilitate like other prisons it aimed the punished
00:05:24
the worst of the worst inmates of all the other prisons across America was shifted to Alcatraz inmates who were
00:05:30
deemed unmanageable for traditional Penitentiary's those who attacked or killed guards routinely fought other
00:05:37
prisoners bribed prison staff at attempted escapes and those who required firmer handling and tougher discipline
00:05:43
if you broke the rules he went to prison if you broke the prison rules he went to Alcatraz hardened career
00:05:53
criminals with dehumanized and broken physically and mentally using isolation cramped cells intense rules rigid
00:06:00
discipline and crushing punishment some prisoners reported being threatened and beaten by guards others claimed to have
00:06:08
been chained down in the old dungeons beneath the cell house as punishment in the initial years of the prison a strict
00:06:15
rule of silence was enforced meaning prisoners were not permitted to talk to one another except during meal and
00:06:20
recreation periods prisoners who violated the silence rule were disciplined harshly the rule was
00:06:27
eventually relaxed when prison operators realized that sent many prisoners insane
00:06:31
after an inmate chopped off four of his fingers with a hatchet in a desperate attempt to get off the island
00:06:37
inmates nicknamed the island Alcatraz and marched about the cold island with hopeless and helpless despair tortured
00:06:44
daily by the cheerful sights and sounds of bustling San Francisco City across the bay San Francisco residents were
00:06:53
wary of having a prison crowded with the most dangerous criminals in America located in the heart of their Harbor
00:06:59
Alcatraz prison operators assured them that their one-of-a-kind state-of-the-art Island prison was
00:07:04
completely escape proof the prison was fitted with an abundance of safeguards the keep prisoners in but it didn't stop
00:07:11
some inmates from trying to plot their escape by 1946 there had been nine escape attempts from Alcatraz fences
00:07:19
were climbed iron bars were foiled through rafts were constructed desperate escapees viciously killed a guard using
00:07:26
a hammer some inmates slipped away during momentary distractions impressively one inmate was able to assemble a US
00:07:33
Army sergeants uniform from bags of laundry and when wearing the uniform snuck aboard a ferry off the island
00:07:41
three inmates were shot dead two drowned in the strong tides of San Francisco Bay
00:07:46
and to those who were recaptured we end up in solitary confinement of the 22 we mates who had attempted to break out of
00:07:55
Alcatraz all so far had failed [Music] [Music] 37 year old Bernie cui was sentenced in
00:08:28
June 1937 to serve 25 years for armed robbery at a Penitentiary in Atlanta Georgia a World War one veteran who
00:08:36
struggled to find employment after the war coy talked to robbing banks to make quick cash after his trial coy told the
00:08:43
judge there's no place you can send me that will hold me born into poverty and the target of his father's beatings
00:08:52
prison nurtured quois defensive and violent tendencies and he frequently got into confrontations with other inmates
00:08:58
when Koya touched a razor blade to a toothbrush handle and attacked another inmate with it prison authorities
00:09:04
decided that without stricter control and punishment Bernie coy could become a dangerous high-risk inmate in July 1937
00:09:14
only 28 days into his 25-year sentence curry was transferred to Alcatraz prison where it was believed to the harsher
00:09:22
environment would straighten him out Bernie coy became Alcatraz inmate AZ for 1/5
00:09:32
Berni coid despised Alcatraz prison he routinely fought other inmates including one violent fight where he was stabbed
00:09:38
with a butcher's knife multiple times we spent seven days in the prison hospital
00:09:43
recovering the life-threatening experience should have taught him a valuable lesson
00:09:47
only those who put their head down shut up and serve - that time would come out of Alcatraz alive but it was hard to
00:09:54
break a man who was already broken at the end of 1939 during his second year on Alcatraz
00:10:03
Bernie coy attempted to escape by trying to cut through a steel window shield located in the prison's bait shop his
00:10:09
plan was thwarted and to try and discourage any further escape attempts he was given the worse than most feared
00:10:15
punishment a prisoner could receive on Alcatraz time in the strip cell the strip cell was located in d-block
00:10:24
known as the prisons treatment unit a prison within a prison d-block was a self-contained section in
00:10:31
the southern area of the main cell house inaccessible and off-limits the general
00:10:35
population inmates d-block featured 42 cells home to Alcatraz's most problematic and dangerous rule breakers
00:10:43
Furby six were solitary confinement cells prisoners in solitary were kept in their cells at all times except for one
00:10:50
visit to the recreation yard and two trips to the shower facilities per week five were isolation cells they had dual
00:10:58
doors a traditional barred door and a heavy steel door in front two completely into me and made inside these cells were
00:11:05
nicknamed the hole and only contained a sink toilet and a low wattage light bulb
00:11:11
after his attempted bait shop breakout Bernie ploy was put in a strip sell the final sell at the end the isolation
00:11:18
cells prior to entry inmates were stripped naked and pushed into the cold steel encased cell with no clothing or
00:11:27
blankets there was nothing inside but a hole in the floor used as a toilet the strip cell also featured jeweled doors
00:11:34
accepted solid door remained closed at all times keeping the cell in complete darkness a flimsy mattress was slid in
00:11:41
at night but taken away during the day inmates in the strip cell were also given a restricted diet of bread and
00:11:48
water the extreme coldness isolation hunger and sensory deprivation had a profound effect on prisoners kept inside
00:11:55
the strip cell broke the most disobedient prisoners into a weakened state of obedience and in the case of
00:12:02
Bernie coy that appeared to have worked after his time in the strip Sol Bernie coy emerged the changed man he was far
00:12:12
less antagonistic and appeared to have given up any plans to escape over the following seven years
00:12:19
Bernie coy earned a new reputation as a mature easygoing respectful inmate who got on well with everyone he was well
00:12:26
liked and trusted by fellow inmates and prison guards alike coins positive reputation earned him the coveted job as
00:12:35
the prison's library orderly the Alcatraz library was in the main cell house in the southeast corner of the
00:12:40
building adjacent to C Block and a next door to D block a job given to trusted prisoners the library orderly was
00:12:47
permitted to move freely around the prison cell house to deliver reading material to guards and inmates this job
00:12:55
granted Bernie coy access to the off-limits and sealed off D block through his book deliveries the D block
00:13:00
COI was able to have unsupervised interactions with the prisoners kept there viewed as a model inmate
00:13:07
Chloe was also given the additional work role of prison orderly performing general janitorial duties throughout the
00:13:13
cell house in Alcatraz being given more work was seen as a privilege as it meant
00:13:19
spending less time alone in yourself by 1946 Chloe was dieting to lose excess weight in spending spare time performing
00:13:28
strength exercises to build muscle in total he lost 20 pounds and became noticeably lean and physically fit
00:13:37
Khoi read extensively and painted pictures from memory of the hills and valleys from his childhood home of
00:13:44
Kentucky whose art was even admired by the prison warden who was pleased to put his work in an exhibition in Washington
00:13:50
DC where it was positively received it appeared coy was the shining example of the positive effect the strictness of
00:13:58
Alcatraz could have on a difficult and disobedient man reshaping his reputation body and mind coy went through a
00:14:08
multitude of changes but one thing never changed with Bernie coy he was determined more than ever to
00:14:14
successfully break out of Alcatraz for seven years he had behaved himself and earned everyone's trust patiently and
00:14:22
discreetly studying the prison and its guards memorizing their schedules interactions work duties and habits he
00:14:30
called in favors from other inmates procured and smuggled items built makeshift tools and selected trusted
00:14:36
accomplices and by May 2nd 1946 Bernie coy was ready to break out from Alcatraz once and for all
00:14:47
[Music] at approximately 1:00 p.m. on May 2nd Burnie coy collected a broom and started
00:14:58
his janitorial duties in the main cell house as he swept the concrete floors the cell house was quiet most cells were
00:15:06
empty as the majority of the general prison population were out working in other areas of the island by 1:30 p.m.
