Gennifer Choldenko

Daughter of the Acting Warden During the Most Famous Escape

Vicki Palmquist — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 11:30:17 +0000

THE ALCATRAZ INTERVIEWS

Daughter of the Acting Warden During the Most Famous Escape

Jolene Babyak lived on the Rock in 1954–1955 and also 1962. Her father was acting warden when Warden Blackwell was on vacation, which happened during the most famous escape attempt on Alcatraz. She is a premiere Alcatraz author and historian.

How did it feel to be the Associate Warden’s daughter?

My dad was just my dad. I was pretty unconscious at the age of 15. I was just trying to figure out who I was. If anything it might have embarrassed me a little bit.

Did you feel more responsible because you were the warden’s daughter?

No.

Did you get special treatment?

The only thing I remember happening was once I missed the boat and the pilot, Pat Mahoney, turned the boat around to go back and get me. It was just a little turnaround but it was embarrassing at the time. Later I wondered if it was because I was the A.W.’s daughter. But he assured me that it was because he liked me!

Any downside to being the Warden’s daughter?

There was a girl on the island who I thought didn’t like me because it was rumored that her dad had been up for the job. But my father got the promotion instead.

Are you the person who determined which was Al Capone’s cell? And if so, how were you able to document this?

John Martini and I worked on this together. There were three different numbering systems on the cells. When Al Capone came to Alcatraz the original numbering system was in place. By creating a grid of all three numbering systems we were able to determine which was Al Capone’s cell. (Cell #181).

Given the mythology around Alcatraz, what are some of the guidelines you use to determine fact from fiction?

I only use primary sources and documents. I read books and newspapers for color (quotes, attitude) but generally not for facts.

What are some of the most surprising facts you’ve discovered about Alcatraz?

The size of the cells. (5’x 9’). I was shocked by how small they were. Also, I was surprised by how collegial some of the prisoners and the guards were. You can’t work in an environment that is hateful all the time. People found the humanity where they could.

Were there ever any kids on the island who you thought shouldn’t be there?

No, if you got in trouble, your dad got in trouble and then you’d be in trouble when you got home too.

In your book, Eyewitness on Alcatraz, you talk about getting a hand ball from a prisoner. You said “It was a proud moment; I had in my hand the most valuable item on Alcatraz — the coveted black handball that had rolled down the hill from the prison yard wall.” One of the questions kids always ask me, is what happened to that ball? They want to know if it’s on eBAY or what?

I don’t have that exact handball. But I was fortunate enough to be the recipient of another handball, also from a prisoner on Alcatraz. That one I still have.

10.

You were living on the island during the 1962 Morris-Anglin escape; can you tell me what that felt like?

The escape was fun. If it had been two a.m. and there had been guns it would have been scary, but we found out at seven a.m. It was broad daylight. My mother came in and I could tell by her voice she was excited, because life would be different that day. We had to go into the cellar and I grabbed a paring knife. That part was a little scary. My mother made me go first.

11.

Why?

Because I had the paring knife.

12.

As an Alcatraz historian who has spent the better part of her life researching Alcatraz, is it your opinion that the men in the 1962 escape attempt, (the Anglin brothers and Frank Morris) drowned or do you think they made it?

The Anglin brothers were show-offs; it would have been impossible for them to hide out without telling anyone. (There’s no fun in that.)

Morris was quiet, but he had no relatives and few resources. They weren’t like James “Whitey” Bulger, who also spent time on the Rock. Years later, Bulger landed on the Ten Most Wanted list for almost two decades before he was caught in 2011. When found, he had stashed more than $800,000 in cash in his apartment. That’s after not working for two decades! Morris and the Anglins were small-time criminals with no money except what they could steal.

Jolene Babyak has published numerous books on Alcatraz including: Eyewitness on Alcatraz; Breaking the Rock, the Great Escape from Alcatraz; and Birdman: The Many Faces of Robert Stroud. She has interviewed scores of former residents, prisoners and guards, reviewed hundreds of Alcatraz files, and is currently working on another book about life on Alcatraz.

Interviewed by Gennifer Choldenko in Berkeley, California, on July 10, 2013

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A Jesuit Who Reached Out to Hardened Criminals

Vicki Palmquist — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 11:30:27 +0000

THE ALCATRAZ INTERVIEWS

A Jesuit Who Reached Out to Hardened Criminals

Father Bernard Bush, S.J., assisted Father James Tupy, S.J., on Alcatraz from 1958–1962 when Father Bernard was a Jesuit theology student. While not yet a priest, the convicts called him “Father.”

