John K. Giles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John K. Giles
John K. Giles mug shot
Born	1895
Died
Occupation	Prisoner on Alcatraz

For the Republic of Ireland footballer, see: Johnny Giles.

John K. Giles was born in 1895. He was sentenced to Alcatraz on May 11, 1935 for attempted robbery of the Denver and Rio Grande Western mail train. He had previously been serving life in Oregon for murder before escaping.

[edit] Escape Attempt

On 31st July 1945, at 10:40 a.m., the Army launch General Frank M. Coxe pulled into the Alcatraz wharf. Giles, wearing an Army Staff Sergeant's uniform that he had been able to steal while working in the laundry that was contracted to clean army uniforms^[1], jumped aboard the boat through a freight hatchway below deck. As the boat pulled away, a count of the soldiers on board indicated one extra, and at the same time, a count of the Alcatraz dock workers indicated one missing convict. Assistant Warden E.J. Miller was notified, and he followed the army boat in a small speed boat until it reached Fort McDowell. Alcatraz officials called ahead to Fort McDowell, instructing them to keep everyone on the boat. The boat Captain took this to mean nobody gets off without a pass. Giles showed his pass. It worked. He got off. According to Warden Johnston, it should have been called a successful escape, but the BOP and AG decided to call it attempted escape...

While on board, Giles was unaware that he was being followed. He talked to fellow passengers and told them he was a "lineman working on the cable."

After Giles disembarked the boat, he was questioned by Lieutenant Gordon L. Kilgore, officer of the day. Kilgore had noticed that Giles' uniform appeared incorrect. After inspecting the passes and realizing they were bad forgeries, he was contained and eventually turned over to Assistant Warden Miller. By 11:00 a.m., he was headed back to Alcatraz.

The story of Giles' capture and his attempted escape were profiled on the radio program Gang Busters in 1945.

John K. Giles was born on February 16, 1895 in Tennessee, and died in February, 1979, in Sierra Madre, California.