He said he was the last of the three men to still be alive at the time of the letters writing. The letter states that Frank Morris died in 2008, while Clarence Anglin died in 2011, according to KPIX 5. The next phase of the plan was actually the easiest part. Merry Christmas.. Still, men tried. Im 83 years old and in bad shape. If you announce on TV that I will be promised to first go to jail for no more than a year and get medical attention, I will write back to let you know exactly where I am. Coupled with the fact that the prison was said to be surrounded by shark-infested, 50-degree water and was located 1.25 miles away from the mainland, it was easy to see why Alcatraz had a reputation for being inescapable. Evidently, the letter was so compelling that they decided to reopen the investigation 40 years after they had closed it. His grave is in Alexandria under another name. They referred all other inquiries about the letter to the U.S. January 22, 2018 / 11:49 PM The FBI dedicates a page to the escape on its website. Behind bars for robbing a bank, the three prisoners proved that Alcatraz -a federal penitentiary reserved for the "worst of the worst" - was not as "escape proof" as once believed. The writer makes a deal - "If you announce on TV that I will be promised to firstgo to jail for no more than a year and get medical attention, I will write back to let you knowexactly where I am. Frank Morris, on the other hand, would later be transferred to Louisiana Federal Penitentiary where he successfully managed to escaped and went on the run for a year. There, the escapees had the privacy to work on the other major part of their plan: constructing a raft and life preservers. Frank passed away in October 2005. Theft, robbery, and burglary became his trades, but his true specialty was escaping prisons. Three months after that, Clarence arrived. A facial recognition expert enlisted by the History Channel for a special on the escape asserted that Brizzi was telling the truth; law enforcement countered that the sunglasses and facial hair would make a definitive conclusion problematic. Im 83 years old and Morris and the Anglin brothers knew each other from serving time in prison together prior to their time on Alcatraz Island. The letter, sent to police in 2013 and recently obtained by local CBS affiliate KPIX, was from a man claiming to be John Anglin. And his plan didnt just include finding a way out; it was quite a bit more comprehensive than that. But they were not the only ones who tried to get off The Rock.. They quietly snuck passed the guards outside of the showers and made their way to shore. The air vents they expanded conveniently led into a utility corridor, which would prove to be a critical part of the escape. . Instead of using cardboard and various materials like the others did in their mock heads, he decided to use cement to fill the gaps. He also pulled off several escapes from other correctional facilities in the Eastern United States. Yes we all made it that night but barely, said the letter. My name is John Anglin, the letter, which was provided to KPIX 5 by an unnamed source, began. My name is John Anglin. The men made an inflatable raft out of raincoats, set off into the water sometime at night, and were never seen again. Known as an end of the line destination for criminals serving long stretches, Alcatraz saw at least 14 escape attempts involving 36 prisoners. Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was famously one of the most unforgiving prisons of the 20th century. My brother died in 2011.. The Marshal Service has reviewed the letter,and a statement from Donald O'Keefe, U.S. Yes we all made it that night, but barely!". "Handwriting samples of all three escapees, John Anglin, Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris, were compared to the anonymous letter, and the results were deemed inconclusive," O'Keefe said. " The investigation had been put to bed almost 40 years ago. It was inconclusive at best, fueling speculation that sparked a 56-year mystery that survives to this day. "He's not given to rash violence. The original FBI investigation concluded the men drowned after they recovered a lone rain jacket, used as a makeshift life preserver and pieces of a wooden paddle. Pipes were rusted and leaked, walls were eroded from pipes leaking salt water, and seals to vents were eaten away by salt water in the air. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. But that was far from the end of the story. The next morning, guards found dummy heads made of plaster, paper mache, paint and real human hair in their cells. ALSO READ:Oakland Mayor Schaaf Calls New Sanctuary Cities Threat 'Un-American'. In reality, the four men went to extreme efforts to create dummies that were very convincing. Robbery was their way of life, and this built them up quite a RAP sheet and landed them in and out of federal prison during their late adolescence and early adult lives. And he had plenty of practice rounds before his stay at Alcatraz. A mysterious letter has come to light purportedly from one of three inmates who famously escaped Alcatraz in 1962. In 1963, J. Campbell Bruce published Escape from Alcatraz, a history of the prison and those who had attempted to flee it, including Morris and the Anglins. I escape (sic) from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. "My name is John Anglin," reads the letter. This week, CBS News obtained a copy of a letter, purportedly from John Anglin, that claims the three men succeeded in their escape. Ken and David Widner, the nephews of escapee bank robber John Anglin, have slammed "inhumane" authorities for keeping secret a 2013 letter purporting to be from their uncle. The writer tries to make a deal with authorities, saying: "If you announce on TV that I will be promised to just go to jail for no more than a year and get medical attention I will write back to let you know exactly where I am. Harp spent 21 years with the FBI, but did not work directly on this case. And no physical evidence exists that counters Anglins statement. John and Clarence Anglin, Two of the Only Men to He, John, said he was 83 and suffering from cancer. All of this activity landed him in