Alcatraz_ A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years - Michael Esslinger [215]
Burgett and his accomplices Earl Wilhelm and John Oliver would go on a spree of over thirty armed robberies in the St. Louis area, some of which turned seriously violent. Generally they robbed their victims by having them lie on the floor while they emptied cash registers and removed personal jewelry. On some occasions, the victims would be struck with the guns. Burgett’s robbery targets ranged from post offices to beer taverns, and during one episode, a gunfight ensued in which Wilhelm and a patron were injured by gunfire. On May 16, 1952, Missouri State Trooper David Walker apprehended the trio who were packing eight loaded guns. All three men would stand trial and plead guilty, and each defendant was sentenced to serve twenty-five years in a federal institution.
Then on June 9, 1952, while Burgett and his two co-defendants were being transported to the Federal Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas by a Deputy Marshal and a prison guard, Burgett made a desperate attempt to escape. The inmates had been shackled to one another with chains and handcuffs, with Burgett seated in the middle of the back seat, and at around 2:50 a.m. prison guard LeRoy Tozer dropped a lighted cigarette onto the seat beside him. Burgett pleaded to the Marshal to pull over, as the cigarette was burning the seat and his clothing. Tozer ordered Burgett to raise himself so he could reach under him and grab the cigarette. Tozer found the cigarette and started rolling down the window to throw it out. As he turned toward the window, Burgett threw his legs over Tozer to pin him down on the seat. Using great force, he then kicked the back of Deputy Marshal Davidson’s head several times, knocking his glasses off and throwing his head forward into the steering wheel, which forced the car to veer off the road.
As the car came to a halt at the side of the roadway, Davidson drew his pistol and Tozer forcefully restrained Burgett, leaving multiple cuts and bruises about his face. On arrival at Leavenworth, Burgett still refused to cooperate and stated that he would rather die than be forced to serve his time there. This event would buy him his ticket to Alcatraz, in consideration of the length of his sentence. He would arrive on Alcatraz as inmate AZ-991, on August 27, 1952.
At Alcatraz, Burgett briefly enjoyed a reputation as a good inmate. His progress report states that he enjoyed playing cards and table games in the recreation yard. He also played the Hawaiian guitar and subscribed to the magazine Flying, and he purchased books on system navigation and other related subjects. It is speculated that Burgett planned his escape from the Rock for several months in advance, collecting sections of raincoats, plywood, and electricians’ tape over a long period of time.
Alcatraz Guard Harold Miller had worked as a casket maker before entering the prison service. He was only twenty-seven years of age and had been working at Alcatraz for about ten months. The garbage assignment was a tough and potentially dangerous detail for the correctional staff. Inmates on this detail would sometimes trim trees and shrubbery, and had access to sharpened gardening tools, even axes. Inmates had to possess good conduct records to be chosen for this detail, as it was considered a privileged assignment. Both Burgett and Johnson had been on this detail for nearly six months