| John Anglin | |
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John William Anglin (May 2, 1930 – missing since June 11, 1962) was an American criminal who took part in the June 1962 Alcatraz escape and was never seen again.
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John and Clarence were together sent to Alcatraz after being caught attempting escape from the state penitentiary. John arrived on October 21, 1960, as Alcatraz inmate AZ1476, and Clarence arrived on January 10, 1961, as Alcatraz inmate AZ1485. By September 1961, Morris, West, and the Anglin brothers were planning an elaborate escape attempt.
By late May 1962, Morris, West, and the Anglins had finished cutting through the walls of their cells. On June 11 the escape began with Morris and the Anglins climbing up the ventilation shaft through one of the chimneys and reaching the top of the roof. The trio then climbed down the rooftop, pumped up their rubber raft and then paddled away. The next morning police searched for the escapees on Alcatraz and Angel Island without success. In 1962 the three were put on the FBI's Most Wanted List. West did not make it out of his cell and no charges were pressed against him.
The official report on the escape says the prisoners drowned in the Bay. It was suggested in Unsolved Mysteries that the men might have survived the escape, because a day after the escape a man claiming to be John Anglin had called a lawyer in San Francisco and wanted the lawyer to arrange a meeting with the US Marshals' Office. When the lawyer refused to do this, the person hung up.
In 1963, J. Campbell Bruce published his book Escape from Alcatraz about escapes from Alcatraz Island, including that of Morris and the Anglin brothers.[1] The 1979 film Escape from Alcatraz starred Clint Eastwood, Fred Ward, and Jack Thibeau as Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin respectively. Allen West was played by Larry Hankin; his character's name was changed to Charlie Butts.[2]