Letters From Alcatraz - Michael Esslinger [64]
Madigan was also credited with preventing the 1941 escape of Joe Cretzer, Sam Shockley, Arnold Kyle and Lloyd Barkdoll. He skillfully talked the inmates into surrendering after he had been tied up and threatened. By the time the other officers were alerted to the escape attempt and had arrived to assist him, Madigan had already convinced the desperate inmates to give themselves up, and was escorting them up to the Treatment Unit.
Madigan carried the affectionate nickname of “Promising Paul,” which was given to him by other officers, since he frequently made promises that would never be fulfilled. Nevertheless, Madigan was considered a great Warden by most of those who worked with him. He was a devout Catholic and attended mass with the inmates in the prison chapel. He was also credited with adding cigars to the inmates’ Christmas gift packages, and creating special holiday meals for the general population. In late 1941, following the escape attempt of Cretzer, Barkdoll, Kyle and Shockley, Madigan was promoted to the post of Associate Warden at the Terminal Island Federal Correctional Facility in Southern California. He later received another promotion, and transferred to Minnesota. He returned to serve at Alcatraz from 1955 until 1961, and then he accepted a transfer to McNeil Island. Prior to his departure, he would appoint Associate Warden Blackwell to be his successor.
Warden Olin G. Blackwell: 1961-1963
The last Warden of Alcatraz, Olin Blackwell. Over his brief term as Warden, he relaxed numerous longstanding strict regulations, including those regarding censorship and visitation limits.
Deputy Director of the Bureau of Prisons Fred T. Wilkinson and Alcatraz Warden Olin Blackwell on March 23, 1963, the day Alcatraz closed.
Warden Blackwell pictured at the wheel of a motorized cart that he used to travel about the island.
The Warden’s office, located inside the prison administration area.
Olin Blackwell would become the last Warden of Alcatraz on November 26, 1961. A former rancher from Texas, Blackwell had come to Alcatraz from Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania where he had served as a Captain and Associate Warden. Blackwell was nicknamed “Blackie” and often signed his name as such. He was only forty-six years old when he accepted the position of Warden at Alcatraz. He possessed a softer style than his predecessors in his approach, and was described by officers as being “very warm, with a coy sense of humor.” He relaxed many of the strict rules that weighed heavy on the inmates for decades, which included allowing a greater variety of radio programs and relaxing regulations on reading and mail censorship.
During his brief appointment at Alcatraz, Blackwell was faced with a myriad of challenges. The prison was old and starting to show visible signs of structural problems, as well as deterioration of the primary utility systems. The lack of funding led to a reduction of staff, which left critical observation posts unmanned. Some criticized Blackwell for allowing such reductions to occur and many believed that without them, the final two escapes at Alcatraz could have been prevented. Blackwell was generally evasive when responding to these allegations, implying that the escapes had resulted from simple human failures. Blackwell would prepare Alcatraz for its ultimate destiny in 1963.
Family Life
Despite living next door to the nation’s most notorious criminals, children found that growing up on Alcatraz was similar to being raised in any small town, with only a few exceptions. For examples, the children were never allowed to play with toy guns or knives.
Perhaps even more interesting than the prison itself were the families of the officers who resided on Alcatraz. During any given period the island was home to over fifty such families, with nearly one hundred