Alcatraz
by Rob and Anne Wlodarski (robanne@ix.netcom.com)
Welcome to HAUNTED ALCATRAZ!---or Hellcatraz as it was
called by
some
inmates. The history does not begin or end with the use of
Alcatraz
as a
prison and penitentiary, for it was known to Native Americans,
and
avoided as a place that contained evil sprits. The energy of
those
who
came to "The Rock" and never left, still remains for visitors
from
around the world to see, feel, and even hear. Alcatraz is a
portal
to
another dimension, where unexplainable events continue to
occur.
Whoever, or whatever lurks in the shadows can be heard, seen,
and
felt.
As parapsychologists suggest, where so much trauma and
negative
emotion
have occurred, there is bound to be residual energy---and
Alcatraz
has
the feel of an immense haunted house, complete with fog, and
restless
spirits. Although the candle may have burned out for Alcatraz
long
ago,
its legend never did.
Prior to its discovery by Europeans, Alcatraz was viewed as
a barren
white rock---white because it was covered with pelican
droppings--thus
receiving the name of La Isla de los Alcatraces or "The Island
of
the
Pelicans," by the Spanish. However, it wasn't until the 1850s,
that
the
importance of this tiny island as a defensive position was
realized.
Finally, the military decided to build a fortress in case an
unfriendly
ship might decide to enter the Golden Gate. The Army Corps of
Engineers
began to construct an impenetrable and imposing structure in
1854.
The
original construction estimates of $300,000 did not take into
account
the wind, rain, fog, strong ocean currents, lack of water,
lack
of
vegetation, and the fact that there was only one possible spot
to
land
equipment and supplies.
Construction began with the erection of a temporary wharf
for supplies.
This was followed by wooden shops, storehouses, barracks and
offices.
Those who couldn't make it in the gold fields, became
reluctant
laborers
on Alcatraz. The labor force carved out roadways and other
features
as
the fortress slowly took shape. It was only a matter of time
before
Alcatraz began taking human life. During 1857, while a crew was
excavating along the roadway between the wharf and the
guard-house,
a
7,000 cubic-yard rock landslide buried a team of laborers:
Daniel
Pewter, age 50, of Ireland and Jacob Unger, 25, of Germany
were
the
first known deaths on Alcatraz. On a cold December day in
1859,
the
Third Artillery arrived on Alcatraz with a group of eleven
anonymous
soldiers of Company H---the first prisoners to be incarcerated
in
irons
in the basement cellroom of the guardhouse for crimes not
recorded
in
the army files. Alcatraz was now a fully operational fortress
and
prison. By Aug. 27, 1861, Alcatraz was designated as the
official
military prison for the entire Department of the Pacific.
Living
conditions were grim. Men slept side-by-side, head-to-toe,
lying
on the
stone floors. There was no running water or heat in the
cells,
sanitary
facilities were almost non-existent, and disease was rampant.
After the Civil War, confederate sympathizers caught
celebrating
the
death of President Lincoln were sent to Alcatraz. In
1868,
the Army
designated Alcatraz Island as a prison for military convicts
and
malcontents of society. By the late 1800s-early 1900s, Indian
chiefs
and
tribal leaders of Arizona and Alaska were incarcerated along
with
some
of the worst thieves, deserters, rapists, and repeated
escapees
from the
Army. Alcatraz again became a disciplinary barracks for U.S.
Army
military incorrigibles, as well as a health resort when
soldiers
returning from the Spanish American war convalesced there.
On the morning of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake,
Alcatraz shook,
but
sustained little damage. That same year, four prisoners tried
to
paddle
to the mainland on a butter vat, only to have strong currents
bring
them
back. Driftwood was used during escape attempts in 1912, 1916,
1927
and
a ladder was used during a escape attempt in 1929. All of the
men
were
captured or surrendered, victims of the cruel currents, and
cold
water.
In 1911, Alcatraz was officially named the United States
Disciplinary
Barracks---an official Army Prison which included both U.S.
