1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Hello, it's Richard mccleinsmith here with a quick update before 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: we dive into today's episode. Unexplained is very excited to 3 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: be a part of Crime Wave at Sea this November, 4 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 1: joining forces with some of the eeriest voices in the 5 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: world of true crime and the paranormal four Nights in 6 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:19,960 Speaker 1: the Caribbean, with amazing podcasts like Last Podcast on the Left, 7 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: Scared to Death and many more live shows, Meet and greets, 8 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: Creepy Stories under the Stars and you can be there too, 9 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: but don't wait. Rooms are nearly sold out. Head to 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 1: Crimewavetsea dot com forward slash Unexplained to grab your fan 11 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 1: coat and lock in your cabin. We'd love to see 12 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:53,599 Speaker 1: you on board. It was a freezing cold morning in 13 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: January of nineteen sixty off the coast of San Francisco. 14 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: The bay was engulfed in a lair of thick fog, 15 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: so dense that the passengers of the boat couldn't see 16 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:08,040 Speaker 1: the water around them, nor the lights of the city 17 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: a mile away. But that didn't stop Frank Morris trying. 18 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: As he sat in chains alongside nine other prisoners, he 19 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: turned his head and squinted as hard as he could 20 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 1: into the darkness until he could just make out the 21 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 1: distant shape of the city. Even though his wrists and 22 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: ankles were shackled, he refused to let himself feel like 23 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: a prisoner. This was all temporary, he said to himself, 24 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: and he'd be back on the mainland soon enough. At 25 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: thirty eight, Frank had been fending for himself his entire life, 26 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: and often by eleven. He committed his first crime at thirteen. 27 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: Since then, he'd been in and out of prison ever 28 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: since for various nonviolent offenses, most recently bank robbery. You 29 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: must really like the big house, one of the cops 30 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: had said to him during his most recent arrest. But 31 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: that was just it. Frank didn't like prison. He hated 32 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 1: feeling trapped more than anything in the world, and he 33 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: had a long history of escape attempts, which is how 34 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: he'd found himself here on this boat heading to the 35 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: most infamous prison in America. During his trial for the 36 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: bank robbery, the judge had labeled him an escape artist, 37 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 1: and then, with a sneer in his voice, he sentenced 38 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: him to fourteen years at Alcatraz. As the boat began 39 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: to slow down, Frank looked up at the imposing concrete 40 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:42,959 Speaker 1: form of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. It loomed over him through 41 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: the fog like it was trying to intimidate him. He 42 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: knew that life on Alcatraz was no picnic. He'd heard 43 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 1: the stories prisoners dying by suicide or maiming themselves, unable 44 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: to cope with the brutal conditions and the isolation. But 45 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:04,959 Speaker 1: that wasn't going to be him, because Frank had a plan. 46 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: You're listening to Unexplained and I'm Richard mc lean smith. 47 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: Alcatraz was a prison within a prison, formerly a military fort. 48 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: The building itself was highly secure, made out of reinforced 49 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: concrete and surrounded by strategically placed watch towers staffed by 50 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: guards twenty four seven. But the most effective security measure 51 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: was the island itself. Even if a prisoner did somehow 52 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: make it out of the building, they'd find themselves on 53 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: a rugged, unforgiving strip of land, surrounded by freezing cold 54 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: water with vicious currents that could effortlessly drag you out 55 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: to sea. With the mainland more than a mile away, 56 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: it would be suicide even at et it That double 57 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: layer of security made Alcatraz ideal for housing the most 58 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: hardened and slippery criminals. It was a fortress known ominously 59 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: as the Rock. Day to day life on the Rock 60 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:21,159 Speaker 1: was tough. The building was cold, beset by constant wind 61 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: that howled and echoed around the windows, and prisoners had 62 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:29,920 Speaker 1: very few privileges. With visits limited to one per month, 63 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:33,599 Speaker 1: their contact with the world beyond the island was minimal, 64 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: so despite the impossibility of escape, some prisoners got desperate 65 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 1: enough to try. There had been more than ten escape attempts. 