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Post by Scumhunter on May 29, 2014 19:08:10 GMT -5
 A Meeting Of Criminal MindsFrank Morris may have been born to plan a prison-break. Said to possess an impressive IQ and a penchant for escaping, Morris was sent to Alcatraz in 1960 after a string of attempted escapes at other facilities. Shortly after entering Alcatraz, Morris hooked up with three other career criminals: Allen West, and bank-robbing brothers John and Clarence Anglin. According to newspaper reports from the time, the four men had all done time in the Atlanta Federal Prison prior to Alcatraz. For their part, Clarence and John Anglin were convicted bank robbers, who like Morris, were sent to Alcatraz after a string of escape attempts. According to newspaper reports from the time, one of Clarence's more memorable escapes involved hiding among loaves of bread in a bakery truck. Planning The Big OneFor months, Morris, with the aid of West and the Anglin brothers, masterminded a clever and elaborate plan to get off the "Rock." Over the course of two years, the men executed an escape that involved climbing through vents, crafting a raft from raincoats, drilling through walls and making lifelike dummy heads using plaster and human hair. Although Alcatraz was known for its tight security, Morris and his accomplices managed to play the system through a series of lucky streaks and pure ingenuity. The men's cells were in close proximity to one another on the cell block, and they took turns drilling through the vent holes in their cells--at one point, with a vacuum cleaner motor that Morris managed to acquire. They worked diligently and stealthily on the escape, and after months of toiling, they had everything in place. Lingering QuestionsOn June 12, 1962, Morris told his fellow inmates that they would make their escape that night. Morris and the Anglin brothers removed the decoy ventilator grills they had positioned in front of the holes the dug in their cells and climbed up to the roof through the cell plumbing. Because he had not dug enough, West was unable to get his ventilator grill out in time to join the other men. He would later give details about the escape to police and take credit for most of its conception. Although no one has been able to prove the success or failure of the men's escape, some authorities presume the men dead from drowning in the chilly, choppy waters of the San Francisco Bay. Police say that the men planned to steal clothes and a car once they made it to dry land, but there were no thefts or crimes involving men matching their descriptions for weeks after their escape. Furthermore, none of the men's friends or family heard anything from them after the escape. Whatever happened to Morris and the Anglin brothers, they managed to stir up a more than 40-year-old mystery that continues to fascinate people even now. web.archive.org/web/20060211162737/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=34304#associatedpersonssanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/02/08/investigator-says-1962-alcatraz-escapees-likely-survived/Thoughts? All three men would be in their 80's if alive today. I have been to San Francisco and to Alcatraz (insert obligatory joke about the crime forum webmaster having been to prison here  ) I saw just how choppy and likely chilly the waters can be and how narrowly they must have escaped. If I were to base if they survived the break off just that I would say no. But based on evidence, sightings etc. it does seem they did in fact amazingly survive. An agent interviewed in an article above believes they are and mentions a raft with footprints leading away from it recovered a day after the escape. I also believe I remember Pakman mentioning a sighting of one of the three at a funeral decades later. If anyone Pakman or otherwise can confirm this it would be much appreciated. So I think we will all probably agree Morris and the Anglin brothers successfully escaped Alcatraz. The question is who if any are alive today? Admin Note #1: If you have any information on the three Alcatraz escapees, based on agencies handling the case, our advice would be to contact the US Marshals Service at 1-877-WANTED-2 Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form |
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Post by pakman on May 30, 2014 15:31:04 GMT -5
It was actually a funeral, but yes, there was a reported sighting of them decades later. I believe it was their mother's funeral. Two mysterious men showed up in dark suits, briefly attended the burial, then disappeared. Nobody knew who they were or what they were doing, but many believe it was the Anglin brothers.
Another reported sighting was from a healthcare worker (I think; it's been awhile since I've seen the episode) who was convinced she once took care of Clarence Anglin. She actually froze up when she saw the age-enhanced photo of Anglin and made the detective put it away. What's fascinating is that the detective never told her the age-enhanced photo was of Clarence Anglin; he showed her all three photos at once and immediately she pointed to Clarence Anglin.
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Post by Scumhunter on Dec 17, 2014 16:33:52 GMT -5
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Post by Scumhunter on Oct 10, 2015 22:47:51 GMT -5
The History Channel will air story about the Alcatraz escapees on Monday night (check local listings). Apparently family members of the Anglin brothers are now cooperating- wanting closure and also wanting to prove Alcatraz officials who claimed the brothers never made it to land wrong. They claim to have proof they survived. And in addition to everything else, even Whitey Bulger claims to have talked to them and given them advice. According to Art Roderick a retired US Marshal, the Anglin brothers could have ended up in Brazil. If they are still alive, international laws may not even allow extradition to the U.S. Nevertheless, Roderick would still like to sit down and talk with them to figure out how they did it. nypost.com/2015/10/10/relatives-have-proof-alcatraz-escapees-are-still-alive/ |
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Post by Scumhunter on Oct 12, 2015 11:33:04 GMT -5
Ok, according to my tvguide, the special on the escapees will air tonight at 9 PM ET on the History Channel. (At 8 PM ET, there is a one-hour special on the prison itself).
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Post by Scumhunter on Oct 12, 2015 22:16:51 GMT -5
Alright, that was a very interesting special. Basically, the Anglin's nephews asked for retired US Marshal Art Roderick's help since he was one of the few law enforcement officials they trusted (they claimed the FBI harassed their family for years after the escape).