Army
prisoners as well as German seamen who became prisoners of war.
The social upheaval of the 1920's and 30s, and rampant
crime sweeping
American provided Alcatraz with new life. Daring escapes,
gang-related
murders and mass rioting were a menace to an orderly prison.
Attorney
General Homer Cummings supported J. Edgar Hoover in creating a
facility
which would instill fear in would-be criminals by creating a
place
where
prisoners could be safely controlled and could not escape. In
1933,
the
prison facility was formally turned over to the Federal Bureau
of
Prisons. During 1934, Alcatraz became a an escape-proof,
maximum
security prison, where only the most hardened convicts were
brought.
The first residents of newly created Alcatraz, received
numbers 1-
32,
with Frank Bolt having the distinction of being Federal
Prisoner
#l
while serving a five-year sentence for sodomy. He was followed
by
Charles Copp (Robbery and Attempted Assault), Leon Gregory
(Robbery,
Assault, and AWOL), Joseph Harrison (sodomy), Forrest Henry
(Robbery
and
Assault), Clyde Hicks (Sodomy), Ralph Hills (Robbery and
Assault),
Albert Hoke (Robbery), Alan Hood (Sodomy), and Frederick Holme
(Sodomy
and False Enlistment) to round out the first ten inmates. AL
Capone
was
the first celebrity on the first train to Alcatraz, arriving
in
August
1934---He was given the number 85.
Guards armed with machine guns, ensured that
there were
no escapes.
Many convicts found Alcatraz the end of their career in crime,
as
well
as the end of their lives. For twenty- nine years, the
fog-enshrouded
island, with its damp, cold winds, and isolation made Alcatraz
one
of
America's safest prisons. The shell of steel and reinforced
concrete
confined ruthless men to a life of deprivation, rules, and
routines
that
proved almost intolerable. When one adds the fact that the
convicts
could hear party boats pass by, and see the San Francisco city
lights,
it is little wonder that some preferred death to this
kind
of
isolation. Failure to acquiesce to prison rules resulted in
confinement
in "D" Block, the treatment unit. Here, men could leave their
four-
by-eight-foot cells only once in seven days for a brief
ten-minute
shower. Life was hard on Alcatraz, just the way Warden Johnston
envisioned it. His motto was, "Take each day of your sentence,
one
day
at a time. Don't think how far you have to go, but how far
you've
come."
For many prisoners, Alcatraz became synonymous with hell.
There were a number of escape attempts from Alcatraz, but
the bloodiest
occurred on May 2, 1946 involving, Bernard Coy, Joseph
Cretzer,
Sam
Shockley, Clarence Carnes, Marvin Hubbard, and Miran Thompson.
It
cost
the lives of three inmates and two guards, with 17 guards and
one
prisoner wounded. The trial afterward, resulted in the
execution
of two
more convicts who took part in the aborted escape.
Attorney General Robert Kennedy officially closed the doors
of Alcatraz
on March 21 , 1963. From 1963 until 1969, the prison was
unoccupied.
Today it is maintained by the Golden Gate National Recreation
Area
where
almost a million visitors per year pay to see "The Rock". To
get
there,
take a seat aboard the Red & White Fleet ferry service.
Reservations
can
be obtained by contacting (800) 229-2784.
The reputation of Alcatraz, like the solid ground it was
built on,
represents a lasting reminder, that no man is above the law,
and
for
some, it is an eternal payback for their crimes against
humanity---kind
of an paranormal prison. Here are some of the stories.
During a Sightings visit in 1992, several of the Park
Service
staff
confirmed the haunted history of Alcatraz. Many rangers had
experienced
unexplainable crashing sounds, cell doors mysteriously closing,
unearthly screams, and intense feelings of being watched.
Sightings
called on psychic investigator Peter James to walk through
portions
of
the abandoned prison to get his impressions. James began to
pick
up on
the voices of the tortured souls driven mad since it's
inception
as a
prison. He also sensed unusual vibrations of abuse,
mistreatment,
fear,
and pain. His overall impression of Alcatraz was, that it had
an
energy
like no other he had ever experienced---a persistent and
overwhelming
intensity that engulfed the island.