66 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: In almost every case, the prisoners had been caught or 67 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: had died as they tried to flee. But Frank Morris 68 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: wasn't just any prisoner. With the reported IQ of one 69 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:00,679 Speaker 1: hundred and thirty three, he was intelligent, had the self 70 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,479 Speaker 1: confidence to match. Sure, he'd tried and failed to break 71 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: out of other prisons in the past, but he'd learned 72 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,159 Speaker 1: a lot from those failures. He wasn't going to rush 73 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: into anything. He would bide his time years if necessary, 74 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: and more importantly, he would have help. In the autumn 75 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:23,840 Speaker 1: of nineteen sixty nine, months after Frank began his sentence, 76 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:28,800 Speaker 1: thirty year old John Anglin arrived on the island. Frank 77 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:32,159 Speaker 1: and John knew each other from a previous stint behind 78 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 1: bars in Louisiana. Now Here they were again both in 79 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:41,039 Speaker 1: prison for bank robbery, and the two men had more 80 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: in common than their crimes. Like Frank, John had also 81 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:48,600 Speaker 1: made attempts to escape in the past, and the two 82 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: men still shared a deep belief in their own ability 83 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 1: to beat the odds. As luck would have it, John 84 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 1: was assigned to a cell adjoining Frank's, making it easy 85 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,520 Speaker 1: for the pair to catch up and compare notes on 86 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:07,359 Speaker 1: their previous prison break attempts. And then a few weeks later, 87 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: John's brother, Clarence, arrived at Alcatraz two. The two brothers 88 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: were both in prison for the same crime, a nineteen 89 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 1: fifty eight bank robbery in Alabama. Clarence's transfer to Alcatraz 90 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: had just taken longer to be processed. Clarence made a 91 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 1: request to the prison authorities to be placed in an 92 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:32,800 Speaker 1: adjoining cell with its brother, despite their criminal history together. 93 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: It was granted. After all, given the facilities tight security protocols, 94 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:43,360 Speaker 1: what harm could it do. This was the first of 95 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 1: several mistakes made by the powers that be at Alcatraz. 96 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:52,599 Speaker 1: During the day, the prisoner's movements and communications were closely 97 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 1: monitored but at night, once the cell doors were locked, Frank, 98 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:01,400 Speaker 1: John and Clarence were free to plot to their heart's content. 99 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: Throughout the winter of nineteen sixty one into sixty two, 100 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: the trio's plan began to take shape. The first thing 101 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 1: they needed was tools. Since there was no hope of 102 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: getting hold of real ones, they'd have to improvise. They 103 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: also had to avoid drawing any attention to themselves as 104 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: new arrivals. Frank, John and Clarence were being watched closely 105 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: by the guards. Enter their fourth co conspirator, Alan West, 106 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: who'd been at Alcatraz for five years. Although he'd never 107 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: made a break for it himself, he'd witnessed more than 108 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: one failed attempt during that time. Of course, the details 109 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 1: of attempts were always kept under wraps by the guards, 110 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:02,760 Speaker 1: but were traveled far asked among the inmates. So Frank 111 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 1: and the Angling brothers welcomed Allan into the group, not 112 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: least because his time spent at the prison made him useful. 113 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: Unlike the others, Allan had been there for long enough 114 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: that the guards trusted him. Although prisoner's movements were heavily restricted, 115 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 1: good behavior would eventually be rewarded with a plumb work assignment, 116 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: which in turn came with more freedom of movement. Allan 117 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: worked on the prison painting crew, which meant that he 118 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 1: could be posted just about anywhere within the building on 119 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 1: a given day, and one day, when he was assigned 120 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: to repaint the prison barber shop, he noticed a pair 121 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: of electric clippers had been left unattended. After checking that 122 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:52,520 Speaker 1: nobody was watching, he grabbed the clippers and slipped them 123 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:57,559 Speaker 1: into the sleeve of his uniform. During another shift, Allan 124 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 1: saw a broken vacuum cleaner lying in the corner of 125 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,679 Speaker 1: the barber shop, waiting to be taken out to the trash. 