Alcatraz_ A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years - Michael Esslinger [40]
Each prisoner was assigned his own cell and allotted only the basic necessities, such as food, water, clothing, and medical & dental care. Inmate Willie Radkay (who occupied a cell next to Machine Gun Kelly at Alcatraz), later indicated during an interview that having your own cell was a great advantage over other federal prisons. When inmates lived in separate cells, the chances of being sexually violated were reduced, and the privacy afforded was also a cherished benefit. Personal property was generally limited to a few photographs, and the cells were subject to meticulous inspections that were frequent, random and unannounced.
The inmates’ contact with the outside world was completely cut off. Convicted spy Morton Sobell stated that the rules at Alcatraz were so stringent that inmates were never allowed to explore the cellhouse on their own. They would be marched from one location to another, always in a regulated manner. The routine was unyielding, day after day, year after year, and even on most holidays. As quickly as a right was awarded for good behavior, it could be taken away for the slightest infraction. Johnston would tell the press on opening day: “The essence of Alcatraz is a maximum security prison, with minimum privileges”.
Transition to a Civilian Prison
When the Military evacuated the island on June 19, 1934, they left behind thirty-two hard-edged prisoners to serve out their sentences on Alcatraz. The remaining military inmates were assigned Alcatraz numbers alphabetically with Frank Bolt as 01-AZ. These men later became resentful of being imprisoned with what the media had publicized as America’s worst criminals. There was a thread of dissention among these inmates, who thought that they should be released to more lenient institutions. The first civilian to be held at Alcatraz was Frederick Grant White, who arrived on July 13, 1934 from McNeil Island. The next civilian inmate had an interesting connection to the island prison. Robert Bradford Moxon had once served at Alcatraz as a soldier. Ironically, after being discharged, he was arrested on charges of forgery and sent back to serve out his sentence on the Rock, arriving on August 2, 1934.
Frank L. Bolt was Alcatraz inmate #AZ-01.
Bolt’s dishonorable discharge papers from the US Army.
Frederick Grant White was the first civilian inmate at Alcatraz. He arrived on July 13, 1934 from McNeil Island.
A telegram to Warden Johnston, providing transfer details for inmate White.
A photograph of military inmate John Miller, one of the thirty-two inmates left to finish out their sentences at Alcatraz following the prison’s transition to a civilian institution. Miller’s photograph illustrates one of the rare instances of leniency at the prison, which would be short lived. Mustaches were not allowed at Alcatraz during its tenure as a Federal penitentiary.
Robert Bradford Moxon
Warden Johnston on August 18, 1934, leading a tour for dignitaries. Pictured from left to right are San Francisco Mayor Angelo Rossi; Attorney General Homer Cummings, one of the conceptual founders of the prison; Warden Johnston; and San Francisco Police Chief William Quinn. The photograph opposite shows the group leaving the prison.
Attorney General Homer S. Cummings and Warden James Johnston inspecting the staff of correctional officers during the opening of the prison in 1934. The officer standing second from the left is future Associate Warden E.J. Miller.
The first official group of fourteen federal inmates arrived at Alcatraz from McNeil Island on August 11, 1934. Their identities were kept completely secret from an aggressive press, hungry to report on the first arrivals. Their train pulled into Oakland at 9:40 a.m., and the inmates were led in handcuffed pairs to the prison launch General McDowell. As the prisoners were lined up in formation