00:15:12
the guard presence in the main cell house was at its lowest level the only guards on watch at the time were
00:15:19
correctional officers Bert Burch and William Miller birch paced the West End gun gallery with rifle in hand the
00:15:29
gallery was an elevated barred catwalk that ran the length of the western wall above the ground floor its high vantage
00:15:34
point enabled the guard a top-down view of the entire cell house officer Miller sat at the guards desk by the dining
00:15:42
hall entrance underneath the gallery coy continued sweeping the floor steadily by
00:15:47
the desk keeping his head down once he turned to the corner of C block and was out of Burton Miller's sights coy rushed
00:15:55
to the library at the back of the library was a door that led to D block which he tapped on several times the
00:16:03
prisoners in D block were having their after lunch naps so the sound of keys tapping carried down the length of the
00:16:09
quiet cell corridor and reached the ears of Alcatraz inmate AZ for six two 39 year old Sam Shockley Shockley was
00:16:18
serving a life sentence for bank robbery and kidnapping Shockley had the mental development
00:16:23
equivalent of a child aged eight to ten years old and he suffered from schizophrenia and hallucinations
00:16:29
he spoke of hearing radio voices that stayed on all night frightening him as they spoke evil words he believed his
00:16:36
food was drugged to make him crazy that he had stomach cancer which he didn't and he said he saw flashing beams of
00:16:43
light in his cell at night that he thought controlled him his psychosis resulted in violent and
00:16:49
uncontrollable rages that earned him the nickname crazy sim and he was considered
00:16:54
far too dangerous for regular prison so he was quickly transferred to Alcatraz however Alcatraz didn't fix Shockley he
00:17:03
continued to have psychotic meltdowns where he would scream threats throw things from his cell break plumbing
00:17:08
fixtures start fires and attack officers as a result he spent most of his time in
00:17:14
d-block solitary and he was often put in the strip cell when Shockley heard boys
00:17:22
tapping on the library door he knew exactly what to do crazy Sam suddenly erupted into a
00:17:28
pre-planned and staged violent rage that mimicked his previous meltdowns he screamed rattled his sword or yelled
00:17:35
threats and trashed his cell - officer Cecil Corwin on guard in d-block that wasn't an unusual sight to see
00:17:43
Shockley having a random angry outburst before Corwin went to investigate he called officer Burt in the main cell
00:17:50
house gallery to step into the d-block gallery and oversee the situation is back up back in the main cell house
00:17:57
Bernie Coyne continued sweeping the corridors pretending to be oblivious to the commotion here just caused in
00:18:03
d-block with his eyes set on officer birch up in the gallery chloe watched as he took a telephone call and quickly
00:18:10
headed to the door leading to the day block gallery everything was going exactly the plan
00:18:17
once the door closed behind officer Burch qui swept his broom towards the entrance of the dining hall ready for
00:18:24
the next part of his elaborate plan [Music] Alcatraz inmate AZ 6:45 was 34 year-old
00:18:37
Marvin Hubbard a convicted armed robber imprisoned in 1942 for kidnapping and transporting firearms across state lines
00:18:45
Hubbard was sent to Alcatraz after instigating riots and attempting several escapes at his previous prison on the
00:18:52
afternoon of May 2nd 1946 puppet was on cleanup duty in the prison's kitchen located at the back of the dining hall
00:19:00
intentionally working slower than usual Hubbard had been waiting for a signal from Bernie coy to let him know the
00:19:06
escape was on puppet courtside of koi in the main cell house and got the signal he discreetly
00:19:14
slipped the large butcher's knife up his shirtsleeve keeping the handle in his palm he moved towards the guard
00:19:20
supervising the kitchen cleaning crew officer Joseph Burdette at 1:40 p.m. Hubbard asked bird that if he could go
00:19:28
to the recreation yard and get some fresh air Burdette agreed and Hubbard walked down
00:19:33
the long dining hall to the barred gate leading into the main cell house officer
00:19:40
Miller was now the only guard in the main cell house he was by the entrance to the dining hall when Hubbard appeared
00:19:46
Miller opened to the gate to let hub it into the main cell house hubbard lifted his arms in preparation to be packed
00:19:53
down by Miller to check if he had smuggled any contraband from the kitchen cupboard ID Bernie coy now was his
00:20:01
chance ernie koy silently placed the broom down lowered himself into a crouch and crept up behind Miller as the guard
00:20:10
was patting Hubbard down milah had no idea coy had snuck up a horn him until he was punched in the
00:20:16
back of the head Khoi then pinged millas arms from behind allowing hubbard to attack him with a
00:20:21
flurry of fallen punches officer Milla battered and bleeding slumped back against the coy unconscious coy searched
00:20:31
Miller's body install a large ring of case clip to his belt after years of spying on the prison
00:20:37
coy had the knowledge to access and use the control panel that opened and closed
00:20:41
the prison cells he pulled a lever and racked open an empty cell on the corner of c-block cell
00:20:47
number 404 coy and Hubbard dragged Miller inside the soul stripped him of his uniform jacket and pants and then
00:20:55
tied him down to the cell bunk coy ran back to the control box and opened three more specific cells from the first cell
00:21:10
emerged Alcatraz inmate az5 for a 35 year old Joseph Kretzer a bank robber sentenced to serve 25 years in February
00:21:19
1940 during outdoor work and McNeil Island Corrections Center in Washington Kretzer and another inmate pump for
00:21:27
themselves with axes stole a prison truck and drove to a remote area whether on the run for three days before being
00:21:33
recaptured the two were put on trial for unlawful escape when the court took a recess at noon press sir Andy's
00:21:41
co-accused were led to a detention cell when court recommenced to court martials
00:21:46
entered the cell to retrieve the two accused Kretzer stood and charged at the marshals in an attempt to escape and a
00:21:53
violent altercation followed after the scuffle one of the marshals fell to the floor and suffered a fatal heart attack
00:22:00
in the trial that followed the court accepted the death was accidental so joseph Kretzer avoided the electric
00:22:07
chair but was handed a life sentence due to his history it was determined that greater measures were needed to contain
00:22:16
joseph Kretzer and he was sent to live out his life sentence at Alcatraz from the next soul emerged Alcatraz
00:22:28
inmate AZ seven to nine thirty year old Maren Thompson Thompson had a long and varied criminal history and in March
00:22:36
1945 he committed the act that would see him sealed away for good Thompson was being apprehended for his
