“We barely escaped”: a mysterious letter and inconclusive evidence of an escape from the world’s most secure prison

Since June 14, 1962, the escape of three prisoners from the famous Alcatraz prison on the island of the same name has been shrouded in mystery. A mission as visionary as it was difficult, it has fueled grand theories over the years.

The most reliable information was that three escapees died while trying to escape from prison, probably by drowning in the waters of San Francisco Bay in the United States of America. The bodies of Frank Lee Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, however, were never found, the publication recalls. ABC.

Hundreds of pieces of evidence were never enough to quell the rumors. The case was closed only in 1979, after the release of Clint Eastwood’s film about the escape.

Since then, many documentaries and interviews with fellow prisoners have been made about this historical day. However, not everyone is convinced that they died the same day they left Alcatraz.

“Three prisoners made a hole in the prison walls. They only used spoons. If they were free, it would be the first time anyone had done so in this prison, which is considered “the safest in the world.” Water. At the time of the escape, the air temperature would have been 12 degrees, and the current speed would have exceeded 13 kilometers per hour,” the newspaper reported. ABCthree days after the escape.

A detailed plan and a job that never ended

In addition to the metal spoons they brought from the canteen, the prisoners used a makeshift electric drill made from a vacuum cleaner motor for 18 months.

To fool the guards by pretending to be asleep, they made doll heads out of hair, toilet paper, plaster and paint. This trick was necessary to save time.

The prisoners climbed the poles and walked a long way through the prison’s ventilation systems before sliding down a 15-metre chimney leading to the showers.

The FBI says they jumped into the water between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Since then his whereabouts have been unknown.

A few days later, some of the fugitives’ belongings were found. To date, US authorities have received hundreds of calls, all to no avail, until…

Mysterious letter: “We managed to escape”

In 2013, when the case was already forgotten, the San Francisco police received a letter signed, presumably, by one of the participants in the escape.

“My name is John Anglin. I escaped Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. I am 83 years old and feel sick. I have cancer. Yes, we managed to escape… but the skin of our teeth! If they announce on television that I will be imprisoned for only a year and assure that I will be cured, I promise that I will write to them where I am. This is not a joke.” This is stated in the letter quoted by ABC.

The document was analyzed by the FBI to see if it was true, but the results came back blank. The letter also clarifies that Morris died in 2008 and his brother in 2011, according to the agency.

Anglin would live in Seattle, Washington, North Dakota and South Carolina for many years. Although the case was reopened, the perpetrator was never found.

In 2014, a study from the Dutch University of Delft presented a study modeling prisoner movements. The study showed that escape was possible.

In 2015, the Canal História documentary showed a photo of the fugitive brothers in Brazil, which an investigator said was “highly likely” to be true.

However, like many previous pieces of evidence, nothing has brought the case to closure, which continues to fuel rumors and theories.

The prison now serves as a museum
1,576 prisoners passed through the California cells, including Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud and James J. Bulger, in addition to the fugitives who carried out one of the world’s most historic escapes in 1962.
A total of 36 prisoners tried to escape.

The prison was closed in 1963 due to high maintenance costs and today serves as a museum and one of San Francisco’s main tourist attractions.