Edgar Hoover had visited Alcatraz two days earlier with Clyde Tolson, Guy Hotte, and J. H. Rice (Hotte and Rice were FBI agents from San Francisco).
They arrived shortly after the prisoners had left the mess hall following the noon-day meal but in time to see the details lined up in the yard preparatory to going to their assignments in the work area. I then took them through the prison building, cell blocks, library, auditorium, kitchen, basement, bathhouse, hospital—in all of which they seemed to be interested.
Mr. Hoover seemed to be very keenly interested in our set-up, the routine, handling of prisoners and safety and protective measures. When they arrived, Mr. Rice had told me that they would like to go back on the boat leaving here at 3 PM and so I made that arrangement. . . . I was very glad indeed to have the opportunity of a visit from the group and Mr. Hoover expressed himself not only interested but pleased with all that he saw. 5
According to Alcatraz records, inmate Jerry Cannon was in a basement cell at the time of Hoover’s visit. Johnston’s letter did not indicate whether Hoover’s tour included the cells there.
From October 1937 to June 1938, since no strikes occurred, the basement cells were not needed. George Sink, however, had the distinction of being sent to the dungeon on four separate occasions between June and December 1938. His periods of confinement were brief: June 4 to 5, July 9–11, July 22–24, and December 8–9. His rule infractions included
ALCATRAZ PRISONERS PLACED IN LOWER SOLITARY, 1934–38
Inmate
Dates of Confinement
Reason for Placement in Solitary
Leo McIntosh
9/8 to 9/28/34
For yelling to other inmates while in solitary
John Stadig
10/1 to 10/3/34
For circulating a petition
John Messamore
12/2 to 12/14/34
For “writing a letter . . . inferring an escape plot”
James Grove
12/3 to 12/14/34
Daring guard on wall to shoot him
Charlie Berta
12/3 to 12/15/34
For “sending out defamatory comments, agitating and promoting trouble, making slanderous remarks about guards and hollering at officers on the wall”
Clyde Hicks
12/3 to 12/4/34
For conveying a note from one prisoner to another
Edward Wutke
12/27/34 to 1/4/35
For refusing to work, insolence, and “profanity”
Edgar Lewis
12/31/34 to 1/14/35
For refusing to work, insolence, and “cursing guards and the deputy warden”
Charlie Berta
2/2 to 2/8/35
For insolence and challenging a guard to fight
Samuel Berlin
1/21 to 1/31/36
For “agitating” and participating in a strike
John H. Carroll
1/22 to 1/31/36
“He is one of the ring leaders in the strike and is a communist . . . while in solitary he kept hollering to other inmates . . . kept making insulting remarks to the guards and making personal challenges for them to come in and fight”
Lafayette Thomas
1/22 to 1/25/36
For “verbal attacks made to officers”
Jack Hensley
1/22 to 1/31/36
For “whistling, hollering, and creating unnecessary noise”
Frank McKee
1/22 to 1/31/36
“Due to personal verbal attacks made against officers”
Walter Beardon
1/22 to 1/30/36
In isolation, “he continued as one of the main agitators of the hunger strike, yelling at the top of his voice trying to get other prisoners to join in the strike”
Olin Stevens
1/22 to 1/30/36
“When he got down in the basement he said, ‘I’m not going any further.’ I put one hand on the seat of his pants and one hand on his collar and pushed him to his cell” [Lt. Miller]
John Donohue
1/24 to 1/30/36
“He was in D Block calling to someone in the dungeon in a very loud voice”
Harmon Waley
8/21 to 8/23/36
For singing in a loud voice
John Kulick
9/20 to 10/8/37
For being “a dangerous agitator . . . participating in strike . . . he urinated on the walkway outside his cell”
Walter Beardon
9/20 to 10/8/37
For “beating his pillow on the floor of his cell and yelling at the top of his voice trying to get other prisoners to join in the strike”
Jerry Kannon
9/20 to 10/2/37
For “agitating and
They arrived shortly after the prisoners had left the mess hall following the noon-day meal but in time to see the details lined up in the yard preparatory to going to their assignments in the work area. I then took them through the prison building, cell blocks, library, auditorium, kitchen, basement, bathhouse, hospital—in all of which they seemed to be interested.
Mr. Hoover seemed to be very keenly interested in our set-up, the routine, handling of prisoners and safety and protective measures. When they arrived, Mr. Rice had told me that they would like to go back on the boat leaving here at 3 PM and so I made that arrangement. . . . I was very glad indeed to have the opportunity of a visit from the group and Mr. Hoover expressed himself not only interested but pleased with all that he saw. 5
According to Alcatraz records, inmate Jerry Cannon was in a basement cell at the time of Hoover’s visit. Johnston’s letter did not indicate whether Hoover’s tour included the cells there.
From October 1937 to June 1938, since no strikes occurred, the basement cells were not needed. George Sink, however, had the distinction of being sent to the dungeon on four separate occasions between June and December 1938. His periods of confinement were brief: June 4 to 5, July 9–11, July 22–24, and December 8–9. His rule infractions included
ALCATRAZ PRISONERS PLACED IN LOWER SOLITARY, 1934–38
Inmate
Dates of Confinement
Reason for Placement in Solitary
Leo McIntosh
9/8 to 9/28/34
For yelling to other inmates while in solitary
John Stadig
10/1 to 10/3/34
For circulating a petition
John Messamore
12/2 to 12/14/34
For “writing a letter . . . inferring an escape plot”
James Grove
12/3 to 12/14/34
Daring guard on wall to shoot him
Charlie Berta
12/3 to 12/15/34
For “sending out defamatory comments, agitating and promoting trouble, making slanderous remarks about guards and hollering at officers on the wall”
Clyde Hicks
12/3 to 12/4/34
For conveying a note from one prisoner to another
Edward Wutke
12/27/34 to 1/4/35
For refusing to work, insolence, and “profanity”
Edgar Lewis
12/31/34 to 1/14/35
For refusing to work, insolence, and “cursing guards and the deputy warden”
Charlie Berta
2/2 to 2/8/35
For insolence and challenging a guard to fight
Samuel Berlin
1/21 to 1/31/36
For “agitating” and participating in a strike
John H. Carroll
1/22 to 1/31/36
“He is one of the ring leaders in the strike and is a communist . . . while in solitary he kept hollering to other inmates . . . kept making insulting remarks to the guards and making personal challenges for them to come in and fight”
Lafayette Thomas
1/22 to 1/25/36
For “verbal attacks made to officers”
Jack Hensley
1/22 to 1/31/36
For “whistling, hollering, and creating unnecessary noise”
Frank McKee
1/22 to 1/31/36
“Due to personal verbal attacks made against officers”
Walter Beardon
1/22 to 1/30/36
In isolation, “he continued as one of the main agitators of the hunger strike, yelling at the top of his voice trying to get other prisoners to join in the strike”
Olin Stevens
1/22 to 1/30/36
“When he got down in the basement he said, ‘I’m not going any further.’ I put one hand on the seat of his pants and one hand on his collar and pushed him to his cell” [Lt. Miller]
John Donohue
1/24 to 1/30/36
“He was in D Block calling to someone in the dungeon in a very loud voice”
Harmon Waley
8/21 to 8/23/36
For singing in a loud voice
John Kulick
9/20 to 10/8/37
For being “a dangerous agitator . . . participating in strike . . . he urinated on the walkway outside his cell”
Walter Beardon
9/20 to 10/8/37
For “beating his pillow on the floor of his cell and yelling at the top of his voice trying to get other prisoners to join in the strike”
Jerry Kannon
9/20 to 10/2/37
For “agitating and
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