00:22:43
involvement in a burglary he'd not yet been handcuffed so when the opportunity arose Thompson pulled out a concealed
00:22:50
revolver pointed it at his arresting officer and fired the officer died instantly
00:22:57
Thompson fled to New Mexico and was captured attempting to cross the border Alcatraz was the best incarceration
00:23:04
option for Thompson it's thick concrete walls and tool resistant bars would hold
00:23:09
this slick criminal who had eight successful prison escapes noted on his record Thompson had only been in Alcatraz for
00:23:17
just over six months when he saw door rattled open and he stepped out to play his part in Bernie quois escape plan
00:23:28
from the third and final soul emerged Alcatraz inmate az7 one for 18 year-old Clarence cons cons was sentenced to life
00:23:38
imprisonment at the age of 16 for the murder of a garage attendant during an attempted holdup he escaped in 1945 but
00:23:46
was recaptured and had 99 years added to his life sentence after making another escape attempt shortly after cons was
00:23:54
transferred to escape-proof Alcatraz in June 1945 where he owned the record of being the youngest inmate to ever be
00:24:02
incarcerated there at this stage prison staff were completely unaware that a group of prisoners were orchestrating a
00:24:10
breakout as his accomplices kept lookout at the cell house entrances Bernie coy squeezed into the narrow utility
00:24:18
corridor in the center of C Block in the narrow hallway of pipes coy collected the cotton pouch he had hidden there
00:24:25
long before inside the pouts were several items coy had smuggled and prepared earlier a bar spreading device
00:24:31
constructed out of toilet fixtures a wrench and axle grease Khoi stripped to his underwear and
00:24:38
smeared the grease all over his body holding the parts between clenched teeth cloistered himself up until cold of the
00:24:46
bar surrounding the cell house observation point the West End gun gallery hand-over-hand he scaled the box
00:24:53
until he was on top looking down into the gallery's catwalk we needed to move quickly
00:24:59
officer Burch was still distracted in d-block overseeing shock we staged meltdown but he could return at any
00:25:06
moment coy maneuvered the bar spreading tool into the 5-inch gap between the bars using a tight grip on the wrench he
00:25:14
rotated the bar spreader causing enough tension for the bars to slowly Bend with
00:25:20
several strained turns of the wrench cui forced the five inch gap between the bars into a sizable ten inch gap having
00:25:28
already lost twenty pounds of body weight in preparation for this moment coy inhaled a deep breath and squeezed
00:25:33
his lean frame into the opening the grease helped slide his body through and within seconds coy dropped it down into
00:25:41
the gallery excitedly rummaging through the weapons cabinet query armed himself with a riot
00:25:47
club and ducked by the door that led to the d-block gallery when Officer Birchtree entered the main cell house
00:25:54
gallery after helping deal with Shockley quite pounced he violently thumped the officer with the riot club throwing the
00:26:02
guard off-balance and causing him to drop his rifle coy left on top of him and began to strangle him officer
00:26:11
Berta's eyes rolled back and his body went limp coy released the unconscious guard and took more items from the
00:26:18
gallery's weapon cabinet he lowered a colt 45 pistol with 21 rounds of ammunition and several riot clubs to
00:26:25
Kretzer and the others on the ground floor coital counter ship of officer birch as
00:26:29
a rifle and 50 rounds of ammunition with rifle in hand Corey opened the door to the d-block
00:26:38
gallery and snuck in officer Corwin heard movement in the gallery above assuming officer birch had come back but
00:26:46
when he looked up he saw Bernie coy pointing a rifle down at him quí told officer Corwin to follow his
00:26:53
orders stay away from the telephone walk over to the door and open it koi kept the rifle trained on officer Corwin as
00:27:01
he unlocked the ground-floor door to the main cell house the door swung open and Kretzer was
00:27:08
waiting immediately pressing the cold barrel of his pistol against Corwin's forehead Kretzer ordered him to hand
00:27:15
over his uniform jacket hat and keys Colin was then forced into cell 404 where officer Miller was imprisoned
00:27:22
Burnie coy returned to officer Burch stripped the unconscious officer of his uniform stole his case and tied him
00:27:30
against some electrical parking Khoi then squeezed through the bend bars above and climbed back down to the
00:27:36
ground floor when officer Burch regained consciousness he struggled with his restraints and died the telephone nearby
00:27:44
I'll kill you if you try to reach that phone Kretzer warned pointing his pistol up at the guard at the control box
00:27:54
Koya racked open all the cells to the top two levels of d-block some inmates emerged curious to see what was going on
00:28:01
others remained in their cells not wanting to get involved sim Shockley bounded from his trash cell ready to
00:28:08
escape coy and Kretzer hurriedly inspected the collection of keys they had confiscated from the guards looking
00:28:16
for key number 107 from his observations coin ooh key 107 opened the door to the
00:28:22
recreation yard once in the yard the escapees planned to shoot out surrounding car tellers that would then
00:28:29
make their way to the island docks taking hostages along the way possibly the family members of prison staff who
00:28:35
lived on the island then they'd hijack a boat and set sail to the mainland to freedom
00:28:42
however progress immediately came to a halt when cui hit the first major hurdle in his meticulous escape plan he didn't
00:28:50
have k107 qui expected to be out of the cell house and into the yard by now but without key 107 that was impossible and
00:28:59
he didn't have a back-up plan impatient and frustrated he began shoving the keys
00:29:06
he didn't have into the lock in a fruitless attempt to open the door but as to be expected the door wouldn't open
00:29:13
without the correct key then suddenly the entry door to the main cell house swung open cheap steward Bob Bristow
00:29:27
entered the cell house and moved briskly towards the dining hall at the end of the room he noticed Officer Miller was
00:29:33
not at his post then he saw that the dining hall gate had been left open Bristow felt something wasn't right and
00:29:41
made phony motions to appear as though he had forgotten something he turned around and walked quickly back towards
00:29:47
the cell house entrance where he had just come from but Clarence Khan's armed with a sharp pair of artists dividers
00:29:53
intercepted Bristow before he could raise the alarm and led him to cell 404 that was holding the other captured
00:29:59
guards coy and Kretzer then approached cell 404 officer Miller had regained consciousness and the inmates demanded
00:30:08
key 107 from him Miller told them that after he was done with the key earlier in his shift he had followed protocol
