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In 1962, three men — Clarence Anglin, John Anglin, Frank Morris — attempted to escape from the world’s most famous prison: Alcatraz. Considering the fact that Alcatraz is an island, the attempted escape was extremely treacherous. The three men had to endure rough currents, freezing cold water, and the looming threat of Great White sharks.
Rumors have swirled over the trio’s whereabouts. Their bodies were never found — nor were there any clues as to how they survived. Weird occurrences have popped up over the years. Rumors continue to swirl at a fever pitch. Then, in 2018, something astounding happened, which may have turned this unanswered case on its head.
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In 1960, Frank [Morris] was sent to Alcatraz after a string of burglaries across the country. The Anglin brothers also were charged repeatedly with a number of robbery charges (normally with the expectations of targeting banks). John came to Alcatraz in 1960, and Clarence followed a year later.
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Each individual had their own strengths. Frank was said to be a savant (with an I.Q. of over 130). The Anglin brothers were expert swimmers during their youth. Above all else, all three were clever, charming, and quite shrewd. This would ultimately serve them well down the line.
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With Frank as the ringleader, the group of men decided to hatch a plan to escape Alcatraz. Of course, this was nearly impossible to do. Not only was this heavily-guarded fortress sitting in water, but others that tried to leave ended up drowning, recaptured, or killed themselves.
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Frank realized that the ventilation duct underneath their prison cells’ sink could be widened. With the use of makeshift tools (spoons, a drill, saw blades), a space was gradually cut out. As a way to conceal their physical work, the trio had to get creative.
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A sheet was often hung over the sink to cover the hole. Duly, Frank would play the accordion as a means to cancel out any potential noise emanating from the manual labor. Once the hole was large enough to crawl through, Frank, Clarence, and John realized that a long corridor led to the roof of the prison.
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There was still the question as to how any of them were to eventually get off the island. Putting their heads together, the group managed to procure upwards of 50 raincoats. Making life preservers for themselves, they also stitched the remaining ones together to build a makeshift raft. Of course, guards did routine checks on the cells. When away building the raft, the trio had another trick up its collective sleeve…
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Using inventiveness, ingenuity, and creativity, the group crafted papier-mache heads out of soap, hair, toilet paper, and toothpaste. Essentially, these heads would be poking out of their beds as a means to give the illusion that they were sleeping. All the while, their plan to escape the island was close to coming to fruition.
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On the night of June 11, 1962, Clarence, Frank, and John set out for Angel Island — a piece of land approximately two miles from Alcatraz. Sliding down the side of the building, the trio were able to make their way to the shore. Upon blowing up their raft, the group set out in order to gain independence. Their departure wasn’t discovered until the following morning.
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Crazily enough, no physical evidence of the group were ever found. Remnants of the makeshift raft were found near Golden Gate Bridge. A few days later, a wallet was uncovered off the coast of Angel Island. It contained photos, addresses, and names of Clarence’s/John’s relatives.
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The police force launched a full investigation. However, it was deemed that the group didn’t survive the treacherous waters — whether it be from the freezing temperatures or the shark-infested nature of the ocean. While no arrests have been made in the case, a number of weird instances indicate that the group may have survived after all…
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In the years following the attempted escape, the mother of Clarence and John would receive handwritten Christmas cards signed by the brothers. The handwriting was even analyzed, and the prevailing thought was that they did sign the cards. This led the family to believe that John and Clarence were actually alive.
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One of Clarence and John’s nephews had gotten in touch with Whitey Bulger (the famed mob boss). Bulger knew the brothers from his time at Alcatraz. He taught them the ways of avoiding recapture by “cutting all ties.” According to Bulger, the brothers listened quite well. In 2018, something even more startling occurred…
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In 2018, a handwritten letter was made public to local San Francisco media. Originally sent to the San Francisco Police Department, the message was from a man claiming to be John Anglin. Bizarrely enough, the message was quite detailed — and even offered a proposal to the police department…
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According to the man presumed to be John Anglin, Frank died in 2008, and Clarence in 2011. John was willing to turn himself in for a short sentence. In return, he was asking for medical care. The letter indicated he was dealing with some form of cancer.
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Here’s an except from the letter:
“My name is John Anglin. I escaped from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. I’m 83 years old and in bad shape. I have cancer. Yes we all made it that night but barely! 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. This is no joke.”
When the FBI analyzed the fingerprints on the letter, there was no conclusive match to the ones they had for John from 60 years prior.
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A number of rumors had been swirling over the last 50 years. Multiple people claimed to see the Anglin brothers in a number of different states — including Florida, North Dakota, Washington, Maryland, and California. One family story even has two extremely tall and rather unattractive women being at the funeral of Clarence’s/John’s mother. Some believe they may have been in drag as a means to conceal their identities.
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A picture also surfaced of two men potentially being the Anglin brothers. One popular theory is that John and Clarence had been living in Brazil. Many family members believe this to be the case — particularly since John and Clarence’s mother received not only Christmas cards, but also roses in the wake of them attempting to escape from Alcatraz.
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The authorities appear to be a bit skeptical of the letter. While tips and anonymous clues have been given to the authorities for years, it was the first time in which one of the purported men has contacted the police directly.
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No one quite knows the real truth behind Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin. We do understand the sheer brilliance of the men in orchestrating such a daring escape. However, as potential clues continue to trickle in, the case continues to get more and more ambiguous nearly 60 years later.