An exterior view of the prison Armory as it appeared in 1946.
The Armory served as the weapons arsenal for the prison, and it was also the stronghold for all of the prison keys, as well as the communications center. The Armory Officer had the ability to lock himself inside the weapons vault, to which there was no possible outside access. The Armory was the impenetrable nerve center of Alcatraz.
The scene was set and the plans were finalized, and all that remained was for the signals to be given. The conspirators believed that they had thought of everything and had prepared for every eventuality – but through a sequence of unforeseen circumstances, their careful plans were destined to go terribly wrong.
The Battle of Alcatraz
The explosive sequence of events that would eventually come to be known as the Battle of Alcatrazbegan early on the morning of May 2, 1946, and would gradually build in a tragic crescendo over the next two days. During this period, numerous prisoners and guards we be wounded or lose their lives, and the reputation of the island prison would change forever. For the first time, inmates would secure weapons from the prison armory, and turn them against their guards with deadly force. When the smoke had settled and the dust had cleared, a new legend would have arisen from the rocky soil of Alcatraz.
On the morning of May 2, 1946, Marvin Hubbard was tending to his duties in the prison kitchen, which was his official work assignment. Although Arnold Kyle did not play an active role during the escape attempt, it is speculated that he was responsible for involving Hubbard in the plan, as he had been on the same work detail before being reassigned to a paid position in the laundry. At 6:30 a.m. Lieutenant Joe Simpson rang the first bell; waking the prisoners and allowing them time to enjoy a cigarette, make their beds, and prepare for their work assignments. The inmates assigned to the kitchen detail were always released from their cells a few hours earlier to prepare the food carts. At 6:50 a.m., Simpson sounded the second bell and the cell doors racked open with the powerful resonance of heavy steel. The inmates began to line up outside their respective cells, in preparation for their customary count and organized march to the Mess Hall.
At 7:00 a.m., Simpson rang the bell a third time. The inmates from the lower tiers of B and C Blocks then started to march into the Mess Hall, followed in an orderly fashion by the prisoners from the second and third tiers. The steam tables were placed buffet style to accommodate the flow of inmates in two parallel lines. The inmates from C Block would walk in order to the steam tables on the left, and those from B Block would file in on the right. After obtaining their food tray and meal, the prisoners would sit on their respective sides of the Mess Hall, reflecting the cellhouse arrangement. The process was refined for efficiency and allowed for no variances, since the breakfast period would last only twenty minutes.
The steam tables were manned by Hubbard and fellow inmates Floyd Harrell, Lavelle Bush, and Harold Brest. Brest had participated in a failed escape at Alcatraz in April of 1943, in which his accomplice James Boarman had been killed by a bullet to the head. In May of 1946, Brest had been out of segregation and on work assignment for less than one month and probably had no interest in getting involved in another escape, with the memory of Boarman's violent death still fresh in his mind.
As the inmates were assembling for breakfast on the morning of May 2 nd, the next shift of correctional officers started to come on duty, relieving those coming off the graveyard shift. Officer Bert Burch made his way up the narrow stairway running up the side of the cellhouse, to begin his shift in the West Gun Gallery.
Cliff Fish was the day watch officer assigned to the Armory in May of 1946. As the officers reported to their assigned locations, they would individually call in to Fish so that he could record the post changes in the official activity register. As part of standard procedure, the officers were required to call in to the armory every thirty minutes to report on their welfare. The status of each inmate was likewise recorded every thirty minutes. As the inmates congregated in the Mess Hall for breakfast, the correctional staff reported and prepared their posts for the transfer of inmates to the work industries.
Armory Officer Clifford Fish
Following breakfast the inmates were marched back to their cells, and those with work assignments were allowed time to smoke and get ready for work. After all of the inmates had been locked back in their cells, Joe Simpson sounded the bell signaling inmates to stand in silence at their cell door until the count activities were concluded. Ernest Lageson, who was the officer in charge of the cellhouse, sat at the desk situated just outside of the Mess Hall at the west end of the cellblock. He compiled the numbers from the six officers performing the counts, and phoned the final tallies to Fish in the Armory.
After the counts were complete, the inmates who were assigned to work details usually changed into their work clothing, and ensured that their cells were clean in case of a surprise inspection. Being assigned to a work detail was a great privilege, and inmates rarely disobeyed rules regarding cleanliness and hygiene. After the count bell sounded indicating that no discrepancies had been found, the officers in charge of the industry work details gathered near the recreation yard, preparing to release the inmates from their cells to start work.
Joe Simpson would then give the signal to release those on work details from their cells. The cells were unlocked, just as at meal periods, with all of the cells on each tier racking open to allow the men to step outside of their cells. They would then await the okay signal to march down into the recreation yard and line up for their work assignment. Bert Burch in the West Gun Gallery lowered key #107 to Officer William Miller, who opened the heavy steel access door to the recreation yard and then started signaling the inmates to file down into the line-up. As the convicts passed through the cellhouse door, Miller counted each one. The inmates then walked into the yard area, lining up on a painted stripe in accordance with their specific assignment. Once again they would participate in yet another count, for purposes of identification, and to ensure that they reported to the proper work detail.
Correctional Officer Ernest Lageson.
Officer Al Shield.
Chief Steward Bob Bristow.
The inmates inside the cellhouse likewise were subjected to an additional count, and once it was complete, Captain Miller signaled Officer John Barker, who was posted on the recreation yard perimeter catwalk (considered the least favored assignment by the correctional staff). He then lowered the key to Officer Al Shield, who would open the yard door leading to the Industries. When the signal was given, the inmates would march line-by-line down the narrow steep stairwell and pass through the “snitch box,” a name affectionately given to the metal detector by the inmates. When each inmate had arrived at his assignment, before they were all allowed to start work, the officers performed a final count. Once this process was complete, the numbers were called in to the Armory, where Cliff Fish tallied the latest figures. Then the yard was again secured, and the key was passed back up to Barker on the catwalk.