00:30:15
and returned it to officer Burch in the gallery he could only assume that was still there having already taken officer
00:30:23
Burgess keys coy considered the possibility he did in fact have k107 but failed to notice it in his hasty search
00:30:30
laying out all the keys he had collected on the guards desk coy carefully inspected each one but stopped when the
00:30:38
cell house entry door opened once more officer earnest Larsen had finished his lunch break and it was returning to the
00:30:45
cell house he heard footsteps behind him and turned around a figure walk towards
00:30:51
him and as it got closer Larson made out it was a shirtless man where a pair of officers uniform pants he
00:30:58
recognized the figure as inmate Burnie Qui Qui raised his rifle has the other stripped Larson of his keys and
00:31:04
valuables and shoved him into the now overcrowded cell 404 with the other captured guards
00:31:11
none of the captured guards could work out how Cooley managed to infiltrate the gallery and obtain the firearms housed
00:31:17
there there were no weapons carried in the main section of the cell house only up in the gallery as it was considered
00:31:23
the most secure area Burnie coy was the first inmate in the history of Alcatraz to get his hands on guns from the
00:31:30
gallery minutes later officer Burdette who was still supervising the cleanup in the kitchen left to inspect the
00:31:40
cleanliness of the dining hall he thought it was odd that the dining hall gate was open and there no guards in
00:31:46
sight as bird that went to investigate he glimpsed Burnie coy rush passed Burdette
00:31:52
thought coy was about to fight another inmate so he yelled out within seconds but that was captured by the escapees
00:32:00
and shoved into Sol 404 time was running out with each new unexpected hostage the
00:32:08
possibility that someone would come looking for the missing guards increased but without key 107 the inmates were
00:32:14
stuck in the cell house there was no other way of getting out as a frustrated coy paced back and forth trying to
00:32:22
determine the whereabouts of key 107 the imprisoned guards asked if they could untie officer Miller from the sole cot
00:32:29
Clarence Karns agreed as officer Miller was untied he covertly handed key 107 to
00:32:36
officer Burdette Dean mates or nothing the cell was too crowded for them to notice the quick exchange in what was
00:32:46
nothing more than a random coincidence officer Miller didn't follow correct prison protocol earlier that day like he
00:32:52
said he had he had not yet returned key 107 to the gallery and instead slipped the key into Essure pocket with the
00:32:59
intention to return it later he took a risk and lied to the escaping inmates he knew that would hurt more people if they
00:33:06
got out of the cell house and Nilla didn't want that happen Kretzer and koi had missed the
00:33:12
cake during their hasty search of Miller when he was unconscious after having k107 pass to him
00:33:19
officer Burdette's knocked to the back of the cell as the other guards blocked him from you he dipped the key into the
00:33:25
sole toilet and split it down the pipe until it was out of sight furious and flustered Burnie koi now suspected he
00:33:33
was being lied to and believed officer Miller still had k107 he opened a cell 404 and roughly grabbed Milla pulling
00:33:41
the injured guard out of this hole Kretzer aggressively searched him again but found nothing they demanded all of
00:33:48
the guards in Sulphur o4e out and transferred them into Sol 403 after tearing apart Sol for our foreign a
00:33:56
frantic search and finding nothing koi he glanced at the toilet he got on his hands and knees and reached into the
00:34:03
toilet bowl he felt something metallic and heavy he grabbed the object and lifted his hand out tied in his grasp
00:34:12
was k107 [Music] in the prisons baseman officer ed stocker patrolled the sharing facility
00:34:24
barber shop and clothing room directly underneath the main cell house he didn't engage the 21 prisoners under his watch
00:34:32
in idle chitchat instead officer Stoker's authoritative nature kept the prisoners heads down and
00:34:38
mouth shut as they went about their work force Tucker and the prisoners alike may
00:34:43
2nd 1946 was just another uneventful routine day in Alcatraz prison shortly after 1:30 p.m. two inmates who finished
00:34:53
their duties early approached officer Stoker asking if they could spend the remainder of their scheduled time in the
00:34:58
prison recreation yard stocker agreed and allowed the inmates to go the two inmates marked up the basement stairs
00:35:06
towards the main cell house from where they could gain access to the recreation yard at the top of the stairs was a lock
00:35:12
- still grated door unable to open the locked door the inmates called out to get the
00:35:17
attention of guards in the cell house when they got no response they started rattling and hitting the cage door their
00:35:26
racket echoed down the long corridors between the cell blocks but no guards appeared the two inmates returned to the
00:35:33
basement to tell officer stocker stocker immediately sensed something was off it
00:35:41
was very unusual for there to be no guards in their cell house and he went upstairs to investigate using his own
00:35:48
key Stucker opened the cage door of the top of the stairs remaining at the doorway he noticed something strange
00:35:56
several inmates were out of their cells they're moving freely and quickly about the ground floor of the cell house with
00:36:02
no supervising guards inside something was seriously wrong the strain mates caught sight of officer
00:36:11
stocker and he all Darren he backed into the stairwell secured the door with a padlock and to move quickly back down
00:36:18
into the basement he went straight to the basement telephone and dialed the prison's armory the armory was the main
00:36:25
communication center of Alcatraz the secure room had a switchboard to all of the telephones in the prison and it had
00:36:31
all the keys to the prison it also featured a weapons vault filled with rifles pistols submachine guns gas
00:36:38
grenades and ammunition officer Clift fish took the call from officer stocker who said quietly trouble in the cell
00:36:46
house before hanging up confused officer fish called several telephones located throughout the main cell house but each
00:36:55
phone rang out fish felt uneasy this was highly unusual fishing formed captain henry one hold of his concerns captain
00:37:07
one hold interpreted the unanswered phones to mean a prison fight must be occurring so we went to sort it out when
00:37:14
he didn't return officer fish contacted lieutenant of the watch joseph simpson and explained something suspicious was
00:37:20
going on in the cell house within minutes simpson arrived at the armory with officers robert baker and carl
00:37:28
Sundstrom simpson decided they should enter the soleus to find out what was going on officer fish believed the cell
00:37:36
