Alcatraz: A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years

by Michael Esslinger

  As the Warden and the other men carefully worked through the formal anti-escape procedure manual, Bergen and Johnson chose their men and started plotting their entry into the West Gun Gallery. The situation quickly grew tense, as the East Gallery officers started firing shots at the silhouette of an inmate who was running across the floor with a rifle. As the sun started to set on the prison, Bergen and fellow officer Harry Cochrane met with Associate Warden Miller, pleading to be allowed to enter the cellhouse and begin the rescue of their fellow officers. Miller had been instructed by Johnston to refrain from entering the cellhouse until more reinforcements arrived. But Bergen was ready, and he firmly stated that if the hostages were still alive; they would be waiting for them to make a move. Bergen and Cochrane were assigned the dangerous task of securing a ladder to the side of the cellhouse, so that they could report on any activity that was not visible to the officers in the East End Gallery. As Bergen ascended the ladder he carefully peered into the building, but could see only a dense haze of tear gas. No inmates were visible, and the cellhouse seemed abandoned. Bergen and Cochrane reported to Associate Warden Miller with this update.

  Officers are seen here peering through the main cellblock portholes, attempting to observe the activities of the rioters.

  At approximately 3:30 p.m. the first detachment of marines arrived from Treasure Island. They were equipped with a full arsenal of weaponry and they started manning the yard wall and assisting Alcatraz officers at various other posts. Bergen and Cochrane were summoned to the Associate Warden’s office and informed that once all of the marines had received assignments and reported to their posts, they would enter the cellhouse to rescue their fellow officers. There was, however, one change in plan. Johnston felt that it would be a better strategy to gain control of the West End Gallery first, and to have armed officers cover the team that entered the main floor of the prison. It was agreed that once Bergen and his armed assault team had taken control of the West Gallery they would be relieved by reserves, and then they would immediately enter the main cellhouse to perform the rescue.

  Bergen, however, strongly voiced his opposition to this plan. He reasoned that his team could easily enter the main cellhouse using armed force, and quickly bring out the hostages. Bergen was adamant about not wasting time and following Johnston’s orders, he decided to assemble his team and have them briefed on the West Gallery entry plan. Bergen and his men made a quick stopover at the Armory, and then made their way to the catwalk outside of D Block. The men advanced along the catwalk in strict formation, crouching down as they quickly moved into position at the gallery entrance. There were eight officers lined up along the catwalk. Phil Bergen, Harry Cochrane, and Harold P. Stites would be the first to enter the gallery. Stites carried a solid reputation among his peers, and he had bravely put an end to the 1938 escape attempt by inmates Thomas E. Limerick, Rufus “Whitey” Franklin, and James Lucas.

  The other men in the assault team were assigned to their stations, and it was planned that they would hold the West Gallery once Bergen, Stites, and Cochrane had completed the rescue of Officer Bert Burch. It was still unclear whether they would be recovering his corpse or rescuing him alive, since no one knew his true fate. The reserves were mostly seasoned officers. The remaining group was comprised of Lieutenant Frank Johnson, and Officers Alvin Bloomquest, Fred Mahan, Herschel R. Oldham, Fred J. Richberger, and Joe Maxell, who had made the first attempt at entering the gallery with Stites, but had been forced to retreat.

  While the guards crouched at the entrance, Bergen made a final review of the plan, and then on cue he carefully swung open the door just enough to allow them passage. As they entered the building they remained cautiously silent, while searching for any visible movement on the cellhouse floor. The interior was mysteriously quiet, and masked with an eerie haze of smoke that clouded the air. The acrid smell of teargas slightly irritated their eyes as they tried to adjust to the dim lighting. As they searched the cellhouse for any sign of the hostages and the escapees, they could see little except broken glass littering the floors, and several of the cells standing open with no movement inside. Bergen and Cochrane advanced steadily to the middle of the gallery, stopping at the stairwell that led up to the middle level. Stites covered the entrance area, and scanned for any sign of movement.

