Breaking the rock : the great escape from Alcatraz by Babyak Jolene

Author:Babyak, Jolene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, California, Escapes
Publisher: Berkeley, Calif. : Ariel Vamp Press
Published: 2001-10-25T16:00:00+00:00

to paint the ceiling above B block. Herring might have even been surprised. He thought the ceiling was done. Oh no. West said, still got a little section over B block.

Within minutes, Herring and West were up on the third tier, noisily setting up a step ladder so Herring could climb above the third tier and unlock the bar door onto the top of the block. Herring climbed back down, told West to watch himself, and returned to the floor. West made sure to make lots of noise, sometimes even yelling down to Herring at his desk at the west end. That morning, he had his paint can and brush, his turpentine and rags all staged up there with him. He also brought up the floor sweep.

"Herring locked West inside the utility corridor by himself," Dollison wrote in a later memo, "and permitted West to work at the top of the block without stipervision."

Officer Irving Levinson was stunned. He told told Herring, "I wouldn't trust West as far as I could throw a piano."

"I felt genuine admiration for the little son-of-a-bitch!" Carnes later exclaimed about West's chutzpah.

Officer Ron Battles opened the third floor utility corridor one day while West was up there, painting. He was shocked to see West working alone. "I backed out of there!" Battles said. He went down to the floor and said, " 'Herring! You got an inmate on top of the block!' "

" 'That's been approved,' " Herring shot back.

IT WAS THE first blunder leading to the success of this breakout. Only two cons on Alcatraz worked without supervision: the gardener, who remained visible to the road tower officer, and a prisoner who worked inside the warden's house. No one was allowed in a utility corridor or on top of the block without an officer escort. Some thought the reason was to limit homosexual activity. But the real reason was far more vital to security.

When Alcatraz was transferred from the U.S. Army to the BOP, new tool-proof bars were installed on B and C block cells and new fences and towers were erected. But not enough money existed to secure everything. And among the items that had never been properly secured were the ceiling vents. They were fixed

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.