house wasn't safe and advised simpson and the other officers not to enter the Simpson ignored the warning arming
00:37:43
themselves with battens from the weapons vault Simpsons group who left the armory
00:37:47
and moved into the so house leading officer fish behind officer fish watch the minutes tick by
00:37:55
when the officers didn't return to the armory he believed there's something had gone terribly wrong and he was right
00:38:04
although he didn't know it yet the escaping inmates had captured Weinhold Simpson and the others the moment they
00:38:10
entered the soul house the hostage soul had become so overcrowded the captured guards were forced to split up between
00:38:16
cells 403 and 404 once again fish called H of the telephones throughout the cell
00:38:23
house and again the telephones went unanswered it was time to call the warden Alcatraz prison warden James Johnston
00:38:34
was taking a nap in his home located at the northeastern end of Alcatraz Island he didn't want to be disturbed so when
00:38:41
the telephone rang loudly around 2 p.m. mrs. Johnston was quick to answer fish asks to speak to the warden and mrs.
00:38:48
Johnson denied the request but fish was insistent and clearly nervous warden Johnson took the call and fish told him
00:38:57
there's some trouble in the cell house I don't know what it is but I think it's bad
00:39:02
the warden immediately made his way in the meantime officer fish was left with a difficult decision whether or not he
00:39:11
should set off the prison alarm if the siren was engaged that would ring out for three minutes
00:39:16
the wooden only alert everyone on Alcatraz Island that the prison had been compromised but the sound would travel
00:39:22
across the city and let the world know to fish Maggie's decision and at 2:07 p.m. a blaring siren echoed across the
00:39:32
bay to San Francisco confused and concerned residents line to the docks around at the northern wharf drawn to
00:39:40
the sound emanating from Alcatraz back in the main cell house the escapees had captured 10 officers officers Miller
00:39:54
Corwin Burdette Bristow Larson Reinhold Simpson Baker and sundström were being held in the cells and officer Burch was
00:40:02
still tied for the electrical pipe being up in the gallery the escapees froze when the pitched ring of the telephones
00:40:09
echoed throughout the cell house when one stopped ringing another would flare up from elsewhere
00:40:15
then minutes later the prison alarm went off the sound of the alarm st. coin the
00:40:22
panic mode there was no time to punish the guards for hiding key 107 in the toilet the main thing was that he had
00:40:30
found it he rushed to the recreation yard door and shoved key 107 into the slot and turned when he heard a click
00:40:38
coy slammed his body against the heavy door this was his defining moment he was about to burst out from the cell house
00:40:46
that had held him for seven years and fought his way to freedom but the door didn't budge we checked the key
00:40:57
it was definitely 107 he tried it again it still didn't budge over and over he inserted the key turned it and pushed
00:41:09
against the door each time more desperate than the last but the door didn't move all these years
00:41:20
of studying Alcatraz only gave Bernie Koya surface level understanding of how the prison operated he had no idea about
00:41:27
the inner workings of the prison when an incorrect key was tried in a lock that would display some of the tumblers in
00:41:34
the lock mechanism rendering it completely inoperable there was a hidden failsafe for exact moments like this
00:41:40
the inmates weren't to know that the recreation yard door jammed the moment they slid in the wrong key even when the
00:41:47
correct key was used afterwards the door had already shut down the correct key no
00:41:52
longer functioned as the prison siren echoed through the cell house being made stood in silent defeat
00:42:00
soon the island would be swarming with armed officers ready to take back the cell house
00:42:05
Bernie coy realized his grand escape had now turned into a possible suicide mission coy Kretzer and Hubbard
00:42:14
discussed their predicament the three inmates made it clear to each other that they didn't intend to be taken alive
00:42:20
they made a pact they wouldn't surrender they would try to stay alive for as long as possible
00:42:26
and if an opportunity allowed one of them to escape that would take it eighteen year-old Clarence cons were
00:42:34
surprised at how casually the other escapees talked about the possibility of dying he didn't feel as enthused Hubbard
00:42:42
instructed the uninvolved prisoners wandering around the soul house to return to their selves and take cover
00:42:47
war had been declared on Alcatraz and the battle was about to begin coy sprinted into the prison kitchen and
00:42:57
smashed out its windows several guards patrolling the towers had walked out into the open upon hearing the siren and
00:43:03
were surveying the landscape claimed his rifle at the nearest guard tower and fired he hit a guard who fell and
00:43:12
cradled a bullet wound to his leg aiming at another tower Khoi shattered its windows as the guard attempted to
00:43:20
determine the source of the shooting coy fired at him the bullet was past the guards shoulder but he fell to the
00:43:26
ground anyway playing dead as koi shot at the guard towers the crack of his gunfire could be
00:43:34
heard as far away as the Golden Gate Bridge Joseph Kretzer paced the front of cells
00:43:44
403 and 404 the revolver stolen from the gallery helped tightly in his hand he openly contemplated the idea of killing
00:43:54
his captives to leave no witnesses fellow escapee marin thompson agreed with killing the witnesses Sam Shockley
00:44:03
also encouraged Creta and yelled hysterically shoot him all dead go ahead and kill Kretzer stood before
00:44:11
cell 404 the barrel of his pistol pointed through the bars captain Weinhold pleaded with Kretzer to
00:44:18
be sensible and not to hurt anyone at near point blank range Kretzer pulled the trigger the bullet penetrated wine
00:44:27
holds chest the cells other occupants pressed themselves against the back wall as one hold fell to the floor
00:44:34
Shockley cheered shoot the puck is dead Kretzer leveled the barrel again and pulled the trigger
00:44:43
the second bullet struck officer Miller in the chest the third struck officer Corwin in the face
00:44:48
the remaining officers dived to the floor as Kretzer took aim at each one pressing the trigger over and over as
00:44:55
the bullets burrowed into the pile of bodies the officers next door in sulphur o3 listened in horror as their
00:45:01
colleagues were being slaughtered when the firing stopped they heard the familiar sound of bullets sliding into a
00:45:09
revolvers chamber followed by the click of the loaded mechanism being snapped back into place Kretzer then appear in
00:45:17
front of self 403 with callous indifference he performed the same methodical slaughter of the occupants in
00:45:24
the second soul lieutenant Simpson was shot in the stomach officer Baker fell to the floor a bullet
