Alcatraz: A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years

by Michael Esslinger

  Wilson ultimately received a conviction for first-degree murder and as a result of the brutal nature of the crime; he was sentenced to death by electrocution on June 27, 1947. His attorneys appealed the verdict, stating that Wilson was only a desperate man trying to support his ailing family. He was presented to the court as an honorable family man who had been reduced to crime because of his inability to find work. On August 3, 1948 President Harry Truman proved sympathetic to Wilson’s case, and in consideration of the mitigating circumstances, he commuted the death sentence to life in prison. Wilson was transferred to the Federal Penitentiary at Atlanta in April of 1949. Shortly thereafter, he was found in possession of a rope and some pipe segments, which officials speculated were likely intended for use in an escape attempt. Based on the length of his sentence and his high risk of escape, he was recommended for transfer to Alcatraz.

  President Harry Truman was sympathetic to Wilson’s case and commuted his sentence to life imprisonment in 1948.

  Floyd P. Wilson arrived at Alcatraz on January 6, 1952, and was registered as inmate AZ-956. His conduct report reflects a man completely in conflict with his environment. While it was common knowledge that a significant percentage of inmates never fully adjusted to the rigid regimen of the penitentiary, this was especially evident with Floyd. Within his first year at Alcatraz, he received multiple disciplinary reports for insubordination and poor job performance. These reports reveal that Wilson rarely interacted with fellow inmates, and generally limited his conversation to correctional staff and older inmates.

  Even in later years, Wilson minimized his interactions with prisoners as much as possible and insisted that he be fed separately, claiming that other inmates had threatened to kill him. It was also documented that over the course of his imprisonment at Alcatraz, Floyd rarely visited the recreation yard. When he did, he kept to himself. He preferred to spend his leisure time reading in his cell.

  On July 23, 1956, Wilson was assigned to the dock crew and after a routine count in the late afternoon, he disappeared without a trace. His only hope for an escape to the mainland was a length of rope that he planned to use to tie logs together. Once he reached the water’s edge, he would try to collect wood and construct a makeshift raft. Warden Madigan best described the details of Wilson’s escape in a memo written to the Bureau of Prisons Director on July 27, 1956:

  July 27, 1956

  DIRECTOR, Bureau of Prisons

  Warden Madigan – Alcatraz

  Attempted Escape – Floyd P. Wilson, Reg. No 956-AZ

  The following is an account of the events occurring on the afternoon of July 23rd when inmate Floyd P. Wilson, Reg. No. 956-AZ ran from the dock crew and was able to hide out on the island for a period of several hours.

  Four inmates were assigned to the dock crew that day, plus one inmate assigned to the garbage pick up detail. At 3:25 P.M. when the launch was due to leave on a scheduled trip, the water barge was also about to leave, and the inmates were called on the line for counting purposes which is customary procedure. The four dock inmates were on the line and the garbage truck, with Officer Jones and one inmate, had arrived at a position under #1 Dock Tower at that exact time. Mr. Jones stopped his truck until the boat and barge had cleared the docks. He then drove to the dock proper, let the inmate out of his truck and went about his duties, but told us later that he saw inmate Wilson take a rubber automobile tire and throw it on bonfire that was burning at the end of the dock. This created some black smoke that belched up, but not too much thought was given to this fact because Wilson had spent most of the day in burning excess refuse that had been around the dock.

  At 3:40 a routine count was made by Mr. Black Dock, Officer in Charge, and all inmates were present. At 3:50 P.M. just as the launch “McDowell” was returning from the mainland, the inmates were called to the line where they could be easily counted, and Wilson was missing. A hasty search was made but he was not found so a call was put into the control center advising that Wilson was not present. The alarm was sounded on the island and in the matter of a few minutes the Evening Watch Officers and several officers on their day off arrived on the launch. These men were all pressed into service and started searching around the East end of the Island since it was felt that Wilson had gotten through the fence surrounding the end of the dock. Searchers immediately found an area near the bonfire Wilson had been attending where the fence was pried up which would permit him to crawl through and follow the sea-wall around until he was out of eyesight of #1 Tower Officer.

