The Washington times., 1936-03-02
QUIET DRIVES
MEN MAD
ALCATRAz
Copyright, 1898, By
international News Service

SAN FRANCISCO, March
UN.S0.-Silence on "The Rock
the Governments prison on al
catraZ Island in the middle o.
San Francisco Bays madden
ing.
The once hard-boiled criminals
who snuffed out lives with ma
chine guns can't take it.
Such were the revelations o.
Al M. Loomis, who served his tim'
on AlcatraZ and Is now free.
LOOMS was transferred from
Leavenworth to AlcatraZ in De
cember, 1894, to complete {
Fresno, CAL, sentence for counter
feting.
Ghost Train Passenger
He was one of the original priS
oners aboard "the Rock-bound Spe
cial." Among his companions or
that heavily-guarded ghost traiT
bound for the Marin county shore
with utmost secrecy were George
Machine Gun" Kelly, Harvey
Bates, Albert Bailey, the Ursche
kidnapers; Charles Berta, Thoma!
Underwood and Stanley Brown
leaders Of the 1881 Leavenwortt
break in which the warden wal
shot and a number Of other lead
ing public enemies. Loomis de
clared:
"The first rule we encOunt-
cred at Alcatraz was that Of
silence. The silence Is driving
the cOnvictH crazy. They can't
talk at any time except once
. week for an hour and half
during the Sunday recreation
period"
DEATH LED TO REVOLT
Loomis was freed from Alcatrai
! before the revolt Of January n
occurred, but he attributed it K
the death Of Jack Allen, a con
vict to whom LoomiS was ShackleC
on the "Rock-bound Special.
Loomis explained:
''It was Aliens death-Which
cOnvictS thought was caused by
. prison physicians neglect -
that precipitated the January
riOting."
Giving an outline OF the prison
routine, LoomiS said:
"The AIcatraE prisoners day
begins at $50 q. m. Ten min
utes later he goes to the mess
hall for q breakfast Of oatmeal.
bread or coffee cake with OleO-
margarine and coffee.
Twenty minutes Is allowed
for each meal. At $3.50 e. m. the
prisoners are marched into the
yard-One detail at . tfme-tO
stand At attention. They stand
I'm the yard, rain or shine, while
guards complete the work sched-
ule. By 1880 q. m. prisoners are
at work.
LOCKED IN CELLS EARLY
"At 1850, there is o 2O-min-
ute period for lunch Of stew,
bread and coffee. Prisoners so
to their cells, or may report In
the sick line, until 1850 p. m.s
when work starts again.
"The afternoons work ends at
4:3O p. m. There IL 20 minutes
for . supper Of beans or hash,
soup, bread, pudding and coffee.
"By 5 D. m. men are locked in
their cells for the night.
Lights are turned out ut
$3.50 p. m.
Warden James A. Johnston, o
Alcatraz, was unavailable" toda,
for a comment on LOOMS state
mentS.
The freed convict related one ir
cident in which a prison guar,
was stabbed five times in the ok
domen. He asserted:
"T worked in the kitcher under
Guard PreShaw, and there had
my introduction to Alcatraz viO-
lence. The cons called PreShaW
pressure" One day he felt the
pressure.
BRUTAL GUARD STABBED
"A prisoner grabbed him in .
dark corridor and stabbed Pre-
shaw five times in the abdomen.
Then the convict sIashedN the
guards face.
"Three prisoners were sent to
The dungeon. None talked, and
Il was never learned who stab
bed PreShaw. 1t wasn't an escape
attempt. 1t was protest against
what . convict considered un.
necessarily harsh treatment.
"NO word Of the attack on the
guard was made public. Out
wardIy it was all quiet ON AL
catraz'"
Loomis declared he circulate
o petition at one time fore "mor
rights" He was confined to tn
dungeon for this. He said:
"AlcatraE will mot see me
again. I'll go SidewiSe Commit
suicide) first"
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