Escape from Alcatraz
Photos: Three recaptured inmates Clarence Carnes [left], Sam Shockley [center], and Mirian Thompson [right]; middle photo – Carnes returned to Alcatraz in 1980
Ranking among the top tourist attractions of the National Park Service and San Francisco, Alcatraz holds great fascination because of its isolation that earned it the name, The Rock. Today many believe it is haunted and tour Alcatraz hoping to experience ghostly encounters. The federal prison surrounded by treacherous waters was reputed to be escape-proof. Among 14 separate attempts involving 36 inmates, a successful escape has never been confirmed. 23 inmates were recaptured, 7 shot and killed as they fled, and at least 3 drowned. Five inmates in 1937 and 1962 remain unaccounted-for. Among the most violent escape attempts, The Alcatraz Blastout goes down in history as a tragedy like so many that included poorly thought-out and executed plans, resulting in gas chamber executions. Read more…>