  The FBI, plus the San Francisco Police Department, Coast Guard, Fort Mason and Presidio Military Police were immediately notified and our escape plan put into operation. All posts were covered and ten searching parties from two to three men each were sent out to several predetermined areas. The Coast Guard immediately sent two patrol boats which surrounded the island regularly, and the FBI sent a large number of officers to Fort Mason and the Fort Mason Dock, as well as Dock #4 where our launch lands. San Francisco Police covered the waterfront and the piers opposite Alcatraz, and they in turn notified the various Sheriffs and Highway Patrol. By all estimates Wilson had about a ten-minute start before searchers were out on his trail. He certainly did not have much time to secrete himself in that period, but was able to avoid detection until 2:55 A.M. the next morning.

  My wife and I arrived at Dock #4 at 5:15 P.M. and quickly saw the activity around the dock and the patrolling by the Coast Guard Boats at Alcatraz. One of our officers notified me immediately that Wilson was missing, and it was the first thought of everyone that he had probably been able to secrete himself on the water barge and might have reached the mainland. Until I had talked to Mr. Jones after arriving on the island, I was convinced he was probably on the barge, however, Mr. Jones was so positive that he had seen him throwing the rubber tire on the fire at approximately 3:40 P.M. that I was convinced then he was hidden somewhere in the island.

  Approximately 65 men from all services in the institution were searching the island from about 4:00 P.M. until midnight. The entire island was covered, and from midnight until 2:55 P.M. we had approximately 25 men involved in the search.

  Mr. Christopherson, one of our industrial supervisors found Wilson flattened up against a depression in the rock along the beach at 2:55 A.M. and yelled to Mr. Norris who was near him that he had found the escapee. Wilson was very wet as though he had been in the water, but he was not unduly cold, and apparently had not been in this condition for a long period. When I talked to Wilson after his capture, he told me he had hidden himself in a depression in the rock around the east end at least 35 to 40 feet from the beach, and I am inclined to believe that he may have been in this hideout until some short time before he was captured. Upon investigating this and while Mr. Willingham was here, it was found that a person could lay in this crevice and could not be seen either from the beach, the water or from the area above. We had to let an officer down by a rope to get into this hole to determine just what type of area it was. Wilson might have reached this area by climbing an 8” sewer pipe from the beach. He is a strong, rugged fellow and if he was able to climb the pipe he could have gotten into the depression and be completely hidden.

  Wilson refused to tell a straight story of his activities while he was in hiding, so it is difficult to believe what he does say, however, it is incredible that we could not find this man in the hours that we searched when we were positive he was in that area, so I am inclined to believe he was able to get into this rocky hideout approximately 40 feet up from the beach and still not be seen from the parade ground level above.

  A press diagram showing the escape path of Floyd Wilson (Note that this photo was taken prior to 1956 and not reflective of the actual landscape during the period of the escape attempt). His attempt for freedom was thwarted when he was found huddled in a small wave-carved cave (described as a small depression in the rock formation) after nearly twelve hours.

  We set up lights around midnight that covered the complete ea
st end of the island so far as the banks were concerned, and they were a big help in keeping the area involved covered.

  Wilson is now in isolation and the case was brought before the Grand Jury on Wednesday the 25th, which was rather rapid action. Two of our officers, Mr. Christopherson and Mr. Black, who were in charge of the Dock on Monday, were called to testify. I have been unable as yet to determine if they brought forth an indictment, but I don’t think there is much doubt but what they have indicted him.

  Wilson had on his person a three-foot length of sash cord and some middleweight wrapping cord, perhaps 25 feet long. No doubt he planned to use this to lash together any pieces of lumber that might be available on the beach.

