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The Horror of Alcatraz · Bedtime Stories

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: America's turbulent past has left behind countless locations said to
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: be haunted by those who lost their lives there. From
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: the victims of catastrophic disasters and fatal accidents, to soldiers
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: and civilians killed in times of war, and those who
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: fell prey to notorious murderers, the country's history is steeped
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  Speaker 1: in tragedy. Yet, it is often the places where such
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  Speaker 1: killers were ultimately confined that have given rise to some
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  Speaker 1: of the most disturbing accounts of all. Amongst them is
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  Speaker 1: the story we will be examining in this episode. The
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  Speaker 1: Horror of Alcatraz. Situated in the centre of San Francisco Bay,
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Alcatraz Island has a history that, in many ways, mirrors
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  Speaker 1: the broader social struggles of the United States itself. When
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  Speaker 1: Spanish explorers first encountered the island in the late 18th century,
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  Speaker 1: They named it La Isla de los Alcatraces, after the
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  Speaker 1: large population of seabirds that inhabited its rocky surface. At
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  Speaker 1: the time, the island was little more than a natural refuge,
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  Speaker 1: largely untouched by permanent settlement. Yet their arrival marked the
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  Speaker 1: beginning of a gradual transformation, one which would ultimately displace
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  Speaker 1: the wildlife that had once thrived there. By the mid-19th century,
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  Speaker 1: The rapid expansion of San Francisco during the Gold Rush
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  Speaker 1: had elevated the city to one of growing strategic importance.
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  Speaker 1: In response, the United States government moved to establish a
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  Speaker 1: permanent military presence to defend the bay. Alcatraz was selected
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  Speaker 1: as the ideal location for a coastal fortification, and construction
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  Speaker 1: soon began on a heavily armed installation designed to guard
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  Speaker 1: the harbour. As the threat of naval attack diminished, the
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  Speaker 1: military presence on the island began to evolve. The fort
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  Speaker 1: was gradually repurposed, first as a detention facility for military
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  Speaker 1: personnel and later as a full-scale army prison. For decades,
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  Speaker 1: it housed deserters, insubordinate soldiers and political prisoners. With the
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s, the strain
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  Speaker 1: placed upon the American penal system led to a further transformation.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Alcatraz was converted into a federal penitentiary. Its isolation, combined
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  Speaker 1: with the freezing, fast-moving waters of the bay, gave it
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  Speaker 1: a reputation as a place from which escape was all
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  Speaker 1: but impossible. Until its closure in 1963, the prison saw
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  Speaker 1: a number of deaths amongst both inmates and guards. Some
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  Speaker 1: were the result of violent confrontations, others occurred during failed
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  Speaker 1: escape attempts, and many simply came through natural causes. In
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  Speaker 1: the decades since, visitors and staff have reported a wide
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  Speaker 1: range of unexplained phenomena, disembodied voices, shadowy figures and sudden
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  Speaker 1: drops in temperature. There is no shortage of accounts from
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  Speaker 1: former corrections officers who worked inside the prison on Alcatraz Island,
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  Speaker 1: many of which relate to alleged hauntings within its walls.