126 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:08,679 Speaker 1: He crouched down beside it and examined its dusty form. 127 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 1: When a guard asked him what he was doing, Alan replied, 128 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure I could fix this. Do you mind 129 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 1: if I give it a try. The guard shrugged and 130 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:23,200 Speaker 1: told him to do whatever he wanted with it. Back 131 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:27,040 Speaker 1: in his cell. That evening, Alan dismantled the vacuum cleaner 132 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:30,440 Speaker 1: and took out the motor from inside, and after a 133 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:34,959 Speaker 1: little tingering, he was able to get it working again. Excited, 134 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 1: he told the others about his hall the following day 135 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 1: they could use the motors from the vacuum cleaner and 136 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:46,040 Speaker 1: the electric clippers. He told them to make two electric drills, 137 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 1: and armed with these tools, they could finally put into 138 00:09:50,360 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 1: motion Frank's ambitious escape plan. The evenings at Alcatrats followed 139 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:06,680 Speaker 1: a predictable rhythm. After completing their work assignments for the day, 140 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 1: the inmates would sit down in the dining hall for 141 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 1: an early dinner. They would then return to their cells 142 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:16,079 Speaker 1: at four fifty p m. With the doors closed and locked. 143 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,680 Speaker 1: At five, They then had four and a half hours 144 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:24,800 Speaker 1: until lights out at nine thirty. For most inmates, those 145 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 1: hours were pretty uneventful. They could read books, listen to 146 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: approved broadcasts on the radio, or write letters back home. 147 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:38,200 Speaker 1: But for Frank, Morris, John and Clarence Anglin, and Alan West, 148 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:43,319 Speaker 1: those evening hours were precious. Each night, in the privacy 149 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:46,720 Speaker 1: of their cells, they began to chisel away at the 150 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:50,960 Speaker 1: concrete wall. They focused their efforts on the air vent 151 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 1: underneath their sinks, where the concrete was already in poor condition. 152 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:59,679 Speaker 1: By drilling holes in the concrete surrounding the vent, they 153 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 1: were eventually able to remove the grill covering it. Then 154 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:09,160 Speaker 1: they each began gradually widening the holes they worked slowly, 155 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:12,440 Speaker 1: monitoring the levels of noise around them to know what 156 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:16,560 Speaker 1: tools to use. One hour out of each day was 157 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,960 Speaker 1: designated as Music Hour, during which classical music was played 158 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 1: to the inmates through a loudspeaker. During this time, the 159 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:29,319 Speaker 1: men could use their homemade electric drills, using the music 160 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 1: to mask the noise. Inmates were also permitted to play 161 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: their own music, and since Frank had an accordion with him, 162 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 1: he'd play it as John and Clarence drilled. When they 163 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: couldn't risk the noise of the drill, they switched to 164 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 1: more basic tools, metal spoons from the dining hall or 165 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:52,680 Speaker 1: the discarded saw blades that Allan had managed to steal 166 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: from the woodwork shop. Over a period of several months, 167 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 1: the men widened the holes just enough to be able 168 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:04,479 Speaker 1: to climb through them. On the other side, they discovered 169 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:08,599 Speaker 1: a barely used utility corridor where no guards were stationed. 170 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 1: The first night they found the corridor, they didn't actually 171 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:16,600 Speaker 1: cross into it, not wanting to push their luck too far. 172 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: The guards at Alcatrats also patrolled the hallways after lights 173 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:25,760 Speaker 1: out and periodically glanced into the cells to check on 174 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:28,680 Speaker 1: the prisoners. So they needed to find a way to 175 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:33,080 Speaker 1: cover the gaps in their cell walls. They made sheets 176 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: of fake concrete using papier mache, then using a mixture 177 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:42,560 Speaker 1: of toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap, they also made papier 178 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:47,520 Speaker 1: mache heads. Onto those, they stuck handfuls of hair that 179 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: Allan had collected from the barber shop. In broad daylight, 180 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,840 Speaker 1: they wouldn't fool anyone, but they weren't operating in daylight. 