  In going over what transpired that evening with Mr. Willingham, it does not seem that our officers were derelict in their duty, however this hideout points out clearly that we must take further precautions in order to have a officer watching these men at all times. During the course of the day when freight is coming and going, and the dock is a very busy place, it seems easier to watch the men than in a situation such as confronted us at this time. Two of the inmates were in the process of changing clothes getting ready to go into the institution; the inmate mechanic was doing some work around a truck in the garage, while Wilson who usually is a lone wolf type and stays off by himself, apparently was able to scamper under the hole in the fence under cover of the smoke produced by the burning tire.

  We have one satisfaction of knowing that our procedure was tight enough to prevent any of these men from getting on the water barge, but we are red-faced in the fact that Wilson was able to elude us for the number of hours that he did.

  P. J. MADIGAN

  Warden

  Wilson remained at Alcatraz until just before its closure in 1963. He was then transferred to the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, and only a few months later to Lorton Reformatory in Virginia. In August of 1966 it was documented that he had once more assembled contraband materials for use in another escape attempt. He remained a problematic inmate until his parole on April 5, 1971. Upon his release Wilson went back to the trade of carpentry and returned to Maryland where he had been living prior to his arrest. His parole report states that once he returned to normal civilian life, he seemed to adjust well despite his years of incarceration. A 1972 report read: “Floyd Wilson has led a rather quiet and orderly life since his release on parole. He visits with relatives, enjoys sports, and engage in other reputable pursuits when not working.” Wilson died of natural causes in January of 1974.

  An excerpt from a letter written to Warden Blackwell by Floyd Wilson while he was serving time at the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta. Both Wilson and Blackwell were Alcatraz alumni. Wilson requested that his “good time” be restored, in consideration of his upcoming parole hearing. Floyd displayed a sense of humor in his letter, stating: “I would like to go home this summer if I possibly could - without being shot at, if possible.” Wilson was paroled in 1971.

  ESCAPE ATTEMPT #12

  Date:

  September 29, 1958

  Inmates:

  Aaron Walter Burgett

  Clyde Milton Johnson

  Location:

  Outside Garbage Detail (southeast island area near the family residences)

  On a murky September afternoon in 1958, Clyde Johnson and Aaron Burgett were to engage in what would be the last forceful escape attempt ever made on Alcatraz. Both inmates had been assigned to an outside garbage detail, and they were accompanied by a solo officer tasked to supervise their activities as they walked freely outside the normally authorized perimeter. Using a smuggled paring knife, a rope and some tape, they overpowered the unsuspecting guard, and bound and tied him to a eucalyptus tree. They then slipped away under cover of heavy fog...

  Clyde Milton Johnson

  A mug shot series of inmate Clyde Milton Johnson. Taken during the period from 1949 until 1993, these photographs illustrate the effects of a lifetime of incarceration. Johnson and fellow inmate Aaron Burgett bound and gagged a guard at knifepoint during their attempt to escape Alcatraz.

  Clyde Milton Johnson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on August 16, 1918, the second of two siblings. Johnson’s father, whose profession was officially listed as a “truck driver,” died when Clyde was only two years of age. With no other means of financial support, his mother relocated the family to Glendale, California, where she secured exhausting employment as a laundress. Johnson’s file shows no record of delinquency as a juvenile, but after joining the Army in 1941 he deserted on several occasions. During the same period he was linked to no less than twelve Safeway grocery store robberies. He was sentenced to serve one year to life at San Quentin State Prison and was dishonorably discharged from the Army in 1943.

  After his release in 1949, Johnson and an accomplice committed an armed robbery in a Memphis bank, making off with $43,662 in cash. They made their getaway in a stolen car and were later apprehended in Florida, in February of the same year. While awaiting extradition at the Dade County Jail, the two convicts were able to escape with the help of Johnson’s girlfriend, Billie Hayes, and they committed four other robberies before being apprehended again in April. FBI documents show that Johnson resisted arrest and fired upon FBI agents during his capture. Johnson had been listed by the FBI as Public Enemy Number Two, and was believed to have committed numerous armed robberies across the United States. On July 13, 1949 he was sentenced to serve forty years in a Federal Penitentiary.