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  Speaker 1: Their testimony carries significant weight, particularly when one considers the
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  Speaker 1: harsh and often volatile conditions they endured whilst guarding some
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  Speaker 1: of the most dangerous criminals in American history. These reports
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  Speaker 1: have only increased in frequency since the prison was converted
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  Speaker 1: into a museum, with park rangers and staff also recounting
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  Speaker 1: similarly unsettling experiences. Some have described being physically assaulted by
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  Speaker 1: unseen assailants, reporting sudden blows or the sensation of being pushed,
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  Speaker 1: despite nobody else being present. Others have claimed to witness
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  Speaker 1: furniture shifting position, or cell doors moving, seemingly of their
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: own accord. There are also accounts of pained and agonising
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  Speaker 1: cries echoing from within the former morgue, sounds that have
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  Speaker 1: prompted immediate investigation into only for those responding to find
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  Speaker 1: the area completely empty. Visitors and staff alike have also
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  Speaker 1: described sightings of figures moving through the site in period clothing,
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  Speaker 1: only for them to vanish entirely when approached. Perhaps the
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: most notable report of such activity comes from the prison's
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  Speaker 1: first civilian warden, James Johnston. He oversaw the facility for
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  Speaker 1: 14 years, residing on the island with his family in
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  Speaker 1: a private house, where he regularly hosted social gatherings for staff,
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: including a large Christmas party every year. At one such
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  Speaker 1: gathering in the late 1940s, Johnston was moving amongst his
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  Speaker 1: guests when he was suddenly brought to a halt. A
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  Speaker 1: man had appeared in the room whom he did not recognise,
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  Speaker 1: and whose presence immediately stood out. The individual was dressed
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  Speaker 1: in worn and outdated work clothes, entirely different from the
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  Speaker 1: attire of the other guests, and he sported a distinctive
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  Speaker 1: mutton-chop beard. As Johnston focused on the man, he became
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  Speaker 1: aware of a change in the atmosphere within the room.
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  Speaker 1: The temperature began to drop, creating a distinct chill in
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  Speaker 1: the air. A nearby stove began to falter and extinguish itself.
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  Speaker 1: and Johnston noticed his breath becoming faintly visible. Then, as
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  Speaker 1: Johnston took a step forward to speak, the figure abruptly vanished.
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  Speaker 1: There was no gradual fading or retreat, he simply ceased
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  Speaker 1: to exist where he had been standing. In the moments
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  Speaker 1: that followed, the chill dissipated, and those who had witnessed
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  Speaker 1: the event gathered to compare their recollections. it became apparent
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  Speaker 1: that their accounts were consistent, with multiple individuals describing the
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  Speaker 1: same figure and sequence of events. During the 1970s, an
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  Speaker 1: incident is said to have taken place involving a park
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  Speaker 1: ranger by the name of Dan Molesky, who ultimately resigned
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  Speaker 1: his post after only a few weeks of working at
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  Speaker 1: the site. Dan is reported as having been a former
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  Speaker 1: San Francisco Police Department officer, who had applied for the
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  Speaker 1: ranger position not long after retiring from the force. In
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  Speaker 1: the short time he had worked on the island, his
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  Speaker 1: colleagues described him as funny and easygoing, someone who had
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  Speaker 1: made a strong first impression on those he had worked with. Then,
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  Speaker 1: one night, a series of frantic screams sounded out from
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  Speaker 1: deep within the facility's D-Wing, bringing the rangers who were
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  Speaker 1: on duty nearby running to investigate. This wing had been
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  Speaker 1: used as an isolation block when the prison was operational,
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  Speaker 1: with difficult prisoners confined to the cells there for lengthy
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  Speaker 1: periods of time as punishment. The rangers soon found Dan
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  Speaker 1: curled up in the corner of one of the cells,
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  Speaker 1: screaming for his colleagues to come inside and help him,
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  Speaker 1: seemingly unable or unwilling to leave. Dan would later explain
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  Speaker 1: how he had been walking along the central corridor of
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  Speaker 1: D Block, when he had heard an unexpected metallic sound
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  Speaker 1: coming from behind him. Turning his torchlight back along the
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  Speaker 1: rows of cell entrances, he had detected movement, which he
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  Speaker 1: then quickly illuminated with the beam. The torchlight revealed one
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  Speaker 1: of the barred metal cell doors apparently in the process
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  Speaker 1: of being closed again as though it had just swung open,
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  Speaker 1: accompanied by a soft metallic clanging noise. Confident that he
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  Speaker 1: was likely the victim of a prank from one of
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  Speaker 1: his new colleagues, the former police officer had called out
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  Speaker 1: how amusing he found the joke. He had then made
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  Speaker 1: his way back down to the selling question, opening the
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  Speaker 1: door and stepping inside, shining his torch all around the small,
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  Speaker 1: confined room. He had expected to find one of the
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  Speaker 1: other rangers stood waiting there for him, perhaps with a
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  Speaker 1: mocking smile on his face at the conclusion of the prank.
