The mystery surrounding the 1962 Alcatraz escape attempt is on its way to unraveling. A letter discovered recently reveals that the 3 prisoners did escape and that the only remaining survivor, now over 80 years old, is ready to turn himself in to authorities in exchange for medical treatment for his cancer.
The legendary prison of Alcatraz was built on its namesake island in San Francisco, California. It was for a time considered the most secure place to house the most devious and dangerous criminals. Over the years, numerous prisoners made their attempts to escape from the notorious penitentiary but were quickly subdued. One attempt, however, remains unsolved even today.
It dates back to 1962. At the beginning of summer, brothers Clarence and John Anglin, along with Frank Morris, enigmatically disappeared from the prison. After the investigation it became evident that they had managed to escape their cells by digging a hole into the ventilation shaft behind their cells using any objects they could get their hands on - a process that had taken them months on end.
Next, they were purported to make it unseen to the roof of the prison and then leave the island using an improvised raft, again made from materials they had available. Although their absence was discovered very quickly and the sirens sounded, the 3 escapees were never actually found.
Months later, when human bones appeared along the shore, investigators presumed that the 3 had drowned. And the case was closed.
But, events decades later made authorities reopen the case. Relatives of the disappeared convicts claimed that the 3 men were alive and that they had even received postcards from them. Recently, a later has appeared, adding credence to the theory that Clarence, John and Frank escaped successfully.
There is still no categorical proof of who the sender was but based on the text, the author is John Anglin himself. He confirms that on that night in 1962 he had indeed escaped with his brother and Frank, both of whom had died years ago.
Anglin claims that he's ready to turn himself over to authorities if he is provided medical assistance and not locked up again. For the moment being, there's not enough evidence to support the letter's authenticity but the case is so intriguing that the FBI has resumed the investigation and everything is expected to be revealed soon enough.