Were you ever afraid while on Alcatraz?

No. The convicts liked me. I brought them news from the outside and I wasn’t a guard. I felt protected. The guards were nervous about me being there. While I was in the prison yard, I would look up and they would have their guns trained generally in the direction where I was with the men gathered around me.

What were the convicts like?

They were hard people. Tough. When I got to know them they were friendly but I had no illusions about what their lives had been like before Alcatraz. One prisoner I became friendly with was Paul “Frankie” Carbo who I later found out was a member of Murder, Inc. [Murder, Inc. was a name given to a group of contract murderers in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Murder, Inc., was the muscle behind the Mafia.]

You were a swimmer and the swimming coach at St. Ignatius College Preparatory School. You said this made you popular with the inmates. Is that just a joke?

Oh, no. They were dead serious about their interest in swimming. They asked all kinds of questions about the water temperature, the currents, the tides, the sharks. The guards told them there were man-eating sharks in the water but I let them know that wasn’t true. Not in the Bay. It was too shallow.

Did the convicts have any pets on Alcatraz?

One convict had a mouse named Stumpy who had no front legs. He was trained when the convict would rap on the table twice, he would run up his sleeve and into his pocket.

While on Alcatraz you became close friends with a prisoner named Larry Trumblay. Can you tell us a bit about that?

One day I was in the recreation yard where the men were playing cards, playing handball, lifting weights, and walking around. One man had his eyes closed, sunning himself. He was a tough looking guy. I introduced myself to him and struck up a conversation. I asked him what he did, which you’re not supposed to do since it is against prison etiquette. He said: “They told me I held up some banks.” Later, when I mentioned to Warden Madigan that I had talked to Trumblay, Madigan said: “You’re wasting your time with him.” The warden showed me his “rap sheet.” He had not earned any good time in the years he had been there because he was involved in one scrape or another.

Did you continue to visit with Trumblay?

Yes, I always made a point of visiting with him even when he was in “The Hole.”(The disciplinary cells on Alcatraz called the “TU”, Treatment Unit.) One day he said he’d like to repay my visit. I said to him: “If you come to San Francisco dripping wet, forget it.”

But you stayed friends?

Yes, I have about fifty or sixty letters from Trumblay. Even after Alcatraz closed, we stayed friends. From Alcatraz, Larry was sent to the federal prison at Leavenworth, Kansas, and eventually he was paroled. We got permission from the Attorney General of the United States for him to come to California. So on June 4, 1965, Larry was at my ordination. He gave me something that day to remember him and the boys by. It was an alb [a special religious garment worn by priests], which he had designed and crocheted in his cell at Alcatraz. I wore it for my ordination and first Mass.

Now you are a retreat director at the Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos. What is the main difference in the kind of spiritual assistance you give now versus what you did while on Alcatraz?

On Alcatraz I wasn’t trying to guide or convert, only to be a friend. Now, in my work my conversation is more focused on God.

Father Bernard Bush, S.J., is a retreat director at the Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos.

Interviewed by Gennifer Choldenko in Los Altos, CA, on June 28, 2013.

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Her Father was a Guard and the Warden of San Quentin

Vicki Palmquist — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 11:30:31 +0000

THE ALCATRAZ INTERVIEWS

Her Father Was a Guard and the Warden of San Quentine

Jean Meredith lived on Alcatraz from 1941–1944 and then 1946–1948. Her father was a guard on Alcatraz.

You have said that on Alcatraz there were no places to play but the parade ground which was a “block of cement” … what kind of games did you play?

We flew kites and roller-skated. We played crack-the-whip, hide-and-seek, and sardines (one person hides, when others find her, they hide with her). In the Social Hall, we bowled, played pool and ping pong, but we had to be invited to the Social Hall, we couldn’t just go there whenever we wanted.

Did you ever break the rules while on Alcatraz?

The beach was off limits but sometimes we went down there. Once we “encouraged someone” to take the warden’s secretary’s shoes off of his porch and toss them in the bay.

If you ever wanted to have a friend come over, what did you have to do?

We would get permission from our parents, who would submit the name and get approval from the prison administration. The friend would be given a boat time and they had to be on that boat. We would wait for them at the dock on Alcatraz and sign them in.

The convicts did your laundry. Did it ever come back mangled in any way?

