Long before the prison was shut down, ghostly happenings were going on in Alcatraz Alcatraz, one of the most infamous prisons known in American history, has now become known as one of the most haunted places in America.
During the daylight hours, the old prison is a hopping tourist attraction, with tour guides leading groups of tourists around to see the cells and other parts of the prison that once housed some of the 20th century's most violent criminals, many of whom died violent deaths at the hands of the prison guards or other inmates, or went mad from the mental anguish and stress caused by the horrible conditions of this prison that gained the well deserved nickname, "The Rock". Apparently, the tormented spirits of these prisoners still linger in the cold, dank hallways and cells of Alcatraz.
In 1946, 3 notorious criminals by the name of Joseph Paul Cretzer, Bernie Coy and Marvin Hubbard were the ring leaders for the bloodiest escape attempt in the history of Alcatraz. In the attempt, Coy, Cretzer, and Hubbard ran for the utility corridor on Cell Block C where they were killed by a combination of gunfire and grenade explosions. Today, a large steel door that looks as though it had been welded shut at one time blocks this corridor from anyone going into it. However, many tourists, the caretakers and night watchmen have reported hearing the sounds of screaming, shouting, moans, strange clankings, as well as the sounds of gunfire and explosions, coming from the area.
Many of the night watchmen who patrol through Alcatraz say that they have heard the sounds of men running or walking around coming the from the upper tiers. As usual, the watchmen will go and check out to see if some of the tourists have tried to hide away in an effort to stay over night on the island and, as always, they never find anyone or anything that could have made the sounds.
Many of the guides, tourists, and night watchmen have also often mentioned that they get a really weird feeling from one of the "hole" cells, the one numbered as 14D. 14D is always cold, no matter how hot the rest of the old prison gets, and always has a feeling of heavy foreboding and fear about it.
Oddly enough, long before the prison was shut down, ghostly happenings were going on in Alcatraz. A number of still surviving former guards and some of the still surviving former inmates from the prison also told tales of spooky and sometimes terrifying happenings down in the 'holes', and particularly, Cell 14D.
One of these incidents was around 1944 or 1945 when one of the inmates was locked in 14D on some sort of infraction of the rules. The former guard said that the inmate started screaming as soon as the door was shut and locked. He kept screaming that there was a monster with red, glowing eyes, and then as suddenly as the screaming started it abruptly stopped. The next day, when the guards opened up the cell the inmate was found dead with the clear and unmistakable hand marks around his throat. The autopsy showed that these marks were not self-inflicted. On the following day after the man's death when the guard's were doing one of the daily head counts noticed there were too many people in the line. They looked towards the end of the line and saw the man who had been killed just the day before in 14D. He looked at the guards with a look of pain and anger, accusatory in it's expression, and then turned and disappeared.
With all the pain and violence that went on within the boundaries of the infamous 'Rock', it is easy to see why many of those who saw their last days there have never left, seemingly forever trapped in the hell known as Alcatraz.
In 1946, 3 notorious criminals by the name of Joseph Paul Cretzer, Bernie Coy and Marvin Hubbard were the ring leaders for the bloodiest escape attempt in the history of Alcatraz. In the attempt, Coy, Cretzer, and Hubbard ran for the utility corridor on Cell Block C where they were killed by a combination of gunfire and grenade explosions. Today, a large steel door that looks as though it had been welded shut at one time blocks this corridor from anyone going into it. However, many tourists, the caretakers and night watchmen have reported hearing the sounds of screaming, shouting, moans, strange clankings, as well as the sounds of gunfire and explosions, coming from the area.
Many of the night watchmen who patrol through Alcatraz say that they have heard the sounds of men running or walking around coming the from the upper tiers. As usual, the watchmen will go and check out to see if some of the tourists have tried to hide away in an effort to stay over night on the island and, as always, they never find anyone or anything that could have made the sounds.
Many of the guides, tourists, and night watchmen have also often mentioned that they get a really weird feeling from one of the "hole" cells, the one numbered as 14D. 14D is always cold, no matter how hot the rest of the old prison gets, and always has a feeling of heavy foreboding and fear about it.
Oddly enough, long before the prison was shut down, ghostly happenings were going on in Alcatraz. A number of still surviving former guards and some of the still surviving former inmates from the prison also told tales of spooky and sometimes terrifying happenings down in the 'holes', and particularly, Cell 14D.
One of these incidents was around 1944 or 1945 when one of the inmates was locked in 14D on some sort of infraction of the rules. The former guard said that the inmate started screaming as soon as the door was shut and locked. He kept screaming that there was a monster with red, glowing eyes, and then as suddenly as the screaming started it abruptly stopped. The next day, when the guards opened up the cell the inmate was found dead with the clear and unmistakable hand marks around his throat. The autopsy showed that these marks were not self-inflicted. On the following day after the man's death when the guard's were doing one of the daily head counts noticed there were too many people in the line. They looked towards the end of the line and saw the man who had been killed just the day before in 14D. He looked at the guards with a look of pain and anger, accusatory in it's expression, and then turned and disappeared.
With all the pain and violence that went on within the boundaries of the infamous 'Rock', it is easy to see why many of those who saw their last days there have never left, seemingly forever trapped in the hell known as Alcatraz.
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