181 00:12:56,600 --> 00:13:00,559 Speaker 1: Tucked against the pillow, half buried underneath the blankets, they 182 00:13:00,559 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 1: were sure they were good enough to pass muster with 183 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:14,360 Speaker 1: the guards. At least they hoped they were. Throughout the 184 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 1: spring of nineteen sixty two, Frank, John, Clarence, and Alan 185 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:23,200 Speaker 1: began venturing out of their cells almost every night, leaving 186 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 1: their dummy heads behind in their beds. At first, they 187 00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:31,559 Speaker 1: were nervous, but as the nights passed, they soon realized 188 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:36,559 Speaker 1: that nobody suspected a thing. The decoys were working perfectly. 189 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:41,200 Speaker 1: They followed the utility corridor behind their cells to a 190 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: stairway which led up to an empty top level of 191 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:48,720 Speaker 1: their cell block. Covered in dust. The area had clearly 192 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 1: never been used, the perfect location to set up a 193 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:58,480 Speaker 1: secret workshop. So far, they'd got away with constructing their 194 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:02,120 Speaker 1: makeshift tools in their own but the final stage of 195 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:06,640 Speaker 1: preparation required a lot more space. The part of the 196 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:11,439 Speaker 1: escape that worried Frank the most was the water. If 197 00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 1: they were caught before they left the island, he thought, 198 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: so be it. But once they actually cast off from 199 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 1: the rocky shores of Alcatraz, that's when things would get 200 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:26,240 Speaker 1: truly dangerous. Since he'd been worrying over this part of 201 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:29,120 Speaker 1: the plan from the start, he'd also come up with 202 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:33,440 Speaker 1: a solution. Over the past few months. The four men 203 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: had been systematically stealing prison issue raincoats. It was easy 204 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 1: to do. The raincoats were issued to inmates during yard 205 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:48,040 Speaker 1: time on rainy days, then cast aside and forgotten. Nobody 206 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:51,360 Speaker 1: kept track of them, so nobody noticed that more than 207 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: fifty had gone missing since the beginning of nineteen sixty two, 208 00:14:56,520 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 1: and so armed with their piles of raincoats, the men 209 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:05,200 Speaker 1: began constructing a huge life raft that would be large 210 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 1: and sturdy enough to carry all four of them across 211 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 1: the dangerous waters of San Francisco Bay. Using hot steam 212 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,320 Speaker 1: from the prisons pipes, they melted the edges of the coats, 213 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 1: then fused them together into a six by fourteen foot raft. 214 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 1: Frank's accordion came in handy once again. Having taken it apart, 215 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: they converted the concertina inside it into a pump, which 216 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 1: they could then use to inflate the raft. By the 217 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: early summer, they dissembled everything they needed to make their getaway, 218 00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 1: but they still had to find a way out of 219 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: the building. Their secret passageway onto the top floor had 220 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 1: remained completely undetected, and they knew getting out onto the 221 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:55,760 Speaker 1: roof was their best shot at freedom. The only problem 222 00:15:56,040 --> 00:16:00,920 Speaker 1: was that the ceiling was more than thirty feet high. Eventually, 223 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 1: using the network of pipes that lined the walls of 224 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:06,200 Speaker 1: the room, they were able to climb up to the 225 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:09,680 Speaker 1: ceiling and prize off the cover of a ventilation shaft. 226 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 1: From there, they crawled through on to the prison roof. 227 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:18,000 Speaker 1: Frank Morris felt the cold night air on his face 228 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 1: and could almost taste freedom. After six long months of 229 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:28,160 Speaker 1: careful planning and preparation, they'd quite literally dug their way 230 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:32,440 Speaker 1: out of the most impenetrable prison in the United States. 