My father had a black and white striped basketball referee shirt. He sent that through the laundry and it didn’t come back. Later, he found pieces of it in various prison cells. Another time when he was relatively new, my father’s shirt came back with slashes in the back.

How did your father interpret this? Did something he did provoke the convicts to slash his shirt?

No. He felt it was intended to scare him.

Did your father ever talk to you about the prisoners on Alcatraz?

My father said sometimes the convicts were there because they had done terrible things. Other times they were escape-prone. People thought you couldn’t escape from Alcatraz.

Did you ever have a toy confiscated?

Yes, my cap pistol. Toy guns were not allowed on the island. I never got it back, either.

Did you ever meet a convict while he was collecting your garbage?

No, but at San Quentin our gardener was an inmate. He was really chatty. He liked to entertain my friends.

Jean raised 5 children; was a community volunteer; “stay at home mom.” In 1980 she ran a friend’s successful campaign for the State Assembly and headed his District Office for 11 years (got paid!); still volunteers in church, politics, and three non-profits; visits with 7 grandchildren whenever she can and enjoys life with her husband of 61 years, Peter, a retired Berkeley Police Lieutenant.

Interviewed by Gennifer Choldenko in Walnut Creek, CA, on June 27, 2013.

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Daughter of Al Capone’s Doctor

Vicki Palmquist — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 11:30:36 +0000

THE ALCATRAZ INTERVIEWS

Daughter of Al Capone’s Doctor

Phyllis Hess (Twinney) lived on Alcatraz Island because her father was the Chief Medical Officer. She lived on the island from 1934–1939.

When did you live on the island?

From 1934 through 1939. Like Moose, in Al Capone Does My Homework, I lived on Officer’s Row. Our Alcatraz home was built in the late 1800’s. It had Victorian architecture and dust and mold from the same era. I loved living there. The bells, whistles and fog horns were just part of comforting normal life.

What was your father’s job?

My father, Dr. George Hess, was the Chief Medical Officer on the island. We arrived on the island to help supervise the retrofitting of the prison hospital and stayed through the first few years of operation.

Did you have any contact with the prisoners?

Alcatraz was just like any street in any town in America. The only difference was we had high security convicts. Did I see them? Yes. Did I have direct contact with them? No.

Did you ever meet a pass man?

If by pass men, you mean the convict servants in the warden’s house, no, I never met them. My father was not in favor of Warden Johnston having prisoners in white jackets doing servant duty in his house. Dad hired a housekeeper for us. She was Irish, her name was Lydia, and she came over on the first boat each morning. She taught me the “right way” to eat oatmeal; she had lots of “right ways” to do things.

What did your father think of Al Capone?

Al Capone was my father’s specially assigned patient. They met in Atlanta where Capone was held before Alcatraz. My father was aware Al was a highly demanding and very sick man. That only made my father more sensitive to Al’s plight.

What did Capone think of your Father?

Al liked the bedside manner of my father and his assistant, Nurse Ping. (He threw hissy fits with the other medical staff.) With Al’s medical condition, he was choosey as to who he would let touch him, which meant my father got stuck with him from Atlanta to Alcatraz to Terminal Island. It all boiled down to “Let Dr. Hess handle him.”

Did you ever receive a gift from Al Capone?

Al Capone sent an occasional present via my father, who was Al’s doctor. Once he wrote a piece of music for me. He had heard I was born in Ohio, so he wrote a song called: “Beautiful Ohio” and signed it “for Doctor Hess’ little daughter from Al Capone.”

What else can you tell us about Capone?

The best story about Capone is that Dad and Nurse Charles Ping and a guard took Al by train back to his family in Florida. This trip was supposed to be top secret. Walter Winchell, the radio gossip columnist, broadcast the exact train, route and layover. No one to this day knows who leaked this information to Winchell. Since my dad did not have a radio, he was shocked to see the press out in full force when the train pulled into St. Louis. Don’t laugh, but it was Al who was the dodgiest of them all. He suggested that he and my father be handcuffed while Charlie and the guard put their guns (dismantled) under the seats, blast out onto the platform and bash cameras and create a distraction. Dad and Al hightailed it off the other side and ran, shackled together, to the next train for Al to get home.

What was the scariest place on the island?

There were no scary places for me on Alcatraz. The only person who scared the liver out of me was the Warden.

10.

What do you miss most about Alcatraz?