00:45:30
shattering his femur bleeding bodies fell on top of each other as Kretzer cleared the cell of standing men
00:45:39
chocolate Yoda that he saw a screw moves back in cell for air for Kretzer returns
00:45:45
to the soul where officer la Gerson emerged from the pile of bodies and attempted to calm the killer Kretzer
00:45:52
remarked that he had gotten along well with Larson and wanted to spare the officer he considered a friend but
00:45:58
Shockley was erratic and screamed Kretzer to finish the job Kretzer looked at Shockley yelling at
00:46:04
him then looked back at Larson as he pointed the revolver of the guards head he said
00:46:12
I'm sorry mr. Larsen then pulled the trigger [Music] see block was hazy from the gunfire
00:46:23
smoke it's concrete floors stained with blood Kretzer kept his eyes on the cells
00:46:29
and when he saw movement or heard moans he fired more shots until the bodies were still and a deathly silence fell
00:46:35
over the cell house Kretzer approached 18 year-old Clarence Karns handed the shocked young inmate the butcher's knife
00:46:43
from the kitchen and ordered him to watch the cells and go in and slit the throat of anyone still breathing
00:46:49
cons peered intently into the soul and something caught his eye on the slight movements of chests rising and falling
00:46:56
shallow breathing when Kretzer returned and asked if the officers were all dead cons confirmed that they were in an act
00:47:06
that put the young man at great risk he lied he kept the breathing he had witnessed the secret with no possible
00:47:14
way to get out the escape had now turned into a siege but myrin thompson and clarence cons didn't want any part of it
00:47:21
they used their lack of firearms as an excuse and said they had no weapons to fight back and therefore didn't stand a
00:47:28
chance they couldn't take on the armed guards with battens the other escapees agreed and told Thompson and cons to
00:47:36
return to their cells and take cover when Thompson and cons got to their cells they cleaned to the officers blood
00:47:42
off their clothes hoping they wouldn't be blamed for the slaughter of the guards
00:47:47
Kretzer looked at crazy Sam Shockley who seemed to be lost in his own mind unaware of what was going on around him
00:47:54
perhaps feeling guilty for involving the unstable childlike men in their violence
00:47:58
Kretzer told Shockley to return to his cell Shockley turned and walked away without
00:48:04
a word several prison officers staged multiple rescue attempts hoping to get their
00:48:13
colleagues out of the cell house they were unaware that Kretzer had already taken them out each rescue attempt was
00:48:21
met with a peppering of bullets from the armed escapees inside escapees and officers exchanged bullets both sides
00:48:28
firing with complete disregard and intent to kill officer Burch who had been restrained in the gallery since the
00:48:35
start of the breakout tied to the electrical piping was eventually able to be rescued the answer to the question
00:48:42
how did Bernie coy infiltrate the gun gallery was finally answered when the rescuing officers looked up to see the
00:48:49
impressive side of vampires and they found his makeshift bar spreading device many officers were badly wounded officer
00:48:58
Harold starts was struck by a stray bullet and laotian us at the southwest corner of D block bleeding profusely
00:49:04
when other officers finally got to starts he was unconscious and unresponsive he was dragged to safety
00:49:11
where the severity of his wounds was realized officers thoughts was pronounced dead
00:49:16
soon after [Music] at 3:30 p.m. the Coast Guard the army the Navy the Marines the San Francisco
00:49:26
Police Department the Bureau of Prisons and off-duty Alcatraz prison officers arrived to Alcatraz Island to help take
00:49:32
back the cell house the military brought a full arsenal of weaponry that could completely wipe out the prison building
00:49:38
if necessary they were prepared to storm the building in a blaze of bullets and flash grenades but warden Johnston
00:49:45
deemed a too risky to send in an armed assault team he couldn't confirm how many inmates were involved in the siege
00:49:51
unknown humanitarian warden Johnston also didn't want to risk the lives of the hostages instead he wondered the try
00:49:59
communicating with the escapees officers climbed up the outside of the prison two
00:50:06
broken windows facing into the cell house when they called out to the escapees inside and told them to
00:50:12
surrender Kretz avoid shot it back that they would not be taken alive come and get us he screamed officers fired in the
00:50:23
cell house from the windows the bullets ricocheting off concrete and steel was deafening as teargas canisters also
00:50:29
filled the building with burning mist the searing hot shrapnel of exploding grenades injured and knocked out
00:50:35
innocent inmates caught in the crossfire prisoners scrambled for cover as the inner steel workings of the building
00:50:42
expanded and contracted with the explosions the cell house lit up in bright smoky colors of white yellow and
00:50:48
red as freezing sea water rained down from destroyed plumbing fixtures barricades were built out of wet
00:50:54
mattresses books and blankets but they proved useless against the fiery bullets and explosions coy Incred SAR fired back
00:51:02
from the smoke and rubble forcing officers to retreat the battle lasted over five hours by 9:00 p.m. the
00:51:11
intensity waned and by 10:00 p.m. the entire cell house felt completely silent warden Johnson finally agreed to send an
00:51:24
armed assault team to storm the building to rescue the hostages and take out the
00:51:28
armed inmates at 11:05 p.m. ten armed officers slowly opened to the heavy steel door leading into the cell house
00:51:37
they crept into the darkness with weapons poised progressing quickly and quietly down the corridors they examined
00:51:45
each cell they passed at this stage they were unsure which prisoners were involved in the siege so they had to
00:51:51
suspect everyone they came across they saw caring inmates squeezed under cots and huddled into corners some had fallen
00:51:59
asleep exhausted the anxious Assault team pointed their guns towards every click crack and Claro
00:52:07
they knew the armed inmates were hidden in the shadows around them somewhere waiting Burnie coy was perched on the
00:52:19
top tier of C Block watching the assault team sneak below he aimed his rifle and
00:52:25
fired the assault team retreated under the walkway directly beneath his location only emerging to fire back
00:52:34
drastically outnumbered Bernie coy was forced to retreat the assault team hastily moved down C block
00:52:41
and noticed the thick dark puddle of liquid seeping out from cells 403 and 404 inside they were confronted with
00:52:49
blood splattered walls and the unmoving bodies of their colleagues spread it out
00:52:53
on the floor as they tried to make sense of what they were seeing they were shocked to see some of the bodies begin