  Coy armed with his rifle and Cretzer with his .45 watched the officers make their entry into the gallery. They carefully took aim at the shadows moving down the caged corridor, and then once they had a sure shot, they fired almost in unison. As soon as the shots were discharged, Stites, Bergen and Cochrane instantaneously dropped for cover under a volley of return fire. The officers on the catwalk squeezed into the entrance, and they too started shooting into the cellhouse. A brief gun battle ensued while Bergen and Cochrane made a concerted effort to locate the origin of the gunfire, without success. Meanwhile, the deafening barrage was heard all the way to the city’s shores. Bergen yelled out to Stites to head for the stairs, where they could take cover and secure better positions from which to return fire. As Cochrane attempted to climb the stairs, he was violently struck by a bullet in his right arm. Bergen yelled emphatically to cease fire, and led the reluctant Cochrane back to the entrance. Richberger had also suffered a major gunshot wound to the leg, and in a painful low stance, he limped along the catwalk back to safety. Bert Burch, still tied and unable to move, tried to remain as still as possible to avoid being hit or targeted.

  The team quickly regrouped outside the gallery entrance, and Bergen, full of determination, prepared to reenter and take control of the gallery. Bergen and Stites, now followed by the reserve officers, quickly rushed back into the building. Bergen had just begun a feverous search for Burch when the gunfire intensified, causing him to stop and take cover. Bergen and Mahan rushed to the stairwell while Stites and Oldham maintained their positions in the D Block section of the gallery. The gun gallery in the D Block section had an “L” shaped curve that paralleled the south cellblock wall. This section provided an excellent frontal view of the cells and the activity of the inmates. Bergen and Mahan carefully positioned themselves in a low stance, and prepared to return fire into the ghostly haze of smoke. As the reserves fired off piston-like bursts of gunfire into the cellblock, the assault team quickly navigated the stairwell, hoping to locate and extricate Officer Burch. Suddenly and without warning, while Stites was slowly advancing along the south wall of the gun gallery, he was struck by a bullet and fatally wounded.

  A diagram hand drawn by Lieutenant Phil Bergen, showing the key event locations.

  Officer Donald Martin kept a detailed journal of assignments on Alcatraz, and would be one of the officers sent in to recover the fatally wounded Harold Stites from the West Gun Gallery. His personal journal notes describe the injuries suffered by officers and detail the escape events.

  The interior of the Gun Gallery section inside of D Block. Visible at floor level is the window from which the fatal shot struck officer Harold Stites.

  Unconscious and completely unresponsive to his surroundings, Stites was lying supine and motionless at the southwest corner of D Block, bleeding profusely from a flank wound. Bergen and Mahan heard Oldham yelling out that Stites was badly hit, and quickly came to his aid. They immediately recognized the severity of his wounds, and each officer grabbed a leg to drag him along the gallery to the stairwell. Oldham joined in to help them carry the wounded officer, and he was struck in the arm as he passed one of the gallery windows. Stites was dragged out to the catwalk, where he lay bleeding in full view of the other officers positioned on the hillside. He was quickly carried into the administration area, where he was immediately pronounced dead. It was a sobering indicator of the gravity of the situation, and a final confirmation that this would not end peacefully. Bergen was now more determined than ever to free his fellow officers.

  Bergen and Fred Mahan were now all alone in the West Gallery, studying every sound and every shadow.

  Correctional Officer Fred M
ahan.

  Bergen and Fred Mahan were now all alone in the West Gallery, studying every sound and every shadow. The cellhouse remained still, and free of any movement. They could only hear an occasional cough or a muffled voice from an anonymous cell. Mahan maintained his position in the D Block end of the gallery, while Bergen advanced alone into the main area of the cellhouse. Bergen was especially cautious, and he studied every discernible figure and shadow that he could make out through the gallery bars. As he progressed cautiously through the darkened gallery, he finally came across Burch, who was cold and shivering, and relieved to hear Bergen’s voice. Burch briefed Bergen on what little he could remember. He didn’t recall being struck, but had some recollection of the fight that had ensued with an inmate who he believed to be Bernie Coy. Burch was sore and had several scrapes and bruises, but amazingly he didn’t appear to have suffered any other injuries. He was unclothed, except for his undergarments and socks.

