John and Clarence, a Team from the Beginning
John and Clarence were inseparable as kids, thick as the thieves, as some might say. Every summer, when the family traveled North, the Anglin brothers would swim in the ice-cold waters of Lake Michigan, becoming known for their extraordinary swimming skills. Call it foreshadowing – these two were setting the scene for their future escape. In their early 20’s, the brothers started heading down a path of crime, pulling off small bank robberies together. They were caught and arrested in 1956. But that was just the beginning…
Source: Alcatraz Cruises
While the brothers served time at the Atlanta Penitentiary, they were caught trying to escape on many occasions, gaining a reputation rather quickly. They were sent to Alcatraz, the maximum-security prison. And it was there that they met Frank Lee Morris. The group of four, including Allen West, was a team of individuals who each had personal experience on escape attempts from more than one prison. They gathered their knowledge and started working on a plan.
The goal? To escape from Alcatraz.