Some of the more haunted locations on Alcatraz
appear
to be the
Warden's House, the hospital, the laundry room, and Cell Block
C
utility
door where convicts Coy, Cretzer and Hubbard died during their
escape
attempt in 1946. The most haunted area on Alcatraz, is the "D"
cell
block, or solitary, as it was often called. To most who go
there,
a
feeling of sudden intensity pervades the cells and corridor.
Some
rangers refuse to go there alone. It is intensely cold in
certain
cells,
far colder than normal---especially cell 14-D. This cell is
oftentimes
so cold, that wearing a jacket barely helps---even though the
surrounding area is twenty degrees warmer. It is no wonder the
area
was
called "The Hole."
When authors, Richard Winer and Nancy Osborn visited
Alcatraz, they
ventured down to solitary with a park ranger. As Osborn
entered
cell
14-D, she immediately felt strong vibrations coming from
within.
Winer
and the ranger followed Osborn, and within
seconds,
each of them
experienced an intense tingling sensation in their hands and
arms---they
were convinced that something or someone was in there
with
them. The
far corner of the cell where they were standing, and feeling
the
intense
energy, was the exact spot where the naked, shivering
prisoners
would
huddle, night after night, in the unforgiving darkness. Osborn
said
that
she had never felt so much energy before in one spot.
Renowned ghosthunter Richard Senate, and a psychic spent
the night
on
Alcatraz as part of a KGO radio promotion. They chose Al
Capone's
cell
as a place of temporary refuge. According to Senate, emotions
seemed
to
drip from every corner of Alcatraz as the long night
progressed.
He and
the psychic visited the spots where rangers said they heard
marching
footsteps, and clanking metal; however, nothing happened.
Finally,
Senate locked himself in cell 12-D, where an evil
and
persistent ghost
is rumored to dwell. As the thick, steel door was closed,
Senate
immediately felt icy fingers on his neck, and his hair stood
on
end. He
knew he was not alone. Additionally, the psychic picked up on
the
twisted and dismembered bodies of uniformed men. Both left the
island
convinced that Alcatraz had its own special energy.
According to Antoinette May, much of the paranormal
activity on Alcatraz
occurs around areas associated with the penitentiary's worst
tragedies.
One of them is the Block C utility corridor, Cell Blocks A and
B,
with
the eeriest area centering around cell 14-D---where it is
always
cold.
According to May, gifted psychic Sylvia Brown accompanied by a
CBS
news
team, investigated parts of Alcatraz. As Brown toured the
prison
hospital she picked up cards and notes tacked up on a wall,
and
the
letter "S." A ranger confirmed that the "S" probably stood for
Robert
Stroud who spent ten-and-a-half years in the hospital, in the
very
room
they were standing. He also had hundreds of notes and cards
tacked
up
all around him. Brown sensed strong energy in what used to be
the
therapy room, and the prison laundry room, where at least one
prisoner
was murdered.
Co-author, Michael Kouri, visited Alcatraz Island in July
of 1984
with
his uncle. After several preliminary psychic impressions,
Kouri
reached
cell 14-D, and entered. He first felt a "tingling sensation",
which
began at his fingertips; then, a very intense feeling of cold
engulfed
him. In a slight trance, he began to communicate with the
spirit
of a
man of small stature; who had his head shaved and was left in
"The
Hole." The spirit, in obvious pain, "told" a horrifying tale
of
being
beaten, his leg broken by guards, and left in solitary
confinement---he
had squealed on a fellow inmate---the year was 1939. Kouri
then
tried to
lead the poor soul to the light. [Note: Kouri's other unique
experience
with a visitor, is truly remarkable, as well as an interview
with
the
wife of an ex-warden---but you'll have wait until the
book
comes out].