I miss Alcatraz because there was such enormous good will among the families on the island. We understood our rules. They made sense. It’s the only place I’ve ever lived where I knew exactly what I was supposed to do. Life has been á la carte ever since.

Since Alcatraz, Phyllis has taught elementary school in four states; been an assistant in biology at Wayne State University in Detroit; and an editor for the Michigan Psychiatric Society.

Interviewed by Gennifer Choldenko by email in March 2013

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Raised on the Rock

Vicki Palmquist — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 11:30:01 +0000

THE ALCATRAZ INTERVIEWS

Raised on the Rock

Chuck Stucker grew up on Alcatraz Island because his father was a guard in the prison. He lived on the island from 1940–1943 and from 1948–1953. He is a well-respected Alcatraz historian and archivist.

When did you live on the island?

What was the scariest part of living on Alcatraz?

My only fear was being caught in a place I shouldn’t have been. We heard that our fathers could be fired if we got in trouble.

What was your favorite Alcatraz prank?

There were two of them. The first happened on the 4th of July. Bill Hart and I bought fireworks in Chinatown. This was back when the fireworks were really large, nothing like they have today. We put one on the parade ground with a really long fuse. We lit the fuse then skedaddled back to our apartments. I was lying in bed when it went off. They investigated, but didn’t find out who did it. Someone asked my father and he said: “It couldn’t have been Chuck. He was asleep in his bed.”

The second one is a bit like you have in Al Capone Shines My Shoes. We were climbing between the floors of 64 building. Bill told me don’t step off the 2×4 supports. My foot slipped. It didn’t go through the ceiling but people noticed. They yelled “Earthquake.” When we got back, everyone asked us if we’d felt the earthquake. The crack is still there.

Did you ever break an Alcatraz rule?

I broke all sign rules. Anything that said: DO NOT ENTER. Any fence or sign was subject to a violation.

Did you need to treat your father differently than you might have ordinarily?

I was told never to jump out and say: “BOO.” We couldn’t surprise them because they were always on alert.

Did convicts ever seem like they knew you?

We used to help the convicts load the laundry and the trash on the truck. They just seemed like adults to us. My sister was older and she remembers the cons that had trade talents — plumbers and electricians — coming into our home to help us out. Once a convict asked her if we were the Stuckers from Leavenworth. That upset her.

Did you ever meet a pass man? (a convict who works in the warden’s home)

Yes. I met Montgomery who was a pass man for Warden Swope. I used to fish with Warden Swope’s wife. I would knock on the Warden’s door and Montgomery would answer.

Were you ever on the island during an escape attempt?

Yes, but I was a baby at the time. I do remember hearing rebellious behavior in the cell block. The prison population would rattle cups on the bars, yell and scream. My sister remembers hearing the escape siren going off. The protocol was to lock yourself in your apartment and wait. The fear was that a convict would grab a hostage.

What do you miss the most?

The social group and the fishing. There was no limit to the amount of fish you could catch. No game warden. You didn’t need a license. I caught capazoni, eel, perch, sting ray, sand and leopard sharks up to four and five feet long.

10.

Any do-overs? What do you wish you’d done now that you didn’t do then?

Every kid wanted to go in the cellblock. You had to be twenty-one years old to get in there.

When I turned twenty-one, I came back to Alcatraz. Because the Warden’s daughter married my cousin, I was able to get a tour. I was in a boat with a group of about twenty-five other people. When I got off the boat, a convict who was working on the dock came up to me and grabbed my arm. He said: “Are you Ed Stucker’s son? Tell your father hello. I always liked the man.”

This was eight years after my father left Alcatraz. I wish I had asked that convict his name or his Alcatraz number. But I was so surprised, I didn’t. I don’t know how he picked me out of a group of twenty-five. The prisoners knew who everyone was.

11.

Can you describe your first look inside the cell house?

It was intimidating. It felt like I was in a zoo. I did not want to stare.

12.

There are a million myths about Alcatraz. How would you like to set the record straight?

The Alcatraz myths were created by the secrecy and Hollywood. In the thirties, media was not allowed on the island. The inmates who were released gave interviews, which only added to the mystery and the mystique. The press was never allowed to come and take a look.

To me the real events are more interesting than the fiction.

13.

Why do you think you are so fascinated by the island?

I guess I started collecting information about Alcatraz, because I saw the history was being lost. I wanted to make sure people’s stories were recorded. I wanted to be a keeper of information.