prison off and on for his entire adult life. If they did manage to make it, theyd be in need of clothes, food, and other supplies, yet no crimes or strange activity tied to the escape aside from the suspicious stolen Chevy were ever discovered by the FBI. Frustrated officials tried to profile the men involved and determine who may have been chiefly responsible. He was also smart enough to recruit others. "Handwriting samples of all three escapees, John Anglin, Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris, were compared to the anonymous letter, and the results were deemed 'inconclusive,'" said a statement from the US Marshals Service. Yes we all made it that night but barely! the letters writer stated. I escape [sic] from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris, it reads. Inside Edition Marshals Service. I escape from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my Brother Clarence and Frank Morris. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. But brothers John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris disappeared into the night andhave never been found. Yes we all Marshals Service has released new, age-progressed images of Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin, the three inmates who escaped Alcatraz maximum security prison. The breakout was immortalised in the 1979 Clint Eastwood movie Escape from Alcatraz. John Pretty clever. Alcatraz closed the year after the escape, but the mystery remains open. They got off the island. But he is not sure if they lived through the escape. I escape from Alcatrazin June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. (Alcatraz itself closed in 1963, not because its reputation as an escape-proof purgatory diminished but because its upkeep became too expensive to sustain.) Considering how careful the men would have had to be for the remainder of their lives, keeping the rest of the family at arms length and being cautious with their words and actions, they would have had to devote much of their energy to never making a mistake. "So that means yes, and it means no, so this leaves everything in limbo," said Harp. On June 11, 1962, three prisoners at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary escaped. Im 83 years old and in bad shape. The mastermind had his tools to perform the impossible, and he knew hed need a lot more at their disposal if his plan was going to work. West, ever the escape artist, saw opportunity where others only saw mundane object. Once there, the easy part was over. Yes we all made it that night but barely! Once they crawled through, theyclimbed up a network of pipes and plumbing ina commonly unguarded space. Come daylight, the illusion stopped working. I'm 83 years old and in bad shape. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Letter Allegedly Written by Alcatraz Escapee John Anglin Brings I have cancer. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Widner said John and Clarence's signature was on the cards that came along with those flowers. There was otherwise no sign of the men, dead or alive. It adds "I am 83 years old and in bad shape. If you announce on T.V. Marshals Service told KPIX 5, saying they consider the lead has no merit. But the Anglins had another advantage. The working theory was that the men, who apparently fled on an improvised raft, drowned in the bay's unforgiving waters. And in the last 55 years, theories about their fate have multiplied as new evidence surfaces. When that happened, West had a big problem. I have cancer. "It's interesting, I mean it's obviously a very famous case here in San Francisco," said KPIX 5 Security Analyst Jeff Harp. There is absolutely no reason to believe that any of them would have changed their lifestyle and became completely law abiding citizens after this escape, the U.S. They set up a secret workshop on the top of their cells, where they built and hid what they needed to escape. Can you imagine how he felt in that moment, after all those months of planning? "Think about it. So they had to chisel them wider. Within two days, a packet of letters sealed in rubber and related to the men was recovered. "Nearly all were caught or didnt survive the attempt. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Pillows under the blankets provided the dimensions of a body. Who Is John Anglin? This Letter Might Reveal What Happened It was a quadfecta if there is such a thing (there isnt), or perhaps even a perfect storm. The doppelgngers were convincing enough to fool the guards the evening of June 11, 1962. Once the chiseling was complete, the walls were replaced with cardboard, and the holes wide enough for their bodies to squeeze through, the next phase of their plan began to take shape. Police were unable to locate the boat. 'Man who escaped Alcatraz' writes letter to FBI after 50 years of I have cancer.". The men shaved everyday, collected the shaving cream mixed with hair, and then blended it together with toilet paper and soap. The FBI closed the case on Dec. 31, 1979, saying there was no credible evidence that Morris and the Anglin brothers were still alive at that time, the Today show reported. The agency believed that the men had drowned, according to NewsNation. The fate of the three men has remained unknown for over half a century, so this letter could be big news, indeed. They eventually made it out through the ventilator that led them to the prisonroof. I know of times that they came to America to visit the family. A 1958 Alcatraz prison breaks strange ties to an Alabama bank Merry Christmas." Yet people have done it. TikTokers Are Revealing The Truth About "Life-Changing" Moldavite Crystals, TikToks Things I Ate & Survived Trend Will Make You LOL, Heres How To Do The Wes Anderson-Inspired TikTok Trend, This Viral Twitter Thread Turns Your Big 3 Into A Color Palette, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. West cooperated, and told investigators about all the gritty details. Once the saw blades were acquired, it was Morris who put the other men to work. Letter FBI agents reopened an investigation into three prisoners who escaped from Alcatraz after receiving a letter claiming to have been penned by one of the men.