231 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 1: Now they just had to summon the courage to pull 232 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:49,440 Speaker 1: it off for real. The night of June eleventh, nineteen 233 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 1: sixty two was just like any other At Alcatratz. The 234 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: lights went out at nine thirty p m on the dot, 235 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:01,760 Speaker 1: and silence descended over the cell block. Half an hour later, 236 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:06,000 Speaker 1: the guards completed their first round of cell checks. Not 237 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 1: a single one of them noticed that four of the 238 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:13,640 Speaker 1: inmate's beds were occupied by flimsy dummy heads made out 239 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:19,639 Speaker 1: of soap, toothpaste and discarded hair. By that time, Frank 240 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:23,560 Speaker 1: Morris and John and Clarence Angling had already made it 241 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:27,919 Speaker 1: safely into the utility corridor behind their cells, but Alan 242 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:32,800 Speaker 1: West wasn't so lucky. The men had used various methods 243 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:35,440 Speaker 1: to disguise the holes in the back of their cells. 244 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 1: Allan had used a small amount of cement to reattach 245 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:42,479 Speaker 1: the grille covering the vent. He thought it would be 246 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 1: easy enough to prise it back off when the time came, 247 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:49,400 Speaker 1: but the cement had hardened and all of the group's 248 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:52,560 Speaker 1: tools were hidden inside the workshop on the top floor. 249 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:57,840 Speaker 1: Using only his bare hands, Allan frantically tried to chip 250 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: away at the cement that had now sealed him back 251 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:06,439 Speaker 1: into his cell. Meanwhile, Allan's co conspirators had made it 252 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:09,440 Speaker 1: all the way to the roof. They had no idea 253 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:12,320 Speaker 1: why he hadn't showed up at the agreed time, and 254 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:15,080 Speaker 1: they felt bad for him, but none of them were 255 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:18,679 Speaker 1: about to put their own freedom at risk. They'd worked 256 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:21,880 Speaker 1: too hard for this moment, and they had more pressing 257 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:25,560 Speaker 1: worries to deal with, namely making it down onto the 258 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:30,240 Speaker 1: ground without being spotted. The rooftop was in clear sight 259 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:32,760 Speaker 1: of the guard tower, and there was nothing they could 260 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: do to avoid it. Carrying the heavy, folded up raft 261 00:18:37,119 --> 00:18:41,159 Speaker 1: between them, Frank, John and Clarence took a deep breath 262 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,160 Speaker 1: and sprinted as fast as they could across the roof. 263 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:47,720 Speaker 1: They shimmered down a drain pipe that ran the whole 264 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:52,160 Speaker 1: length of the building, then continued sprinting across the prison yard, 265 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:56,680 Speaker 1: keeping to the shadows as much as they could. Having 266 00:18:56,720 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: reached the barbed wire fence, the trio took a moment 267 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:04,680 Speaker 1: pause for breath. Frank glanced back at the hulking form 268 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 1: of the prison behind them, bracing himself for the sound 269 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:12,960 Speaker 1: of an alarm, but there was nothing. They scaled the 270 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 1: twelve foot barbed wire fence, taking great care not to 271 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: snag their life raft. Just one hole would render it 272 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 1: completely useless. Having made it down to the ground on 273 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:28,800 Speaker 1: the other side, they scrambled down a steep embankment toward 274 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:33,280 Speaker 1: the water. After finally making it to the northeast shore 275 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:38,080 Speaker 1: of the island, they inflated the raft using Frank's repurposed accordion. 276 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:41,960 Speaker 1: They placed the raft in the calm, black waters and 277 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,439 Speaker 1: took a moment to make sure it wasn't taking on 278 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:48,800 Speaker 1: water before jumping on board and pushing off into the night. 279 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:54,359 Speaker 1: Unlike the morning Frank had arrived at Alcatraz, that night 280 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:59,119 Speaker 1: was a clear one with perfect visibility. As he looked 281 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: out across the black water, the lights of San Francisco 282 00:20:03,119 --> 00:20:15,199 Speaker 1: beckoned them forward. They were almost free. Shortly after sunrise 283 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:19,720 Speaker 1: on June twelfth, nineteen sixty two, the morning whistle sounded 284 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 1: at Alcatraz. As the inmates sleepily filed out of their 285 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:27,960 Speaker 1: cells and towards the dining hall for breakfast, one of 286 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 1: the guards noticed that Frank, John, and Clarence were missing. 