Letters From Alcatraz - Michael Esslinger [107]
Corporal punishment is prohibited in all the Federal penal institutions including Alcatraz. We stand on our record as the most modern and humane penal system in the world. I have every confidence in Warden Johnston. He is a just, humane, and intelligent prison warden capably performing the most difficult job any warden was ever asked to assume. The entire institutional staff has consistently displayed their courage, patience, and devotion to the public service. They deserve the support of every fair-minded citizen whose homes and safety they have helped to protect.
The statements made by the prisoners so far called to my attention have already been carefully investigated by the Department [of Justice] and found to be wholly unfounded. When, however, a transcript of the testimony has been received, it will be carefully gone over as in every other case, and if any evidence or facts are found showing brutal or inhuman treatment, vigorous corrective measures will be taken.
Following the trial, Henri Young continued to be a difficult and violent inmate. He would serve several more years in solitary confinement, and he remained insolent toward fellow inmates and staff. One year after the trial, prison staff members started documenting the unusual behavior exhibited by Young. A report filed by Chief Medical Officer Romney M. Ritchey on May 14, 1942 states in part:
The above captioned inmate who has been in D-Block for some time began showing peculiar conduct last night. The officer on-duty reported that about 5:00 p.m. he started tearing up all of his papers, mostly those he had prepared for Correspondence Courses, etc... He refused to speak to the Officer when addressed. Then he rolled up his mattress and placed it near the back of his cell and sat down on it with his head in his arms and back to the front of his cell...
The staff on Alcatraz noted that Young had taken an interest in psychology, but they couldn’t be sure whether his new behavior resulted from a legitimate mental disorder, or was simply contrived. There were several documented episodes when Young was found sitting for several days in a near catatonic state, not moving, and refusing to eat meals delivered to his cell. Over the years this condition seemed to worsen, with an increase in the frequency of the sporadic episodes, which usually lasted for a few days. Nevertheless, he continued to be an incorrigibly difficult inmate.
On April 11, 1944, Young instigated a bitter fistfight with inmate Joe Cretzer, who would later murder a correctional officer and injure several others during the escape attempt of 1946. Then on February 27, 1945, inmates Rufus Franklin and Willis Coulter attacked Young in the recreation yard, inflicting a minor stab wound to his back. The inmates had used a kitchen knife that had been sharpened into a dagger. Young remained hospitalized until March 8, 1945, with a puncture wound that went deep into his scapula. Following his release from the hospital, he was returned to D Block. When interviewed regarding the attack, Young would offer no reason for his conflict with Franklin and Coulter.
A disciplinary report describing a fight between Henri Young and Joseph Cretzer. Cretzer, one of the primary conspirators of the 1946 “Battle of Alcatraz,” would die during the failed escape attempt.
Willis Coulter
A letter describing Young’s condition after he was found with self inflicted wounds, following an attempt to sever his Achilles tendons.
Young’s mental condition continued to deteriorate. In June of 1948 he was admitted to the hospital, where “he postured, stared, and didn’t talk to personnel, but talked with other inmates.” Although his condition was considered suspect, Warden Swope finally received orders to transfer Young to the Springfield Medical Facility for the duration of his prison term, and he was sent there on September 13, 1948. The staff at Springfield conducted exhaustive examinations, but they were unable to render an accurate diagnosis or to determine whether he was feigning