Alcatraz Escapees
50 Notes
29 years of operation
14 attempts to escape involving 36 inmates every escape attempt failed participants were either killed or quickly re-captured participants in the 1937 and June 1962 attempts presumed dead, disappeared without a trace, giving rise to theories that they were successful
April 27, 1936
Joseph Bowers, working burning garbage, suddenly ran and began to climb a chain link fence, spotted by a guard in a watch tower, ignored orders, shot before being hit by rifle fire and fell 10- 20 ft to his death.
December 16, 1937
Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe filed through iron bars in the prison's mat shop on very foggy day Didn’t get spotted by guards in the watch towers, jumped into water, were never seen again, but severe weather conditions led that they drowned in bay and bodies were swept out to sea by strong current in San Francisco Bay
May 23, 1938
Rufus Franklin, Thomas R. Limerick, and James C. Lucas attacked and killed guard with claw hammer in woodwork shop then proceeded to the roof armed guard shot Franklin and Limerick.
Lucas was cornered and surrendered to the guards
January 13, 1939
Arthur 'Doc' Barker, William Martin, Rufus McCain, Henri Young, and Dale Stamphill inmates of the prison's supposedly most-secure unit
D-Block
when managed to escape cell house and reach the Alcatraz shore putting makeshift raft together they were spotted fired on by a guard in a watch tower
Barker was killed,
Stamphill was wounded, others were sent to Solitary confinement.
May 21, 1941
Joe Cretzer, Sam Shockley, Arnold Kyle, and Lloyd Barkdoll working in industries area when jumped the guards on duty and attempted to saw through window bars to reach the shore
The tool-proof bars foiled they surrendered
Both Cretzer and Shockley would try to escape again in the Battle of Alcatraz.
September 15, 1941
John Richard Bayless working on the garbage detail managed to elude the guards reach the Alcatraz shore.
29 years of operation
14 attempts to escape involving 36 inmates every escape attempt failed participants were either killed or quickly re-captured participants in the 1937 and June 1962 attempts presumed dead, disappeared without a trace, giving rise to theories that they were successful
April 27, 1936
Joseph Bowers, working burning garbage, suddenly ran and began to climb a chain link fence, spotted by a guard in a watch tower, ignored orders, shot before being hit by rifle fire and fell 10- 20 ft to his death.
December 16, 1937
Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe filed through iron bars in the prison's mat shop on very foggy day Didn’t get spotted by guards in the watch towers, jumped into water, were never seen again, but severe weather conditions led that they drowned in bay and bodies were swept out to sea by strong current in San Francisco Bay
May 23, 1938
Rufus Franklin, Thomas R. Limerick, and James C. Lucas attacked and killed guard with claw hammer in woodwork shop then proceeded to the roof armed guard shot Franklin and Limerick.
Lucas was cornered and surrendered to the guards
January 13, 1939
Arthur 'Doc' Barker, William Martin, Rufus McCain, Henri Young, and Dale Stamphill inmates of the prison's supposedly most-secure unit
D-Block
when managed to escape cell house and reach the Alcatraz shore putting makeshift raft together they were spotted fired on by a guard in a watch tower
Barker was killed,
Stamphill was wounded, others were sent to Solitary confinement.
May 21, 1941
Joe Cretzer, Sam Shockley, Arnold Kyle, and Lloyd Barkdoll working in industries area when jumped the guards on duty and attempted to saw through window bars to reach the shore
The tool-proof bars foiled they surrendered
Both Cretzer and Shockley would try to escape again in the Battle of Alcatraz.
September 15, 1941
John Richard Bayless working on the garbage detail managed to elude the guards reach the Alcatraz shore.