You’re Going To ALCATRAZ

HA! YOU HAVE BEEN IMPRISIONED, that’s what you get… you know what you did don’t act so clueless, I mean please. Yesterday we went to the ‘super prison’ “Alcatraz” don’t worry we are fine we just got caught for out few murders that’s all… just kidding, don’t get too scared. In the late 1800’s-1900’s there was a prison formed on a small 22 acre island of solid rock, called “Alcatraz” it held the most powerful, reckless and dangerous convicts and criminals of America. Before the prison Alcatraz is know as, it was a military prison, soldiers, prisoners of war, but later took offenders of all around the country. 

Alcatraz

At first Alcatraz had extremely tough rules, no talking, ever, no visitors, ever. Over time these rules were sought upon, inmates could talk and have visitors once a month. Cells seven feet tall, five wide and nine long; tiny, that is what the average prisoner lived in, with a “bed”, shelf, chair, sink and toilet. But if one were to do something bad or out of order they got put in the “hole” smaller, with not bars, but a concrete room with a steel door, when shut: complete darkness. Some were in the hole for a day or so, others four or five. 

Prison Cell

Everyday prisoners got to go to recreational yard where they could play baseball, dominos, bridge. Bridge was particularly popular, even if it was pouring rain they always looked forward to a game of bridge. If one were to be in the hole or solitary consignment they could only go into the yard once a week. People said that living in Alcatraz was like you were already dead. So why stay? While everyone is extremely curious, escape. Did anyone ever escape? Of course, at least they tried. A rather famous escape is so famous it’s plainly called “The Escape of Alcatraz”. Four men have been longing to escape for years upon years, they were even in the same prison before they got shipped to Alcatraz, two brothers and two friends. All smart, and were in cells right next to each other. They came up with a plan, one man discovered one day a grated vent in his cell that had a tunnel of pipes all in it. But how would he fit through it? Well one day at lunch he smuggled a spoon, a spoon, how do you get through concrete walls with a spoon? They certainly managed. So they made this hole but then thought, how on earth are they going to get across the bay? The bay was ripping and rushing with dangerous tides and is so cold it could numb anyone in a split second. They found and add on how to make a raft, they took raincoats from other inmates and stole many, made a raft and lifejackets. Another problem, every night and day 10 times a day there is a head count of all the prisoners, to make sure everyone is there. Geniuses, they used the old concrete dust and dirt from the hole carving and combined it with soap to make fake heads. They looked crude, but sticking out of the covers they looked like a sleeping head. So one night everything was in place, the men were ready to escape, except for one. Poor guy couldn’t fit through the hole. He had to stay. They crawled through the hole and up some pipes to the roof, they could see San Francisco, so close. Without making a sound, they made it to the shore where there raft was. Some say they drowned, they were never found. I think they made it. What about you?

What remains of the Wardens house

A note from written by Saunders apparently in my perspective:

My favorite inmate was “Bumpy” Johnson. He pushed a heck-of-a-lot of narcotics. Quick aside: Turns out narcotics are Drugs!!! I’d been playing with them for years with my friends!