  Johnson arrived at the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta on August 10, 1949, and then was transferred to Leavenworth on November 19, 1949. In view of his long sentence and high risk of escape, he was recommended for transfer to Alcatraz. His recommendation read: “He has escaped on several occasions and is considered a serious escape risk at this time. He has committed a number of armed robberies, is considered a vicious gunman who thinks nothing of the lives of others and will stop at nothing less than murder to meet his goal.” He would arrive at Alcatraz on March 22, 1950, as inmate AZ-864.

  Aaron Walter Burgett

  Aaron Walter Burgett

  Aaron Burgett was born on October 24, 1929, in Potts Camp, Missouri. His mother had died of an illness when he was only three years old and his father worked to support the family as a Railway Section Hand, and later as a cotton picker. Burgett’s inmate record would indicate that his father had had trouble caring for the young Aaron during his childhood. Burgett’s nickname “Wig” was given to him by his father because of his long blond curls. The death of Aaron’s mother weighed heavily on the family and his father was only a minimal presence in the home as he attempted to maintain employment in order to support his ten children. At only sixteen years of age Aaron dropped out of school to work on the family’s small farm, but this would prove to be only a brief interlude. On April 20, 1945, the young Burgett was arrested for breaking into a candy truck and sentenced to serve two years at the State Training School in Booneville, Missouri. After serving out nearly a full year, Burgett and another accomplice successfully escaped from the minimum-security institution. In close succession, he would be captured, released, and then arrested again for other burglary-related crimes.

  On April 4, 1948, Burgett was committed to the State Penitentiary in Jefferson City, Missouri, after being charged with “stealing chickens in the night time and breaking escape from the county jail.” But despite his early problems, he did experience some good luck as well. In February of 1951, after his release from prison, Burgett met a young girl named Mary Francis Cauley at a party. The couple courted for several months and then married in Piggott, Arkansas, on August 25, 1951. By Burgett’s account, this would be the best year of his life – but trouble was not far away. Burgett was unable to hold a steady job and this began to create friction between him and his wife, who was now pregnant. He fell back into a life of crime and by 1952, Burgett had established himself as a career felon.

  Burgett and his accomplices Earl Wilhelm and John Oliver would go on a sp
ree of over thirty armed robberies in the St. Louis area, some of which turned seriously violent. Generally they robbed their victims by having them lie on the floor while they emptied cash registers and removed personal jewelry. On some occasions, the victims would be struck with the guns. Burgett’s robbery targets ranged from post offices to beer taverns, and during one episode, a gunfight ensued in which Wilhelm and a patron were injured by gunfire. On May 16, 1952, Missouri State Trooper David Walker apprehended the trio who were packing eight loaded guns. All three men would stand trial and plead guilty, and each defendant was sentenced to serve twenty-five years in a federal institution.

  Then on June 9, 1952, while Burgett and his two co-defendants were being transported to the Federal Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas by a Deputy Marshal and a prison guard, Burgett made a desperate attempt to escape. The inmates had been shackled to one another with chains and handcuffs, with Burgett seated in the middle of the back seat, and at around 2:50 a.m. prison guard LeRoy Tozer dropped a lighted cigarette onto the seat beside him. Burgett pleaded to the Marshal to pull over, as the cigarette was burning the seat and his clothing. Tozer ordered Burgett to raise himself so he could reach under him and grab the cigarette. Tozer found the cigarette and started rolling down the window to throw it out. As he turned toward the window, Burgett threw his legs over Tozer to pin him down on the seat. Using great force, he then kicked the back of Deputy Marshal Davidson’s head several times, knocking his glasses off and throwing his head forward into the steering wheel, which forced the car to veer off the road.