Imagine: the clangs of metal doors and guards footsteps echoing, as well as the unyielding bar that separates freedom from confinement. The prisons are meant to be fortresses impenetrable, but the history is littered by stories of audacious and daring escapes. Here are some of history’s most audacious folsom prison locks breaks. You’ll wonder if they had Houdini in their veins.
Alcatraz, first. The Rock. A fortress island surrounded by treacherous water and called escape-proof. Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin achieved a feat right out of a Hollywood film in 1962. Using makeshift instruments, they chipped at the walls of the cells for months. They made life vests using raincoats. And they fashioned a boat. They vanished one night in June into the fog. The fate of the two remains a mystery. Did they drown, or were they able to survive and tell their story? The debate rages.
In terms of Hollywood-worthy escapes we can’t forget “El Chapo” Guzman and his tunnel escape in 2015. It was the Mexican drug-lord’s second escape! His henchmen built a mile long tunnel to lead directly into his Altiplano shower stall. The tunnel was fitted with ventilation and lighting, plus a motorcycle that could be mounted on rails. It’s impossible to believe!
Not only have modern masterminds escaped prison. During World War II over 70 Allied prisoner tunneled from Stalag Luft 3 in what was known as “The Great Escape.” Over a period of one year, these men used bed boards and tincans to dig three tunnels – Tom, Dick, Harry. They disposed dirt meticulously by hiding it inside their trousers and shaking the dirt around camp. This method was so clever that it inspired scenes from movies.
Henri Charriere is also immortalized on both screen and in print for his Papillon saga. Charriere was wrongly accused (or at least that’s what he said) and tried multiple escapes before finally succeeding in 13 years. He used sacks of coconuts to act as flotation devices when he jumped off cliffs and into shark-infested seas. It was either a brilliant or insane move.
We’ll talk about a case that is closer to us: In 2000, the Texas Seven broke out at Connally Unit prison. Seven inmates managed to overpower security guards without firing one shot! They stole firearms as well as uniforms before traveling across Texas and committing different crimes. Eventually, six of them were caught; the seventh committed suicide rather than surrender.
Richard Lee McNair escaped federal prison three times with nothing but wit. In one case, he managed to escape by slipping through a roof duct like a contortionist Ninja!
It’s true that not all attempts end successfully. Some can be tragic or funny depending on the perspective. Like when two convicts attempted to escape San Quentin via swimming, only to find themselves clinging desperately to rocks hours later as hypothermia took hold faster than anticipated.
These stories demonstrate the human spirit in extreme situations. People’s desire for freedom can take them on extraordinary journeys, fraught with danger but brimming over with hope. Each tale is both a warning and a testament to the lengths people will go in order to achieve freedom, regardless of whether it’s justified.
The next time someone tells you to “lock him in & throw the key away,” consider these tales. You might be surprised at how creativity and determination can go beyond boundaries that are often taken for granted, even those made of steel concrete.