Frank Morris: the story of the famous escape from Alcatraz

Alcatraz is a famous island, located near San Francisco. At the moment it was turned into a museum, and until 1963 it was a federal prison for especially dangerous criminals. It was believed that it is impossible to escape from the island, but throughout the history of the prison's existence such attempts have been made, but all failed. The most famous in the history of Alcatraz, the escape was made more than 50 years ago by Frank Morris and the Engling brothers. Of their future fate, for sure, nothing is known until now.

Facts from the life of Frank Morris

Frank Morris - an American criminal, became famous after he made the most successful attempt to escape from prison on the island of Alcatraz. The fate of Morris and his accomplices is still unknown, so the success of the escape can only be guessed.

Morris was born on September 1, 1926 in Washington. Being a 14-year-old teenager has already violated the law and was sent to a juvenile colony. Having received the first term of more than 6 years, was released on probation in April 1942, and after a month he was again behind bars. The next 20 years, Frank Morris either spent in jail, or was wanted for an escape and another crime. In January 1960, he was sent to serve his sentence in Alcatraz prison as a particularly dangerous criminal. By this time, he had 11 attempts to escape from prisons.

Alcatraz: the history of the island

Alcatraz appeared on the map of the USA in 1775. The location of the island in the depths of the bay, around which cold waves are constantly raging, decided the question of its use, and in 1861 a military prison was founded here. Despite rumors of iron discipline and strict maintenance in Alcatraz, the attitude towards military prisoners was relatively mild. They had the right to engage in economic activities, move freely around the prison, organize baseball competitions (for this purpose, a real playing field was equipped). The conditions in the prison changed drastically when it turned from military to federal. All the premises were completely reconstructed to completely exclude the possibility of rebellion or escape.

Frank Morris in Alcatraz

It was in this place in 1960 that Frank Morris was sent as a particularly distinguished criminal with a huge "track record". Having stayed in Alcatraz for two years, Frank undertook another escape in his criminal biography - the only one that was crowned with success. For a long time, Frank Morris and the Englin brothers were searched all over the world, but nothing is known about their future fate until now. There is an official version of the investigation, according to which fugitives failed to cross the bay. According to an unofficial version, the attempt was successful, and all three managed to get to the shore. In favor of this version is the fact that Frank was a smart enough and experienced criminal, so he could not help thinking about every little thing and do not take into account the low water temperature and strong current. The brothers, in turn, differed in phenomenal endurance and were excellent swimmers.

Organization of the famous escape

During the reconstruction of Alcatraz, measures were taken to exclude any attempt to escape from the island. One such measure was the concreting of all approaches to service tunnels. One of these concreted walls and became a kind of window for freedom for three desperate prisoners. To this escape, Frank Morris, Clarence and John Englins had been preparing for a long time: they made a homemade drill that used to pierce a hole in a concrete wall for a long time. On the night of the escape, when the hole in the wall was already of sufficient size, they put their heads on their beds and left the cell. On the service tunnel, criminals made their way to the roof and descended to the bay. Here they were already waiting for a previously prepared raft, which they made of rubber raincoats. After that, none of the three no one else saw.

Investigation of the escape from Alcatraz

The escape of Frank Morris from Alcatraz for many years has become in certain circles one of the most discussed topics. The study of the case materials involved the most famous agents. No evidence of the death of the fugitives was found. As well as accurate evidence that the famous trio could still swim across the bay and hide. For family members of criminals followed for a long time, but the facts of the appearance of neither Frank Morris nor the Englin brothers have been revealed to this day.

The history of escape and modernity

Now, when the escape of Frank Morris and his associates remained in the distant past, some new facts appeared. Family members of the Englin brothers claim that a few years after the escape they received a Christmas card signed by the missing brothers John and Clarence. Their mother for many years received flowers from an unknown sender. It is rumored that both John and Clarence attended the funeral of the mother, carefully make-up and dressed in women's dresses. For the capture of criminals a reward of $ 1 million has been set, which has not been claimed so far.

Life after death"

In 1979, American director Don Siegel immortalized the famous escape story from the island of Alcatraz, removing the eponymous film about Frank Morris and the Englins brothers. The main role in the film was played by Clint Eastwood. The film had an unprecedented success at the box office, collecting more than $ 40 million, which was five times the film's budget.