00:53:00
to move having played dead for almost 10 hours officers Burdette Bristow and Sundstrom crawled out miraculously
00:53:08
unhurt officer Larson also emerged he had been shot in the face but luckily the bullet only grazed him those that
00:53:20
could walk helped to lift and carry those who couldn't officer Baker had two bullet wounds in his left leg and
00:53:26
another in his Thor Captain Weinhold lieutenants Simpson and officers Miller and Corwin were in critical condition it
00:53:34
was nearing midnight when the hostages emerged safely from the cell house the critically wounded officers were loaded
00:53:40
onto ferries and taken to hospitals on the mainland to receive emergency surgery captain Weinhold and lieutenant
00:53:46
Simpson were operated on first officers Corwin and Miller were next the remainder of the hostages were able to
00:53:53
detail the attempted breakout and identify who was involved at 7:00 a.m. the following morning May 3rd the siege
00:54:03
entered its second day as the orchestrators refused to surrender that morning news reached prison staff
00:54:10
that office of William Miller had gone into shock as a result of severe blood loss shortly after he went into cardiac
00:54:17
arrest and couldn't be resuscitated as the Sun rose over San Francisco and - the building was now free of hostages
00:54:27
Hellfire rained down on Alcatraz prison gas grenades dropped into the cell house
00:54:33
through ventilators grenades were lowered through holes drilled in the prison roof and detonated relentless
00:54:39
gunfire noted the building as Marines fired any tank shells striking the prison's outer walls the onslaught was a
00:54:46
spectacular sight to the thousands of civilians watching from the mainland it was absolutely terrifying to the inmates
00:54:52
trapped in the cell house the frightened an injured inmates were convinced they were going to die and could be heard
00:55:00
crying out for help from the smoking building one officer commented that's one hell of a breakfast they're serving
00:55:08
the bombardment lasted the entire day and carried on into the night during brief moments of reprieve
00:55:15
gunfire would spark from the battered prison building confirming coy Kretzer and Hubbard were still alive somewhere
00:55:20
inside and unwilling to surrender so the bombing recommenced [Applause] the battle ended at 8:40 a.m. the next
00:55:33
day May 4th 43 hours after Queen instigated his Grand Escape from Alcatraz no gunfire
00:55:41
had been heard from the cell house for hours so armed officers cautiously entered the prison
00:55:46
to determine the fate of the escapees cell blocks a B and D were cleared and secured leading the officers to believe
00:55:55
the armed inmates were cornered in C Block they paced by the recreation yard door the inmates intended means of
00:56:03
escape which was still locked down as the officers descended on C Block rushing up each level and raiding all
00:56:11
the cells along the way qui Creta and Hubbard went nowhere to be found an officer cautiously opened the door to
00:56:21
the utility corridor nestled in the center of C Block a rate of raw sewage as the bombing and gunfire had severed
00:56:27
the plumbing inside the officer called out a warning and was met with silence as he stepped inside his searchlight
00:56:38
illuminated the body of Bernie coy by the doorway his eyes were open and glazed pupils fixed dried blood and
00:56:45
crusted beneath his nostrils he had a cut across the left side of his face and a Weeping gunshot wound through his neck
00:56:52
his rifle was by side loaded and ready to fire with additional ammunition close by lying next the coy was the body of
00:57:01
Joseph Kretzer covered in bleeding abrasions he had a gunshot wound to his head around his
00:57:08
body was the revolver he used to shoot his hostages as well as various keys he had stolen from the guards found in the
00:57:15
pocket of the jacket he was wearing was a crumpled piece of paper featuring a poem he'd written titled death there has
00:57:23
been death this day and there will be more many men will come across the prison floor they will kill me of that
00:57:31
there is no doubt there are many ways in but no way out my life has reached its final span there is nothing left but to
00:57:41
do what I can they won't kill a convict they'll kill a man both coy and Kretzer were wearing
00:57:53
correctional officers uniforms and their bodies were stiff from rigor mortis and
00:57:58
the very opposite end of the corridor was the body of Marvin Hubbard Hubbard's body was still warm confirming he was
00:58:04
the last to die and that he had been killed hours after coy Incred saw he had two bullet wounds to the back of his
00:58:10
head Hubbard had no firearms around his body only the butcher's knife he had stolen from the kitchen at the start of
00:58:17
the escape attempt investigating officers believed Hubbard didn't fight alone until the bitter end
00:58:24
instead he waited patiently for his inevitable death from the reigning gunfire and grenades none of the failed
00:58:33
escapees died by their own hand it was later determined that officer Harold starts who was the first casualty
00:58:42
of what was to be called the Battle of Alcatraz was killed accidentally by friendly fire his funeral service was
00:58:49
held on May 7th 1946 surrounded by his family and Alcatraz prison colleagues the body of officer William Miller who
00:58:59
was shot by Joseph Kretzer and later died of his injuries was returned to his hometown state of Pennsylvania where he
00:59:05
was laid to rest after a small service officer Miller was regarded a hero for bravely keeping k107 from the inmates
00:59:12
ensuring they couldn't get out of the cell house where they would have had the opportunity to harm many others the
00:59:19
following is a written tribute to the two fallen officers quote when men of courage and steadfastness lose their
00:59:27
lives in the faithful performance of their duty there is little that need be said by those of us who did not face the
00:59:32
danger their deeds speak far more eloquently but I am sure there is no one in the entire federal prison system
00:59:39
whose heart is not quickened with pride and at the same time saddened with a very real sense of loss when to such
00:59:46
heroic men as William Miller and Harold starts make the supreme sacrifice the other critically wounded hostages from
00:59:55
Joseph crutches shooting spree one hold Simpson and Corwin all made full recoveries as did all the other officers
01:00:02
and inmates who suffered injuries during the Battle of Alcatraz after a 12-minute
01:00:09
boat ride to the San Francisco docks across the bay Burnie coy Joseph Kretzer and a Marvin Hubbard finally found
01:00:16
freedom from Alcatraz prison no unclaimed choice remains his body was put in a plain pine wood coffin and
01:00:23
buried in an unmarked grave at Woodlawn Cemetery in South San Francisco Joseph Kurtz's body was cremated and his ashes
01:00:31
placed in an unmarked burial vault at Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma California Marvin Hubbard's wife arranged to have
