Letters From Alcatraz - Michael Esslinger [205]
The Coroner documented in his report:
External Appearance: The body is that of a well developed, well nourished adult young white male revealing evidence of gunshot wounds of the head with a wound of entrance in the left temporal region having smooth margins and measuring approximately 1 cm in diameter, and a wound of exit at the right temporal parietal region with evidence of extensive compound fracture of the right temporal, frontal and parietal region bones at this point. In addition there is a wound of entrance at the inner corner the left eye with exit in the right occipital region of the skull. There are abrasions of the right temporal posterior auricular region.
Officer William A. Miller was mourned in a small service at St. Brigid’s Catholic Church on the morning of Monday, May 6th. The service was attended mostly by the wives and children of his fellow officers. Miller’s widow Josephine would hold a larger family service when his body arrived in Pennsylvania. His body was prepared at the Halstead Funeral Parlor in San Francisco, and then following a small open casket service, his remains were placed in a hearse and driven to the train depot for the final ride home. His wife and two young children accompanied him on the train.
Attorney General Thomas Clark (seen with his arm around Stites’ son) and Warden Johnston gave a brief testimonial for Harold Stites during a ceremony held at Alcatraz.
Officer Harold Stites’ services were held on Tuesday, May 7th at the Maneely Chapel in San Francisco. The services were heavily attended by the press, and James Bennett and Warden Johnston both sat in the front pews, giving support to his widow Bessie and his four children. Following the ceremony, there was a large funeral procession led by the San Francisco Police to the Golden Gate National Cemetery, where a graveside service was held before Stites’ final burial. Chaplain Lieutenant Rodney Shaw presided, while the family sat in solemn silence on a bench placed next to his grave.
Bernie Coy’s body was released from the San Francisco Morgue after eleven days, as no family member had claimed his remains. He was buried in a plain pinewood coffin in an unmarked gravesite at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Daly City, just south of SanFrancisco. Officials had attempted to contact Coy’s ex-wife, but all their telegrams were returned undelivered. On May 16, 1946 Coy’s sister Anna Long wrote a short letter to Warden Johnston, asking him to send all of Bernie’s belongings back to her in Kentucky. Johnston replied that Coy had only $6.16 in his account, and a small cloth container filled with what appeared to be family photos. Anna’s letter simply stated, “I was told by his attorney that it was best not to bring him back here.”
Marvin Hubbard’s body had been taken to the Godeau Funeral Home, as his wife had made arrangements for his remains to be transferred back to Oklahoma. Hubbard’s family came to San Francisco and quietly accompanied Marvin back home for a proper burial. Joseph Cretzer’s body was cremated, and his ashes were placed in a burial vault at the Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Daly City. There were only two people who attended his service, his attorney and his ex-wife Edna.
In the weeks that followed, a sensational trial ensued in which Carnes, Shockley, and Thompson faced charges for their roles in the escape and in the murder of Officer Miller. The trial commenced on November 20, 1946, with Judge Louis E. Goodman presiding. The inmates were transferred to and from the courthouse chained together and under heavy guard on each day of their trial. The inmates were not charged with Stites’ murder, since it was deemed probable that he had been struck by friendly fire. The court appointed defense attorneys William Sullivan and Archer Zamlock to represent Carnes and Shockley, and Ernest Spagnoli and Aaron Vinkler to defend Thompson. The four attorneys would argue that the men had been held under heavy duress, similar to the mitigating factors that had been presented