287 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:35,800 Speaker 1: He went to investigate and saw that the doors to 288 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:40,760 Speaker 1: the men's adjoining cells were still closed. Frowning, he rapped 289 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:43,200 Speaker 1: hard on one of the doors with his night stick, 290 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 1: then swung it open, but first it looked like the 291 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 1: three men were all still in bed, but no matter 292 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:54,359 Speaker 1: how loudly he yelled their names, none of them moved. 293 00:20:55,160 --> 00:20:58,439 Speaker 1: That's when the guards stepped further into the cell and 294 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 1: walked right up to Frank Morris's bedside. As he reached 295 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,080 Speaker 1: out to shake his shoulder, he jerked his hand back. 296 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:11,439 Speaker 1: The color of Morris's skin was deathly pale, too pale 297 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:15,440 Speaker 1: to be alive. But once the initial shock had faded, 298 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:19,359 Speaker 1: the guard realized that, in fact, whatever he was looking 299 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: at was actually too pale to be human at all. 300 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,280 Speaker 1: He yanked back the blankets, and the crude dummy head 301 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 1: rolled out of the bed, onto the floor and broke 302 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:36,679 Speaker 1: in half at his feet. The guard frantically radioed for help, 303 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:40,280 Speaker 1: and within a minute the prison central alert system had 304 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:45,080 Speaker 1: been activated, triggering a deafening alarm that echoed throughout all 305 00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:50,560 Speaker 1: the cells. Acting warden of Alcatraz, Art Dollison, had been 306 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 1: in his role for less than a year. It was 307 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:57,439 Speaker 1: supposed to be a temporary assignment, but nonetheless, once it 308 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:01,040 Speaker 1: became clear that three inmates had escaped, it was up 309 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:05,600 Speaker 1: to him to lead the response. Under Art's direction, the 310 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:09,720 Speaker 1: entire prison went into lockdown, with inmates confined to their 311 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:14,200 Speaker 1: cells until further notice. He called in extra prison staff 312 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:20,000 Speaker 1: and mounted a huge search, combing every inch of the island. Meanwhile, 313 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 1: Alan West was doing everything he could to lay low. 314 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:28,200 Speaker 1: Around one a m. He'd finally managed to prize away 315 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: the vent cover in his cell and escape on to 316 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 1: the roof, but just as he'd feared, the others were 317 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 1: long gone. In shock and sadness, he'd clambered back down 318 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:44,119 Speaker 1: the ventilation shaft and lain awake in his cell until daybreak. 319 00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:49,160 Speaker 1: Even worse, he'd been too exhausted and dejected to put 320 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 1: much effort into disguising the whole in his cell wall, 321 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:56,040 Speaker 1: although he did what he could to make up for it. 322 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,240 Speaker 1: Once the alarm sounded, it didn't take long for the 323 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:05,240 Speaker 1: guards noticed that the shaft had been tampered with. Outside Alcatratz, 324 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 1: the search was rapidly expanding. The FBI and the Coastguard 325 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:13,760 Speaker 1: began a manhunt to cross San Francisco Bay and the 326 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:18,439 Speaker 1: surrounding area. When they brought Alan in for questioning, he 327 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:24,240 Speaker 1: confessed without much hesitation. Since his co conspirators hadn't showed 328 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:27,600 Speaker 1: him much loyalty when they left him behind, he had 329 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 1: little problem sharing what information he had in exchange for immunity. 330 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:43,480 Speaker 1: Thanks to the extensive details that Alan West provided, the 331 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:46,760 Speaker 1: authorities were able to form a solid picture of the 332 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 1: escapees plan. The main idea was to make it to 333 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:54,639 Speaker 1: the mainland, steel clothes and a car, and then head east. 334 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:58,439 Speaker 1: It was two days after the escape when a member 335 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 1: of the coast Guard spotted unusual looking piece of plywood 336 00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:05,879 Speaker 1: floating in the bay. It had been fashioned into the 337 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:09,840 Speaker 1: shape of a paddle. A week later, what was left 338 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:14,080 Speaker 1: of the raft washed up close to the Golden Gate Bridge. 339 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:19,119 Speaker 1: The authorities also found John Anglin's wallet wrapped in plastic 340 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:24,120 Speaker 1: floating nearby, but there was no trace of the men themselves, 341 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 1: despite months upon months of further searching. According to the authorities, however, 342 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,800 Speaker 1: there was no mystery. Based on their assessment of the 343 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,680 Speaker 1: raft and the strength of the currents on the night 344 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:42,439 Speaker 1: of June eleventh, they concluded that the men hadn't stood 345 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:47,160 Speaker 1: a chance. The diy raft had likely broken apart at 346 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: some point during the crossing, and they'd simply drowned too 347 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:54,360 Speaker 1: far from the shore for their bodies to ever be found. 