14.

What is the strangest true story you know about Alcatraz?

Prisoners on Alcatraz knew everything there was to know. Cons knew about Pearl Harbor before the guards did. They had their own sources of information.

Interviewed by Gennifer Choldenko in Roseville, CA, on February 20, 2013

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Toughest Convict on the Rock

Vicki Palmquist — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:30:23 +0000

THE ALCATRAZ INTERVIEWS

Toughest Convict on The Rock

Robert Luke, Alcatraz convict #1118, was on the island from 1954–1959. Alcatraz was his sixth prison. No trouble with the law since Alcatraz.

While on Alcatraz, did you dream of being free?

All the time.

Were you afraid during your years on Alcatraz?

Never. I had a reputation for being extremely violent. People were careful around me. The only time I was afraid on Alcatraz was when I came back a few years ago and the ranger asked me to speak to the public.

What did you do to pass the time on Alcatraz?

I read two or three books a week. (Checked out from the cell house library). I like history. I must have read The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire three or four times. When I read a book, I actually become a part of it. My imagination helped, too. Sometimes I would take a trip up in my head.

Did you ever play baseball in the rec yard on Alcatraz?

Yes. I was a fielder. There was only one fielder as we had six-man teams. There was no room in the recreation yard for more.

What happened when the ball went over the wall?

If it went over the right field wall it was an automatic out. If it went over the center field wall it was a home run. If it went on the roof of the cell house it was good for two bases.

You have said your cell was “the size of a pool table “did it ever feel like home?

No. We called it our house, but not a home.

I’ve heard you say that you didn’t seriously consider an escape from Alcatraz because as a US Navy man you understood how difficult it would be to swim to freedom given the currents in the bay and the temperature of the water. If you were to plan an escape from Alcatraz, how would you do it?

The only chance would be if you worked outside. I was never allowed to work outside because I was an escape risk. The last warden was lax. He didn’t check the cells. That’s one of the reasons the (1962) escape happened.

What question do you get asked the most?

Did you know Al Capone?

Capone died before your time on Alcatraz, of course.

Yes. But if I had been in prison with him, I would have kept my distance. I stayed away from connected criminals because they often have influence over the police or the guards.

10.

But you knew Machine Gun Kelly, right?

Yes, he played bridge on the recreation yard.

11.

Did you have visits while you were on Alcatraz?

Only one. I didn’t like visits because they reminded me too much of what it was like outside.

12.

What was your worst day on Alcatraz?

My worst days were the 29 days I spent in the disciplinary cells on Alcatraz.

13.

Did you ever see the kids who lived on the island?

No.

14.

What jobs did you have while on Alcatraz?

I worked in the mess hall, the laundry, and the glove shop.

15.

Did you ever see contraband come through the laundry?

No. They searched all the laundry. But if you wanted something, you could get it.

16.

In your book, you mention the fact that you were a good student. School was always easy for you. What do you think made you cross the line and begin stealing?

The excitement. I got carried away. I met someone who was doing it and the life just sounded exciting to me. It becomes easier the more you do it.

17.

Why do you think you ended up on Alcatraz?

I made the wrong choices. We are all born with the ability to make our own choices. But once you make the wrong choice, other people make your decisions for you.

18.

Are there any Alcatraz movies that are accurate?

If there was a completely true movie about prison, no one would go to it because it would be so boring. It’s the boredom that gets you.

19.

You were one of the few men who were released directly from Alcatraz. How did it feel to leave?

The colors and immense distances seemed astounding. I had just come from a place that had no color, and the farthest you could walk in one direction was less than 100 yards. The whole experience was really overwhelming.

20.

What would you tell a kid growing up today?

Go to school. Learn to read. The literacy rate of cons is so high. Make the right choices.

21.

I’ve heard you say that since your years on Alcatraz you’ve never been in any trouble. Though you write you had: “a hair-trigger temper.” You wrote a powerful poem about this which is on the back cover of your book.

A Lament

That dark man
Still lives
Deep inside me
Waiting
But his armor
Is rusting
And he will soon
Deteriorate
Into dust
And so will
I

— Robert Luke

22.

How did you manage your temper after Alcatraz?

It took time. I learned to walk away from an argument before trouble started. I had a few problems with it, but gradually I gained control.

23.

After Alcatraz, did you dream about being in jail?

