Alcatraz, an Escape!

Alcatraz, an Escape!

Suzanne Marsh

June, 11th, 1962

“Come on, bed check in fifteen minutes. If we don’t get out of here now, we are never gonna.”

Dale Morrison and the Mahoney brothers had planned their escape carefully. They made papier-mache heads to be visible to the guards for night inspection. Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was a loathsome place for any prisoner, especially Dale. The cells were small, painted green with a sink and toilet. The prisoner was watched as he used the toilet and washed his hands. The showers; the men were totally exposed. This affronted Dale; he was a private type of person. The moment Dale arrived at Alcatraz, he knew he would escape somehow. Dale had an IQ of 145; he was considered a genius by the Federal government. Dale’s crimes were possession of narcotics and robbery; he once boasted no prison could hold him.

Felix and Drake Mahoney were felons with nothing to lose; Dale began talking to them about escaping. The brothers laughed: “Ain’t nobody ever escaped from here.” Dale smirked:

“I ain’t nobody. We can escape; we have to go about it in an organized manner. We need spoons from the dining hall, papier mache from the artist, and hair from the barber shop. Felix, you think you can smuggle out three spoons? Drake, are you pals with the artist? I can take care of the hair from the barber shop. A plan was formulated, and their escape ensured.

Two days later, Felix poked Dale in the ribs:

“I got three teaspoons; how long do you think it will take to widen the vent?”

Dale, the eternal optimist, glared at Felix:

“I figure about six months, we have to get rid of the concrete at night; we can only

scoop so much in a night.”

This made some sense to Felix and Drake. Although another six months here in Alcatraz was a very daunting thought to the three men. They worked out a bribe with Tim Marin, a guard; they needed raincoats for the raft they were building.

Six months later, they were done with the vent area. Felix and Drake had stitched together the raincoats. Felix looked up in consternation at Dale:

“Why are we doin this? Escape is still impossible.” Dale turned on Felix:

“You wanna spend the rest of your natural life here or live free in someplace like Brazil. We

can never return to the United States, but at least we will be free. We go tonight after the

last bed check of the night. Felix and Drake, make certain your heads are covered like you

were sleeping, do that at the second-to-last bed bedcheck. You two can hide under my bunk; it

will be quicker.”

The three men could not swallow their meal; the excitement of getting off the damn island, they hoped to be the first to escape the unescapable prison. They somehow managed to work their way through the concrete walls of their cells to a chute. The three men followed tunnels, then sneaked along an unused utility corridor. Descending along a fifty-foot wall, passing through a kitchen vent pipe. Climbing two twelve-foot barbed wire fences, they departed the island. It became clear to the FBI that no one could have survived; their raft was discovered washed up on the shore of another island. It was a simple matter, the FBI said the three drowned. There was a plastic bag that held a mail-order receipt, pictures, and addresses of family members.

In 1979, the FBI declared the men officially dead by drowning. The US Marshals kept the case open. Was it possible that the men survived? Agent Hank Townsend thought it possible. The Mahoney brothers sent Christmas cards each year to their family. The Mahoneys, a tight-lipped group of people, kept the secret. Dale Morrison sent a small package to his girlfriend, it contained a diamond ring. He explained he would find a way to contact her once he had found a hiding place where they would be safe.

The very first thing Dale, Felix, and Drake did was to find a silent plastic surgeon; a nip and tuck thing would work. They purchased hair dye, a dark brown, natural look. Dale found a plastic surgeon, who was not the most reputable, to perform the surgery. The hotel they were hiding in was a firetrap, but they were on the lam so a good hotel was out of the question. Three months later, they were fitted for contact lenses; they were now the Corrigan brothers, Tom, Jim, and Nick.

Evening of March 31, 1964

The Corrigans made reservations for March 31, 1964, on American Airlines. Their dream of evading the FBI was fulfilled. They knew mercenaries were needed; it was the perfect cover for the three men. Hiding out in Brazil was an inspiration; no one knew them. They needed money to become mercenaries. They knew it would be smarter to hide in the jungles of Brazil; they could get in good with Castelo Branco, a legalist. They knew if they were captured, Branco might deny the United States Marshall’s extradition. It was foolproof; Branco met with the men. He told them that if they aided his cause, they would not be extradited. There was a collective sigh; they had found safety here in Brazil, with a way to make money.

The men had been in their thirties when they escaped; they were now in their sixties. The Mahoney brothers wanted to return home, just once, to see their family. Dale exclaimed:

“Didn’t you two learn anything? You go home, the US Marshals are going to be waiting

for you. Alcatraz is closed, but there are Federal prisons all over the United States. Don’t

be foolish, we are here to stay. We are free to a certain extent, at least we are not behind

bars, with no freedom. Think about this before you try to return home.”

The Mahoney brothers knew that Dale was right; the marshals would track them down if they had the slightest idea where they were.

2025

Dale Morrison, Felix, and Drake Mahoney, if they were still alive, would now be in their nineties, hardly worth the effort to extradite them. If they did escape and survived to hide out in Brazil, they are still wanted men, freedom in a sense of well-being, knowing that a person does not have to look over their shoulder; these men would always have to be wary.