348 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:59,439 Speaker 1: And yet, as many have pointed out, the remnants of 349 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:03,359 Speaker 1: the raft were found close enough to San Francisco that 350 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 1: it's certainly not impossible that the escapees did survive the journey, 351 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:12,440 Speaker 1: and the FBI was certainly not convinced that the men 352 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:17,000 Speaker 1: were dead. In fact, their case remained officially open for 353 00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:21,040 Speaker 1: seventeen years before finally being closed at the end of 354 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy nine. The Anglin family, for one, claimed they 355 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:30,639 Speaker 1: received multiple unsigned postcards over the years, along with phone 356 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:33,800 Speaker 1: calls from a line where the other party was silent. 357 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:37,960 Speaker 1: This led them to believe that either John, Clarence or 358 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:42,240 Speaker 1: both was still out there, desperate to make contact but 359 00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:46,840 Speaker 1: too afraid to blow their cover. Then, in twenty thirteen, 360 00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:51,800 Speaker 1: the San Francisco Police received a strange and haunting letter. 361 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:56,439 Speaker 1: It appeared to have been written by John Anglin. The 362 00:25:56,520 --> 00:26:00,399 Speaker 1: letter claimed that all three men had survived the escape gape, 363 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 1: but only just. They'd gone on to live the rest 364 00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:08,359 Speaker 1: of their lives on the run, constantly afraid of being caught. 365 00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:12,560 Speaker 1: Frank and Clarence had died in two thousand and five 366 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:16,120 Speaker 1: and two thousand and eight, and John himself was now 367 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:21,240 Speaker 1: sick with cancer. He wanted to negotiate his surrender in 368 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:25,919 Speaker 1: exchange for medical treatment. The FBI tested the letter for 369 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,240 Speaker 1: finger prints and DNA evidence, but the results were inconclusive 370 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:34,600 Speaker 1: and they were unable to make contact with the letter's author. 371 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:40,320 Speaker 1: To this day, the fate of the escape ease remains 372 00:26:40,359 --> 00:26:44,960 Speaker 1: an unsolved mystery, but the fate of Alcatraz itself was 373 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:49,080 Speaker 1: sealed by the escape. The prison closed less than a 374 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:53,480 Speaker 1: year later, Although the official reason was high operating costs, 375 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:57,680 Speaker 1: the high profile humiliation of the prison break had been 376 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:02,440 Speaker 1: the final nail in the coffin. Nobody would ever take 377 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 1: Alcatraz seriously as a maximum security facility. Again. Shortly before 378 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:13,080 Speaker 1: the prison closed, the new acting Warden Richard Willard, gave 379 00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:16,679 Speaker 1: an interview to the BBC, during which he was asked 380 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:20,639 Speaker 1: why he was so sure that the men hadn't survived. 381 00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:24,880 Speaker 1: Standing on the shores of Alcatraz at the time, Willard 382 00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:29,919 Speaker 1: gazed out toward the bay and replied, you hear the wind, 383 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 1: don't you? And you see the water do you think 384 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:44,840 Speaker 1: you could make it? This episode was written by Emma 385 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:49,520 Speaker 1: Dibden and produced by Richard mclin smith. Thank you as 386 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:53,280 Speaker 1: ever for listening. Unexplained as an Avy Club Productions podcast 387 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:57,600 Speaker 1: created by Richard mclin Smith. All other elements of the podcast, 388 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:03,200 Speaker 1: including the music, are also produced by me Richard McClain smith. Unexplained. 389 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:06,800 Speaker 1: The book and audiobook is now available to buy worldwide. 390 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:11,080 Speaker 1: You can purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, and 391 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:15,080 Speaker 1: other bookstores. Please subscribe to and rate the show wherever 392 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:17,720 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts, and feel free to get in 393 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,960 Speaker 1: touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories you've 394 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:23,960 Speaker 1: heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation or 395 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 1: a story of your own you'd like to share. You 396 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:29,639 Speaker 1: can find out more at Unexplained podcast dot com and 397 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:33,600 Speaker 1: reaches online through X and Blue Sky at Unexplained Pod 398 00:28:33,960 --> 00:30:10,080 Speaker 1: and Facebook at Facebook dot com, Forward Slash, Unexplained Podcast, 399 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:05,479 Speaker 1: assass