A former guard related his stories about Cell Block D
(particularly
cells 12 and 14), and the frightening remnant energy lingering
in
the
subterranean portion of the prison. During his stint during the
mid-1940, convicts were often confined in one of the 14
cells
in "D"
Block (cells 9-14 were called "The Hole," because they
contained
no
windows, and only one light which could be turned off by the
guards.
The
darkness made it seem like a hole in the ground---hence the
name.
On one
occasion, an inmate was locked in "The Hole". Within seconds,
the
inmate
began screaming that someone with glowing eyes was in there
with
him.
Tales of a ghostly presence wandering the darkened corridors
in
clothing
from the late 1800,s were a continual source of
practical
joking among
the guards, so the convict's pleas of being "attacked," were
ignored.
The man's screaming continued well into the night, until
there was
silence. The following day, the guards inspected the
cell---the
convict
was dead, a horrible expression etched on his face, and
noticeable
hand
marks around his throat. The autopsy revealed that the
strangulation
was
not self-inflicted. Some say he was strangled by a guard who
had
enough
of the man's screaming---although no guard ever admitted it,
even
to the
other guards. Others believed it was the restless, evil spirit
of
a
former inmate who exacted his vengeance on yet another
helpless
soul. To
add to the mystery, the day after the tragedy, several guards,
performing a routine lineup of the convicts, counted one too
many
people. At the end of the line, the guards witnessed an extra
body---that of the recently deceased convict. As everyone
looked
on in
stunned silence, the figure of the ghostly convict vanished
into
thin
air!
A number of guards from 1946 through 1963, experienced
something
out of
the ordinary at one time or another. From the outer rim on the
grounds
to the deepest caverns, there was constant talk of people
sobbing
and
moaning, horrible smells, cold spots, and seeing the
"thing"
with
glowing eyes. Even groups of phantom prisoners and soldiers
have
appeared in front of startled guards, guests, and the
families
who
lived on the island.
Sometimes the old lighthouse (long since
demolished)
appeared out of a
dense fog, accompanied by a ghostly whistling sound, and a
great
flashing light which passed slowly around the entire island,
just
as if
the Lighthouse was still active. The spectacle would
then
vanish before
the startled eyes of guards and visitors. Phantom cannon
shots,
gun
shots, and screams oftentimes sent seasoned guards falling
flat
on their
stomachs thinking that prisoners had escaped and obtained
weapons.
Each
time, there was no explanation. A deserted laundry room would
sometimes
emanate a strong scent of smoke, as if something was on fire.
The
sensation of the choking smoke would drive guards out of the
room,
only
to return a few minutes later, the area now completely smoke
free---the
phantom smoke occurred many times over the years.
Even Warden Johnston, who didn't believe in ghosts,
encountered the
unmistakable sounds of woman sobbing, as if coming from inside
the
walls
of the dungeon while he accompanied a number of guests on a
tour
of the
facility. As if that weren't enough, an icy, cold gust of wind
blew
through the group, chilling them to the bone, just as the
sobbing
stopped.
The now burned-out shell of the Warden's House, has also
been a focal
point for sightings since the 1940s. During a Christmas Party,
several
guards witnessed the chilling apparition of a man wearing a
gray
suit,
brimmed cap, and mutton chop side burns. When the men saw the
apparition, the room turned deathly cold, the fire in the Ben
Franklin
stove was extinguished, and after less than a minute, the man
vanished.
These are but a few of the "Haunted Alcatraz" stories. When
you visit
and journey down the now deserted corridors of this world
famous
penitentiary, keep your wits about you, and all your five
senses
in
tuned, and perhaps your sixth sense will help you encounter
some
of the
many spirits who inhabit Alcatraz. The next story you read in
an
updated
version of this book, maybe yours... Happy haunting!
>From Haunted
Alcatraz: A History of La Isla de Los Alcatraces and Guide
to
Paranormal Activity, by Robert Wlodarski, Anne Wlodarski, and
Michael Kouri<
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