My wife and I arrived at Dock #4 at 5:15 P.M. and quickly saw the activity around the dock and the patrolling by the Coast Guard Boats at Alcatraz. One of our officers notified me immediately that Wilson was missing, and it was the first thought of everyone that he had probably been able to secrete himself on the water barge and might have reached the mainland. Until I had talked to Mr. Jones after arriving on the island, I was convinced he was probably on the barge, however, Mr. Jones was so positive that he had seen him throwing the rubber tire on the fire at approximately 3:40 P.M. that I was convinced then he was hidden somewhere in the island.
Approximately 65 men from all services in the institution were searching the island from about 4:00 P.M. until midnight. The entire island was covered, and from midnight until 2:55 P.M. we had approximately 25 men involved in the search.
Mr. Christopherson, one of our industrial supervisors found Wilson flattened up against a depression in the rock along the beach at 2:55 A.M. and yelled to Mr. Norris who was near him that he had found the escapee. Wilson was very wet as though he had been in the water, but he was not unduly cold, and apparently had not been in this condition for a long period. When I talked to Wilson after his capture, he told me he had hidden himself in a depression in the rock around the east end at least 35 to 40 feet from the beach, and I am inclined to believe that he may have been in this hideout until some short time before he was captured. Upon investigating this and while Mr. Willingham was here, it was found that a person could lay in this crevice and could not be seen either from the beach, the water or from the area above. We had to let an officer down by a rope to get into this hole to determine just what type of area it was. Wilson might have reached this area by climbing an 8” sewer pipe from the beach. He is a strong, rugged fellow and if he was able to climb the pipe he could have gotten into the depression and be completely hidden.
Wilson refused to tell a straight story of his activities while he was in hiding, so it is difficult to believe what he does say, however, it is incredible that we could not find this man in the hours that we searched when we were positive he was in that area, so I am inclined to believe he was able to get into this rocky hideout approximately 40 feet up from the beach and still not be seen from the parade ground level above.
A press diagram showing the escape path of Floyd Wilson (Note that this photo was taken prior to 1956 and not reflective of the actual landscape during the period of the escape attempt). His attempt for freedom was thwarted when he was found huddled in a small wave-carved cave (described as a small depression in the rock formation) after nearly twelve hours.
We set up lights around midnight that covered the complete east end of the island so far as the banks were concerned, and they were a big help in keeping the area involved covered.
Wilson is now in isolation and the case was brought before the Grand Jury on Wednesday the 25 th, which was rather rapid action. Two of our officers, Mr. Christopherson and Mr. Black, who were in charge of the Dock on Monday, were called to testify. I have been unable as yet to determine if they brought forth an indictment, but I don’t think there is much doubt but what they have indicted him.
Wilson had on his person a three-foot length of sash cord and some middleweight wrapping cord, perhaps 25 feet long. No doubt he planned to use this to lash together any pieces of lumber that might be available on the beach.
In going over what transpired that evening with Mr. Willingham, it does not seem that our officers were derelict in their duty, however this hideout points out clearly that we must take further precautions in order to have a officer watching these men at all times. During the course of the day when freight is coming and going, and the dock is a very busy place, it seems easier to watch the men than in a situation such as confronted us at this time. Two of the inmates were in the process of changing clothes getting ready to go into the institution; the inmate mechanic was doing some work around a truck in the garage, while Wilson who usually is a lone wolf type and stays off by himself, apparently was able to scamper under the hole in the fence under cover of the smoke produced by the burning tire.
We have one satisfaction of knowing that our procedure was tight enough to prevent any of these men from getting on the water barge, but we are red-faced in the fact that Wilson was able to elude us for the number of hours that he did.
P. J. MADIGAN
Warden
Wilson remained at Alcatraz until just before its closure in 1963. He was then transferred to the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, and only a few months later to Lorton Reformatory in Virginia. In August of 1966 it was documented that he had once more assembled contraband materials for use in another escape attempt. He remained a problematic inmate until his parole on April 5, 1971. Upon his release Wilson went back to the trade of carpentry and returned to Maryland where he had been living prior to his arrest. His parole report states that once he returned to normal civilian life, he seemed to adjust well despite his years of incarceration. A 1972 report read: “Floyd Wilson has led a rather quiet and orderly life since his release on parole. He visits with relatives, enjoys sports, and engage in other reputable pursuits when not working.” Wilson died of natural causes in January of 1974.
An excerpt from a letter written to Warden Blackwell by Floyd Wilson while he was serving time at the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta. Both Wilson and Blackwell were Alcatraz alumni. Wilson requested that his “good time” be restored, in consideration of his upcoming parole hearing. Floyd displayed a sense of humor in his letter, stating: “I would like to go home this summer if I possibly could - without being shot at, if possible.” Wilson was paroled in 1971.
ESCAPE ATTEMPT #12
Date:
September 29, 1958
Inmates:
Aaron Walter Burgett
Clyde Milton Johnson
Location:
Outside Garbage Detail (southeast island area near the family residences)
On a murky September afternoon in 1958, Clyde Johnson and Aaron Burgett were to engage in what would be the last forceful escape attempt ever made on Alcatraz. Both inmates had been assigned to an outside garbage detail, and they were accompanied by a solo officer tasked to supervise their activities as they walked freely outside the normally authorized perimeter. Using a smuggled paring knife, a rope and some tape, they overpowered the unsuspecting guard, and bound and tied him to a eucalyptus tree. They then slipped away under cover of heavy fog...
Clyde Milton Johnson
A mug shot series of inmate Clyde Milton Johnson. Taken during the period from 1949 until 1993, these photographs illustrate the effects of a lifetime of incarceration. Johnson and fellow inmate Aaron Burgett bound and gagged a guard at knifepoint during their attempt to escape Alcatraz.