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  Speaker 1: but to his bewilderment, the cell was exactly the same
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  Speaker 1: as all the others along the corridor, completely empty save
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  Speaker 1: for a cot and a toilet. Moments later, the same
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  Speaker 1: soft metallic clang sounded from behind him, and he turned
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  Speaker 1: his head to find that the cell door had once
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  Speaker 1: again apparently closed itself. A sudden chill began to creep
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  Speaker 1: down the ranger's spine, and he realised that any sense
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  Speaker 1: of warmth seemed to have vanished from inside the confined space.
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  Speaker 1: He had started to rub his hands together in an
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  Speaker 1: effort to retain their warmth, as his breath began to
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  Speaker 1: become visible in the dim torchlight. And then, suddenly, the
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  Speaker 1: torch that he had set down on the bed near
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  Speaker 1: to where he stood had moved slightly, subtly altering the
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  Speaker 1: path of the beam that issued forth from it looking
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  Speaker 1: down in amazement dan watched as a dark shape retracted
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  Speaker 1: itself from near the object and receded back into the
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  Speaker 1: shadows that covered the wall behind the torch as if
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  Speaker 1: emboldened by his lack of reaction the shape re-emerged from
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  Speaker 1: the darkness, and he realised he was looking at what
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  Speaker 1: presented as an arm. It reached out again past the
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  Speaker 1: torch towards him, and then a second arm followed by
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  Speaker 1: a head and torso began to detach themselves from the
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  Speaker 1: shadows at the same time. Backing away in horror, Dan
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  Speaker 1: finally let out a strangled scream, as a dark humanoid
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  Speaker 1: shape forced itself free from the wall and began to
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  Speaker 1: move across the cell towards him. As more and more
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  Speaker 1: of the featureless black figure exposed itself, he yelled louder,
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  Speaker 1: again and again, each scream accompanied by the visible plume
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  Speaker 1: of his frozen breath. As the dark limbs slid past
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  Speaker 1: the torch, they knocked it from the cot and onto
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  Speaker 1: the floor, where the light flickered briefly before cutting out completely,
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  Speaker 1: plunging the cell into total darkness. In that moment, Dan
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  Speaker 1: could see only one thing, what appeared to be a
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  Speaker 1: pair of glowing red eyes, fixed in the position where
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  Speaker 1: he had last seen the figure's head. In no time
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  Speaker 1: at all, the light of his colleague's torches came flooding
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  Speaker 1: into the darkness through the narrow cell door, as the
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  Speaker 1: commotion brought the other rangers running. Searches of the cell,
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  Speaker 1: both at the time of the incident and later in daylight,
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  Speaker 1: did not reveal any trace of what Dan claimed to
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  Speaker 1: have seen. But his account was taken very seriously by
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  Speaker 1: his employers, not only because of his character, but because
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  Speaker 1: the intruder he described closely resembled perhaps the most infamous
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  Speaker 1: entity in the history of the prison. A murderous presence
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  Speaker 1: known simply as the Alcatraz Thing. As well as the
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  Speaker 1: standard cells which were situated on D-Wing, there were also
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  Speaker 1: a small number of specifically adapted cells used to discipline
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  Speaker 1: the most problematic detainees. Inside these cells there were no
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  Speaker 1: windows and no furnishings beyond a hole in the floor
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  Speaker 1: where the prisoner was able to defecate and urinate when required.