01:00:39
his remains transferred to his hometown of Alabama where he was buried in Shady Grove Cemetery
01:00:48
sketched with pencil on the rough concrete wall of cell 403 was a list of names fearing all the hostages would end
01:00:55
up dead including himself officer Ernie Larson wanted to make sure those investigating later could identify his
01:01:01
killers on the wall he wrote the names Kretzer koi Carnes Hubbard Thompson and Shockley he circled
01:01:09
the ringleaders Kretzer coy and Hubbard next the creditors name was a tick labeling him as the cure but this
01:01:18
evidence wasn't needed in the end as almost all the hostages managed to survive they were able to detail exactly
01:01:24
what happened in the cell house including who was involved and in what capacity Sam Shockley Marin Thompson and Clarence
01:01:32
cones were singled out for their involvement on November 20th 1946 the three surviving conspirators were put on
01:01:41
trial for the murder of officer William Miller other Alcatraz inmates testified on behalf of the three stating the cruel
01:01:49
and harsh nature of operations inside Alcatraz prison compelled the prisoners to want to escape or die trying
01:01:56
anything was better than Alcatraz most defended Sam Shockley in particular claiming Shockley was not mentally fit
01:02:05
to stand trial with his low IQ and mental age they argued he was more so a manipulated victim than a key
01:02:12
conspirator seven inmates testified that Shockley was quote stir-crazy and thus couldn't fully comprehend the
01:02:19
repercussions of his actions they added that Shockley's unmedicated psychosis was amplified by the conditions in which
01:02:26
prisoners were kept in Alcatraz stating that imprisonment on the rock drove even
01:02:31
the most sane man crazy eighteen year-old Clarence Kahn's was also defended by his fellow prisoners
01:02:40
one inmate described Carnes as quote a puppy tailing the hills of the tough guys he was seen as a voluntary though
01:02:49
very naive participant the trial lasted over a month and on December 21st 1946 the verdict was in all three men were
01:03:00
found guilty and were convicted of the first-degree murder of officer William Miller Sam Shockley and Maren Thompson
01:03:07
were sentenced the death Thompson stated afterwards quote it's just as well I'd rather have it that way
01:03:17
then go back to the rock it was known that Clarence Kahn's actually saved the lives of the hostages by lying to
01:03:24
Kretzer stating they were all dead when he knew they weren't for his act of mercy cons were spared the death penalty
01:03:31
and instead given a life sentence to be served in Alcatraz prison he was kept in
01:03:38
solitary confinement for six years before returning to general prison population where he became a model
01:03:43
inmate and thrived in the prison environment Shockley and Thompson were immediately transferred to death row in
01:03:52
San Quentin State Prison located north of San Francisco while on death row Thompson was found to be making a key in
01:04:00
another escape plot both men and peeled their sentences on the grounds that Joseph Kretzer alone had murdered
01:04:07
officer Miller and that they were somehow found guilty for his crime their appeals were denied
01:04:16
at 7:00 a.m. on December 3rd 1948 two years after the Battle of Alcatraz Sam Shockley and Maren Thompson ate
01:04:24
their final meal in adjacent cells shortly before 10:00 a.m. the two men were walked side by side to
01:04:31
the gas chamber where in front of an audience of Alcatraz prison staff they inhaled cyanide gas they were pronounced
01:04:39
dead soon after after the dust that settled Alcatraz prison continued on as normal
01:04:49
slowly repairing itself its concrete walls were pockmarked from bullets and it's still framing was bent from the
01:04:56
explosive pressure of grenades the floor and walls were fractured from shrapnel damage however one thing remained
01:05:04
perfectly intact Alcatraz prisons reputation as being completely escape proof due to the
01:05:13
extensive damage done to the main cell house prisoners were locked up to three or four to a single cell anxious guards
01:05:20
no longer trusted prisoners especially those who were well behaved and trusted what Bernie coy had been guards became
01:05:28
paranoid and constantly searched teammates in their cells convinced more violent escapes were being planned
01:05:33
behind their backs but they found nothing the handling of the Alcatraz siege was
01:05:41
commended by James Bennett the head of all federal penitentiaries who stated quote there was not the least indication
01:05:50
of negligence or carelessness or inefficiency in this affair the felons found and took advantage of a weakness
01:05:55
which not the most experienced enable prison men could anticipate when the emergency broke it was handled
01:06:02
intelligently courageously and with great devotion to duty casualties were kept to a minimum what was thorough
01:06:08
being a mass escape failed utterly warden Johnston deserves higher commendation but to Alcatraz prison inmates the
01:06:19
responsibility of the Battle of Alcatraz was placed on the prison itself one Alcatraz ex-convict stated shortly after
01:06:26
the battle quote on me out now I've got no beef I just want to see something done so things like this riot won't ever
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happen again I know that if they treated the prisoners half civilly they wouldn't
01:06:39
react like vicious beasts he can't coop up men and take all hope away from them warden Johnston always says the trouble
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with Alcatraz prisoners is that they want their freedom that's right they want to get out
01:06:54
[Music] [Music] thank you to Rockstar Games and their new game LA noire for sponsoring today's
01:07:18
episode la Noir is a dark detective crime thriller set amongst the glamour and corruption of 1940s Los Angeles
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scalar crime scenes examine evidence and interrogate witnesses to determine who is lying or telling the truth
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la noir is out now for Nintendo switch Xbox one and ps4 rated M for Mature order now at Rockstar Games calm slash
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LA noire thank you also to zip recruiter for sponsoring today's episode find out
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today why zip recruiter has been used by growing businesses of all sizes and industries to find the most qualified
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case file and don't forget you can listen to the next episode of case file right now and tune in just download the
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free app available for iOS Android and Windows or go to tune in com slash case file now that you've listened
01:08:18
to the Battle of Alcatraz head straight over to tune in to listen to Escape from
01:08:22
Alcatraz right now