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Clarence Anglin

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Clarence Anglin
BornMay 11, 1931
Donalsonville, Georgia
DisappearedJune 11, 1962 (aged 31)
Alcatraz

Alfred Clarence "Larry" Anglin (born May 11, 1931) better known as Clarence Anglin, is or was an American criminal and folk figure who took part in the infamous June 1962 Alcatraz escape in June 1962, he was never seen or heard from again, and is presumed deceased.

Early life

Clarence Anglin, along with brothers John and Alfred, was born in Donalsonville, Georgia, one of six children born to George Robert Anglin and Rachael Van Anglin. The brothers worked as farmers and laborers. Clarence was first caught breaking into a service station when he was just 14 years old.[1] Together the brothers started to rob banks in Georgia, and were arrested in 1958 after robbing the Bank of Columbia branch in Columbia, Alabama.[2] John and Clarence were given 15-to-20 year sentences and were sent to Atlanta Penitentiary (where they first met Frank Morris and Allen West), Florida State Prison, and Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Clarence Anglin was known to have a tattoo of "Zona" on his left wrist and one of "Nita" on his right upper arm.[3]

Alcatraz

Clarence and John were both sent to Alcatraz after being caught attempting to escape from the state penitentiary. John arrived on October 21, 1960, as Alcatraz inmate AZ1476, and Clarence arrived on January 10, 1961, as Alcatraz inmate AZ1485. By September 1961, Morris, West, and the Anglin brothers were planning an elaborate escape attempt, which was carried out on the night of June 11, 1962. The four reportedly spent months using spoons and forks to dig holes in the crumbling masonry surrounding the air vents in their cells.[4] The crawl spaces they fashioned eventually pierced the six-and-a-half-inch thick walls until they reached a utility corner, from which they were able to shimmy out through a roof vent.[4] To prepare for their flights, they also produced a raft and life vests out of more than 50 cotton raincoats, with rubberized backing, that inmates were assigned.[4] They also had created mannequin heads out of paper, paint, and hair purloined from the prison barber shop, leaving them in their beds while they worked on the raft.[4]

Morris and the Anglin brothers subsequently disappeared without a trace and are still wanted by the FBI, although they are believed to have drowned in San Francisco Bay.[5] But there have been reported sightings of the three men over the years, [6] suggesting that they may have survived. Another factor used to assume their survival is that the bodies of two out of every three people who go missing in San Francisco Bay are eventually recovered.[4] If he were alive today, Clarence Anglin would be 84 years old. Marie Anglin Widener, the sister of the two brothers, visited the iconic federal penitentiary on the 50th anniversary of the Anglin Alcatraz escape. According to Widener, she stated that she had no doubt (or never has), in her mind that the men survived, but there's a possibility they did survive the escape.

Main articles: Escape from Alcatraz (book) and Escape from Alcatraz (film)

In 1963, J. Campbell Bruce published his book Escape from Alcatraz about escapes from Alcatraz Island, including that of Morris and the Anglin brothers.[7] The 1979 film Escape from Alcatraz starred Clint Eastwood, Fred Ward, and Jack Thibeau as Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin respectively. Allen West was played by Larry Hankin; his character's name was changed to Charlie Butts.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.ruskinhistory.org/anglin-brothers.htm
  2. ^ "Anglin brothers". www.RuskinHistory.org. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Wanted by U.S. Marshals - Anglin, Clarence" (PDF). U.S. Marshals Service. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  4. ^ a b c d e Leff, Lisa. "Escape from Alcatraz: 50 years later, mystery remains". www.nbcnews.com.
  5. ^ http://www.alcatrazhistory.com/alcesc3.htm
  6. ^ History Channel documentary on YouTube
  7. ^ Bruce, Campbell J. (1963). Escape from Alcatraz. ISBN 1-58008-678-0.
  8. ^ "Escape from Alcatraz (1979)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-12-07.

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