They initially showed Roderick Christmas cards sent years after the escape. He was initially skeptical and not convinced until the brothers showed a photo taken in 1975 at a farm in Brazil that looks exactly like the Anglin brothers but with beards- and this is where Roderick perks up. (The photo has a telephone poll that looks foreign, giving credibility to the whereabouts of the photo)
Also mentioned beforehand is bones that washed ashore shortly after the escape. The results pertaining to Frank Morris were inconclusive, but the brothers, before this year, refused to provide their DNA to see if it was either of the Anglin brothers.
The brothers strike a deal- they'll provide a DNA sample- if authorities agree to revive Alfred Anglin's body- who was also involved the bank robbery that sent all three brothers to prison. Alfred tried to escape from prison a year later but was electrocuted trying to. The nephews believed that it was a cover-up and Alfred was beaten as authorities tried to get information out of him about Clarence and John.
Meanwhile, Roderick takes the photo to a facial analysis expert. The expert looking at the photos and doing computer enhancements notices the striking similarities and says something to the effect of it was him he would round up the cavalry. (or something to that effect, can't remember the exact line).
Roderick later sits down with Anglin family members, and mentions that there was no proof Alfred was beaten based on the autopsy. However, the DNA evidence proves the bones were not either of the Anglin brothers, and that the facial analysis expert believed the photos were credible, obviously thrilling the nephews.
There were also new interesting details about the escape. The brothers may have used an electrical cord to lack onto a staff boat from a ferry dock, eventually making it to another boat- meaning they had help from the outside.
The man who took the photo, Frank Brizzi, described as a family friend, is someone who may have helped them. He claims to have just bumped into them a bar outside Rio in 1975. Roderick believes Brizzi is downplaying his role in the escape and it wasn't just a chance meeting.
Brizzi was a career criminal and drug smuggler who could have easily provided a plane for the Anglin brothers to escape to Brazil in.
Roderick, who at the beginning of the episode seemed skeptical and believing that the Anglins never made it out the water, seems to end the episode having changed his mind and leaning towards the Anglin brothers escaping and making it to Brazil.
After the episode, I remain convinced that those bones belong to Morris, they just can't prove it via DNA, and that the Anglin brothers did in fact make it out of Alcatraz and to Brazil.
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Post by Scumhunter on Oct 12, 2015 22:17:48 GMT -5
P.S. Just a warning for anyone who watches the episode for the first time- they actually show the skeleton when they exhume Alfred's body and do the autopsy- so you may want to close your eyes for those parts. :0
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Post by Scumhunter on Oct 12, 2015 22:31:56 GMT -5
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Post by Scumhunter on Feb 10, 2016 16:32:45 GMT -5
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Post by profiler24 on Dec 31, 2016 12:11:44 GMT -5
Very interesting . Has mickey cohen been questioned about his help in the escape? |
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Post by Scumhunter on Dec 31, 2016 18:05:26 GMT -5
I can't recall if he's even alive anymore, article doesn't state. If he is, you'd think he'd have to be questioned.
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Post by Scumhunter on Dec 11, 2017 6:10:12 GMT -5
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Post by Scumhunter on Dec 11, 2017 13:03:44 GMT -5
Forgot this case was on Unsolved Mysteries as well- they did an entire one and a half our episode in 1989! By sheer coincidence, it was actually the next episode in the Robert Stack Amazon episodes I'm currently going through: unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Frank_Morris_and_the_Anglin_Brothersunsolved.com/gallery/alcatraz-escape/Some highlights from the episode, also mentioned on Unsolved Wikia and the Unsolved Mysteries website: -Someone claiming to be John Anglin called a local attorney before the escape became public. (on the episode, the man claiming to be Anglin wanted the woman at the attorney's office who answered his call to contact the U.S. Marshals. When she asked who is John Anglin, he said "don't you read the papers?" and hung up) -Two theories were tested, one by having a triathlete swim from Alcatraz to the mainland and the other having three experienced kayakers paddle the same route in a replica of the makeshift raft used by the Anglins and Morris. While the rafters failed due to their raft being unseaworthy and had to be rescued by a motorboat that was shadowing their progress, the swimmer succeeded at making it to shore. The swimmer, Dave Horning, believed Morris and the Anglin brothers could have made it after his swim, saying you basically need to warm yourself up in order to survive, and them wanting to escape probably built up their adrenaline. It's also mentioned the Anglin brothers were from Florida and although not triathletes, decent swimmers. My personal opinion is that the Anglin brothers survived, based on some credible sightings and that photo, but Frank Morris did not. (I'm not sure if they ever conclusive ruled out the body I previously mentioned but I still think Morris at least didn't make it regardless). I don't normally disagree with law enforcement on issues like this, but this was 1950's/60's era law enforcement and prison officials and such. I think pride and ego won't let them admit (at least the ones who were pretty stubborn and adamant on the Unsolved Mysteries segment that no one survived) that unfortunately the men or at least one of the men possibly got away. Marshal Roderick is/was a more modern guy who, while initially believing they were dead, doesn't/didn't have anything personally to gain from them being so. (The ones involved from the get-go have/had being able to save face and having a sense of personal responsibility that the men either got away under their watch and/or weren't caught right away under their watch at stake). And he seemed to change his mind to them being alive, or at least having been alive for a decent amount of time, after his participation in the History channel show. |
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Post by Scumhunter on Jan 23, 2018 18:01:16 GMT -5
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Post by Scumhunter on Jan 24, 2018 12:55:09 GMT -5
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) I saw just how choppy and likely chilly the waters can be and how narrowly they must have escaped. If I were to base if they survived the break off just that I would say no. But based on evidence, sightings etc. it does seem they did in fact amazingly survive. An agent interviewed in an article above believes they are and mentions a raft with footprints leading away from it recovered a day after the escape. I also believe I remember Pakman mentioning a sighting of one of the three at a funeral decades later. If anyone Pakman or otherwise can confirm this it would be much appreciated.