  Bergen and Burch slowly crawled their way back into D Block. As soon as they met up with Mahan, they called the Armory and notified the staff there that they had located Burch, and that he appeared to be unhurt. Burch was assisted out of the gallery and walked back into administration, where he was examined and provided with clothing. Against the advice of the physician, he immediately returned to the gallery to provide support. Bergen had decided to make another excursion into the West Gallery, where he would attempt to locate his fellow officers. Holding his pistol at the ready, he skillfully advanced into the narrow corridor. He again studied every tier of cells, looking for even the slightest indication of where the captives could be located. He ascended the staircase at the north end of the gallery, careful and alert, and ready to react should the convicts attempt to ambush him. As he made it to the top level, the mystery of how Coy had infiltrated the galley became clear. From a crouched position he could see the bars and how they had been bent. It was clear that Coy had somehow acquired tools that were capable of bending the steel that had been termed “tool-proof.” Bergen inspected the gallery, and was finally confident that no inmates were waiting in ambush. He descended back into the D Block section, where he was met by Mahan, and he reported his findings back to the Armory via the gallery telephone. Bergen and Mahan maintained their positions and continued a close surveillance of the cellhouse, awaiting further orders from the Warden’s office.

  The Warden was behind closed doors, plotting with his aides about how to perform a stealthy rescue and free his men. With Lieutenants Isaac Faulk, Frank Johnson and Associate Warden Ed Miller, he debated the pros and cons of making entry into the cellhouse without firm knowledge of the whereabouts of the captive officers. It was later reported that Warden Johnston had also felt uneasy about sending in a team carrying weapons, which could potentially be seized by the already armed inmates. It was known that the inmates had only a small arsenal of weapons and ammunition, and the prison staff realized that the battle could intensify if the convicts secured more firearms and drew more inmates into their scheme. This had been one of the most critical elements of the security system at Alcatraz. Weapons were never to be allowed into the cellhouse under any circumstances. But clearly this type of situation had never been anticipated, and some invasive action would have to be implemented, beyond what was dictated by protocol.

  The injured guards, Richberger, Cochrane, and Oldham, were driven down to the dock area. Johnston made a solemn trip over to meet with Bessie Stites and deliver the news of her husband’s tragic death. Her friends and children would assist her, as they gathered their belongings and met at the dock where her husband’s body lay tightly covered with a dark green army blanket. Harold P. Stites had become the first known fatality, and his body was lifted onto the bow of the launch for the brief trip over to the Van Ness Pier. As they arrived, they were met with a barrage of reporters snapping photos, desperate to get any information that was available. The news of Stites’ death was starting to spread, and the tension rose among the families, who feared the worst for their loved ones on the island. Ambulances lined the dock access path with their flashing red lights radiating against the buildings and water. When the launch arrived at the dock, four prison officers, Fred Richberger, Harry Cochrane, Herschel Oldham, and Elmus Besk, were rushed by ambulance to the Marine Hospital in the Presidio. The body of Harold Stites was solemnly loaded into the back of an ambulance and driven to the Medical Examiner’s Office, where it would immediately undergo an autopsy.

  Warden Johnston had made a final decision that it was still too risky to send in an armed assault team. The plan would therefore be to attempt to communicate with the cornered inmates, to see if they could strike some limited bargain for the hostages’ return. Ed Miller was assigned the task of attempting to negotiate with the inmates. Breaking out a pane from a window over the D Block catwalk, Miller yelled blindly into the cellhouse, trying to reason with the escapees, and pleading for them to surrender. At first there was no response, but then after a brief moment, Cretzer yelled from an indiscernible location that they would not be taken alive, and challenged Miller to “come’n and get us.” From his position in the gun gallery Bergen listened carefully to the sound of the voice, and cautiously looking over the Gallery’s steel barrier, he attempted to locate where the voice was coming from. As Cretzer and Miller briefly exchanged words, Coy fired off several rounds toward the window where Miller was standing. This action incited a response, and soon there was an intense barrage of gunfire into D Block.

