Everyone knows the story of the famous 1962 Alcatraz escape : How three inmates led by bank robber Frank Morris – handsomely played by Clint Eastwood in the 1979 movie – used dummy heads to fool guards and flee in a homemade raft across the Bay, either to freedom or death in the briny deep. Related Articles Features | His mission is murder: Famed LAPD detective and ‘Harry Bosch’ adviser enjoys not-so-quiet retirement in the East Bay Features | Ying Chang Compestine’s newest book brings Mao’s Cultural Revolution to devastating life Features | Dive into the life (and death) of Elkhorn Slough with “Mother-Daughter Murder Night” Features | Check this out: Bay Area libraries offer unique services, tools, items to take home Features | Literary art: 5 amazing art installations to see at Bay Area libraries in San Jose, Lafayette and more The FBI closed the case in 1979 and today maintains that “with the strong currents and frigid Bay water, the odds were clearly against these men.” But now comes a bombshell from Ken Widner and Mike Lynch, who use historical documents, expert-analyzed photo evidence and family interviews in the new book “Alcatraz: The Last Escape” (Lyons Press, 2024).
It wasn’t the high-IQ Morris who led the escape, they say, but John Anglin, the son of poor farmworkers and brother of third escapee, Clarence Anglin. And instead of the men drowning or — as one theory has it — getting murdered after a double-cross near Seattle, they suppose.