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  Speaker 1: A solid metal door was mounted outside the cell in
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  Speaker 1: addition to the conventional barred entry. and once this had
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  Speaker 1: been engaged, it plunged the occupant into complete darkness. It
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  Speaker 1: was into these rooms that the most disruptive of the
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  Speaker 1: Alcatraz inmates were placed, in the most extreme cases for
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  Speaker 1: weeks and months upon end, and it was in one
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  Speaker 1: of these specially designed cells, designated as 14D, that the
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  Speaker 1: horrifying story of the Alcatraz thing is said to have emerged.
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  Speaker 1: At some time during the 1940s, a particularly difficult prisoner
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  Speaker 1: was dragged kicking and screaming along D-Wing down towards Cell 14,
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  Speaker 1: as a result of his persistently poor behaviour. From the
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  Speaker 1: moment he was secured inside the cell, which had been
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  Speaker 1: nicknamed The Hole by the guards who used it, the
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  Speaker 1: man began shouting and screaming to be released. For the
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  Speaker 1: first few hours, the sounds coming from inside the sealed
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  Speaker 1: cell had been ones of aggression and rage, with the
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  Speaker 1: prisoner threatening violence upon the guards outside. But then, gradually,
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  Speaker 1: for those outside the cell who were listening on, the
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  Speaker 1: entreaties began to take on a far more desperate edge.
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  Speaker 1: Although he was still making threats against his jailers if
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  Speaker 1: they did not release him, the occupant was also now
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  Speaker 1: pleading with them to do so as he was no
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  Speaker 1: longer safe inside the cell. As evening fell, one of
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  Speaker 1: the guards approached the cell and opened the outer door
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  Speaker 1: in order to slide Emil through the internal bars. The
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  Speaker 1: moment he did so, an arm suddenly shot out from
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  Speaker 1: the darkness, snaking through the gap and grabbing hold of
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  Speaker 1: his sleeve. The prisoner clutched at the fabric, desperately pleading
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  Speaker 1: to be moved to another cell, insisting that if he
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  Speaker 1: remained where he was, he would likely be dead by
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  Speaker 1: the following morning. Startled, the guard pulled himself free and
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  Speaker 1: demanded to know what the man was talking about. What
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  Speaker 1: possible danger could he be in, locked alone inside a
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  Speaker 1: secured cell? Lowering his voice, his eyes darting nervously into
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  Speaker 1: the darkness behind him, the prisoner insisted that he was
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  Speaker 1: not alone. there was something inside the cell with him,
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  Speaker 1: something that moved when the light was gone. He described
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  Speaker 1: a dark figure, one that could only be seen by
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  Speaker 1: the faint glow of its eyes. Bright red and unblinking,
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  Speaker 1: they watched him constantly from the corners of the cell.
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  Speaker 1: The prisoner then thrust his arms forward, showing fresh scratches
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  Speaker 1: and marks across his skin, claiming they had been inflicted
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  Speaker 1: by whatever was sharing the space with him. Unsettled but unconvinced,
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  Speaker 1: the guards forced the man's meal through the bars before
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  Speaker 1: retreating once more. As they sealed both doors, the cell
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  Speaker 1: was again plunged into complete darkness. As night deepened, the
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  Speaker 1: prisoner's cries continued to echo along the wing. His voice
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  Speaker 1: carried through the corridor, growing increasingly frantic. until other inmates
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  Speaker 1: began shouting for him to be moved so they could sleep. Gradually,
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  Speaker 1: the outbursts gave way to something quieter, more desperate. Muttering,
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  Speaker 1: sobbing and broken whispers that eventually faded into silence. Assuming
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  Speaker 1: the man had finally exhausted himself, the guards continued their rounds,
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  Speaker 1: and the rest of the wing settled into sleep. But...