Yes. For fifty-one years I dreamt about prison. The prison dreams only stopped when I went back to Alcatraz and began speaking to the public about my experience. Before that, only my family and my best friend knew.

24.

In your book, you talk about the epiphany you had while on Alcatraz. You say that you realized “the truth, that no one was responsible for my actions but me.” If you could offer words of wisdom to your 14-year-old self, what would they be?

Your choices will get you in trouble if you make the wrong ones. If you make a wrong choice, pull your foot back.

Criminal history prior to Alcatraz: robbing banks, burglary, car theft and assault.

Sent to Alcatraz for attempted escape at Leavenworth.

No trouble with the law after Alcatraz. He has lived a happy, productive life for the last 54 years.

Author of Entombed on Alcatraz

Interviewed by Gennifer Choldenko in Cotati, CA, on February 23, 2013

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Everybody’s Favorite Guard

Vicki Palmquist — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 02:30:33 +0000

THE ALCATRAZ INTERVIEWS

Everybody’s Favorite Guard

George DeVincenzi worked as a guard on the island from 1950–1957.

What was your favorite part of the job?

Working in the cell house hospital. It was more interesting. There were dental appointments, medical treatments, sometimes force feeding of inmates. The routine was more varied.

What was the scariest part of your position as a guard?

Yard duty. You were walking around with hundreds of convicts milling around. Convicts sometimes played baseball so they had baseball bats which could be used as a weapon. Fights broke out … like once I was on the yard when Simco went after DogMan. Anything could happen.

Is there anything you miss about Alcatraz?

Nothing. I don’t miss it.

What surprised you most about the job?

When I was on night duty at the cell house I had trouble staying awake. One night I fell asleep at the cell house desk. I was awakened by crumpled pieces of paper being thrown at my head. I looked up and saw that a convict named Jimmy Groves was trying to wake me up. Jimmy was one of the most hated inmates on Alcatraz — a very vicious prisoner who always had a smile on his face. I never did figure out why he decided to help me that night.

Did you ever feel as if the convicts were conspiring against you?

No.

Did it worry you that there were kids living on the island?

No. They were on the opposite end of the island from the convicts. They were behind fences protected by a guard tower.

Were you a guard before you began work on Alcatraz?

No. I came home from the war along with thousands of other young men who were all looking for jobs. I took the civil service test thinking I might get a job in the post office or the customs office. I was pretty surprised when they called from Alcatraz.

What kind of training did you receive?

I had about four weeks of training: in-service lectures, movies, tests, hand-to-hand combat, firearms. After we were trained, our first positions were in more custodial guard jobs like in the guard towers or the west end gun gallery. It took a while before we were allowed out with the prisoners.

What was a typical day like as a guard on Alcatraz?

Very monotonous! Everything was timed down to the minute. It was very repetitious. It drove the guards crazy, just like it did the prisoners.

10.

Was there any guard duty you dreaded?

Up on the yard wall as it was always cold and windy. We had these heavy overcoats that weighed a ton and huge guns. The wind beat at you at all times and they played this cowboy music over the loud speakers that drove me crazy. Plus, it was stressful keeping my eye on the guards down there with all those prisoners.

11.

Were there prisoners you trusted?

Not really. There were some I felt half way comfortable with. Some I held conversations with; others would have nothing to do with any of the guards. You had to be careful though. One day, two FBI men came over on the boat. They went into the warden’s office and when they came out they had two officers in handcuffs. It turns out they had gotten too friendly with some of the prisoners and began bringing contraband in to them. The two officers both got five years in prison. The thing was once you gave something to a con, you were vulnerable because then the con had something on you. The only thing you could do at that point was quit.

12.

Did you play checkers with the Bird Man of Alcatraz?

Yep. It was usually around two or three or four in the morning when I had hospital duty. I only did it when I knew and trusted the officer in the gun gallery because he could see me from there. I didn’t worry about my boss, because I had the key. He couldn’t come into the hospital, unless I let him in.

13.

Who won?

I never recall winning a game against the Bird Man.

14.

Why did you leave Alcatraz?

There were always stories going around about how they were going to close Alcatraz. I didn’t know if they were true or not, but I was born and raised in San Francisco. I didn’t want to have to move to Leavenworth, Kansas. I tried to transfer to the Customs Department, but Warden Swope wouldn’t let me go. It was only when he was replaced by Warden Madigan that I was allowed to transfer.

Interviewed by Gennifer Choldenko in San Francisco, CA, on February 15, 2013

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