  Scenes of Alcatraz at war. Armed with mortars and bazookas, United States Marines used heavy artillery to bomb the cellhouse in an effort to regain control.

  Alvin Karpis, former “Public Enemy Number One” and the inmate to serve the longest term on the Rock, later recounted that the first bombardment of gunfire took the inmates completely by surprise. They had not expected the barrage of bullets to be so severe. The inmates in D Block were nearly deafened as the artillery attack reverberated throughout the cellhouse, and to the many spectators who lined the shores of San Francisco, it was reminiscent of a Fourth of July fireworks display. Former inmate Jim Quillen later reported that when the rifle grenades fired by marines penetrated into the cellhouse, the steel casings of the segregation cells could be seen expanding and contracting from the massive impact of the explosions. The inmates took cover behind piled mattresses, bedding, and books. As grenades traveled through the barred windows of D Block and clumsily landed, they would detonate hot shrapnel fragments across the cells. The individual blasts sent violent shock waves across the tiers and in one case inmate Burton Phillips was knocked completely unconscious, and all of the plumbing fixtures within his cell were destroyed. Each time a grenade hit, it would rupture the water lines, creating what Quillen later described as a “free-flowing river” that flooded each tier. There was a collective mood of terror as the inmates were forced to take cover behind the icy-cold water-soaked mattresses, which slowly increased in density, acting as large porous sponges. The chilly Bay winds started to creep into the cellblock, but this also dispersed some of the harsh and acrid haze of teargas. It was later recounted that each time the clouds of teargas started to dissipate; another canister would be thrown onto the cellhouse floor.

  Spectators lined the shores of San Francisco, watching the embattled prison. The sounds of gunfire and bombing resonated throughout the city.

  By 9:00 p.m. the cellhouse was completely dark, with only ambient lighting glowing though the exterior windows. Bergen was now positioned in the “L” section of the gun gallery, observing the attack of the administration forces. As the barrage of fire lessened, voices from the catwalk again pleaded with the inmates to surrender their weapons and release the hostages. Coy was now taking cover behind the cement wall next to the D-Block entrance, and he yelled more obscenities at the guards, then fired several rounds toward the window from which the voice had emerged. The attack would again rage on, as the cellhouse was shelled with powerful artillery. Bergen and Mahan, who were now rejoined b
y Burch, fiercely opened fire on Coy, but they were unable to see him well enough to aim precisely. After nearly forty-five minutes of fierce battle, the rapid pulse of gunfire slowed to an irregular pattern, with only occasional deafening bursts aimed at briskly moving shadows. Coy retreated back into the utility corridor, where he climbed the labyrinth of piping, hoping to find a point on top of the cellhouse from which he would have a clear, unobstructed shooting radius.

  Tension was now also rising for the inmates in the recreation yard. Each time shots were fired into the cellhouse, the inmates would yell obscenities at the marines and guards along the wall. These slurs would generally be met with aimed rifles and machine guns, challenging the prisoners’ unruliness. The sharp winds had also added to the inmates’ misery, and the blankets seemed to offer little protection against the salty ocean mist. The guards in the East Gallery were aware that Coy and his accomplices were pinned down in the C Block Corridor. The inmates decided that they would need to position themselves more advantageously, and they decided to make a run for the dining hall, where they could stock up on food supplies, and perhaps attempt another attack on the yard wall guards. As they slowly opened the access door they were immediately met with intense fire, and were forced to retreat into the corridor. On the outside, Bergen, Burch, and Mahan spread out to see if they could detect any movement. There was virtually none, and all they heard was the loud whispering of the inmates amongst themselves. Bergen got back on the phone with Miller, and he conveyed his confidence that his team now controlled both galleries, and that they were in a good position to attempt the rescue.