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  Speaker 1: When the cell was opened the following morning, the prisoner
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  Speaker 1: was found dead, sprawled across the floor at the centre
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  Speaker 1: of the darkened room. Following an autopsy, the prison doctor
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  Speaker 1: confirmed that the man had been strangled to death, pointing
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  Speaker 1: to livid bruising around his neck, clearly formed in the
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  Speaker 1: shape of fingers. However, the doctor also stated that due
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  Speaker 1: to the angle and manner in which the pressure had
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  Speaker 1: been applied... it would have been impossible for the prisoner
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  Speaker 1: to have inflicted those injuries upon himself. In addition to this,
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  Speaker 1: it was not believed possible for someone to strangle themselves
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  Speaker 1: to death as they would pass out before doing so,
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  Speaker 1: their grip releasing as they lost consciousness and awareness, making
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  Speaker 1: such a scenario medically implausible. In the years that followed
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  Speaker 1: this incident, there were numerous additional reports from both inmates
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  Speaker 1: and visitors describing a figure with glowing eyes, said to
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  Speaker 1: stalk the corridors of the prison in silence. It is
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  Speaker 1: also alleged that the unfortunate prisoner who died in cell
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  Speaker 1: 14D was not its only victim, and that another high-profile
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  Speaker 1: inmate was also affected by whatever unseen presence was believed
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  Speaker 1: to reside within that cell. In January of 1939, four
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  Speaker 1: prisoners escaped from the main building and made for the
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: surrounding waters in a desperate attempt to flee, only to
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  Speaker 1: be recaptured when one of their number proved unable to swim.
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  Speaker 1: All four men were subsequently confined to isolation cells for
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  Speaker 1: the next three months, including a convicted bank robber named
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: Rufus McCain, who served his punishment inside cell 14D. After
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: spending up to 23 hours a day in the darkness
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  Speaker 1: of the cell for months on end, McCain was eventually
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: released back into the prison's general population. But it is
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  Speaker 1: said that he was a changed man by the time
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  Speaker 1: he emerged, pale, withdrawn, and constantly looking over his shoulder,
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  Speaker 1: as though he believed something unseen was following him at
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: all times, watching his every movement. Eventually, in November 1940,
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  Speaker 1: he was stabbed to death after becoming involved in a
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: violent confrontation with another inmate in the prison yard. It
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  Speaker 1: has been claimed that whatever unseen entity had made cell
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  Speaker 1: 14D its home had driven McCain to the brink of
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  Speaker 1: insanity during his confinement there. The origins of the Alcatraz
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: thing and the other ghostly figures reportedly seen within the
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: prison corridors remain a subject of ongoing debate. The most
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  Speaker 1: common explanation is that these are the spirits of those
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: who died on the island, both during its time as
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  Speaker 1: a military installation and later as a prison. Their souls
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: are said to be trapped upon the barren island by
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: the same freezing waters that once prevented their physical escape,
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: anchoring them there indefinitely. But there are other theories which
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: predate even the arrival of the Spanish settlers in San
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: Francisco Bay. It is rumoured that the island may have
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: been used as a place of punishment by the two
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  Speaker 1: main tribes who lived in the area. the Ohlone and
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: the Miwok, who were said to have exiled individuals there
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  Speaker 1: for crimes or other transgressions. Those who were taken to
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  Speaker 1: the island either drowned whilst trying to escape or were
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: later found dead under unexplained circumstances. which may suggest that
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: whatever presence resides on Alcatraz has existed there far longer
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  Speaker 1: than previously believed, waiting in the darkness. With plans recently
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: announced by the US government to once again use Alcatraz
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: Island as a working prison, it is likely that stories
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: of its alleged hauntings will naturally increase in volume, drawing
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: renewed attention to the events and accounts that have long
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: surrounded the site. and it is equally possible that if
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: the prison does reopen, now equipped with the benefit of
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: CCTV cameras and other modern digital monitoring systems, we may
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: finally begin to gather more substantial evidence of what has
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: been described as the Alcatraz thing, should such a presence
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: exist at all. And perhaps, at last, we may be
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: able to reach some form of conclusion as to whether
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: it is something tied to the prisoners who once lived
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: and died on the island itself, or something far older
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  Speaker 1: and far more sinister than has ever previously been understood.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for watching. Thank you. Thank you.