Clarence Carnes
Encyclopedia
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
Indian famous as the youngest inmate sentenced to Alcatraz, and for his participation in the bloody escape attempt known as the "Battle of Alcatraz
Battle of Alcatraz
The Battle of Alcatraz, which lasted from May 2–4, 1946, was the result of an unsuccessful escape attempt at Alcatraz Island Federal Penitentiary. Two guards—William A. Miller and Harold Stites—were killed along with three of the inmates. Eleven guards and one convict were also injured...
".
Early life
Clarence Carnes was born in Daisy, OklahomaDaisy, Oklahoma
Daisy is a small unincorporated community in Atoka County, Oklahoma, United States, along State Highway 43. Located in the northeastern part of the county, Daisy was once a thriving community with a general store, school and other institutions. The post office was opened April 5, 1906...
, the oldest of five children. He was sentenced to life imprisonment at the age of 16 for the murder of a garage attendant during an attempted hold-up. In early 1945, he escaped from the Granite Reformatory with a number of other prisoners, but was recaptured and sentenced to an additional 99 years for a kidnapping carried out while he was on the run. He was recaptured in April 1945 and sent to Leavenworth
United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth
The United States Penitentiary , Leavenworth was the largest maximum security federal prison in the United States from 1903 until 2005. It became a medium security prison in 2005.It is located in Leavenworth, Kansas...
, but made another attempt to escape while in the custody of the United States Marshals Service
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
and was transferred to Alcatraz along with an additional 5-year sentence. There, he was assessed by psychiatrist Romney M. Ritchey and found to have a psychopathic personality, and to be emotionally unstable with an I.Q. of 93, signifying below average intelligence (the average being 100).
Alcatraz
Carnes arrived on Alcatraz on July 6, 1945. On May 2, 1946, Carnes and five other inmates participated in a failed attempt to escape from Alcatraz which turned into the bloody "Battle of AlcatrazBattle of Alcatraz
The Battle of Alcatraz, which lasted from May 2–4, 1946, was the result of an unsuccessful escape attempt at Alcatraz Island Federal Penitentiary. Two guards—William A. Miller and Harold Stites—were killed along with three of the inmates. Eleven guards and one convict were also injured...
", so-called because three inmates and two prison officers died. After the escape failed, he was tried for murder along with the two other survivors, Sam Shockley
Sam Shockley
Richard Sam Shockley Jr. was an inmate at Alcatraz prison who participated in the Battle of Alcatraz in 1946....
and Miran Edgar Thompson
Miran Edgar Thompson
Miran Edgar Thompson was an inmate of Alcatraz whose participation in an attempted escape on May 2, 1946 led to his execution in the gas chamber of San Quentin. At the time of the Battle of Alcatraz, Thompson was serving life plus 99 years for kidnapping, and for the murder of Amarillo, Texas...
, and was found guilty of participating in the plot. Shockley and Thompson were sentenced to death, while Carnes was given a 99-year sentence instead of death, because he had not directly participated in the murder of the officers.
Carnes remained on Alcatraz until its closure in 1963, spending most of the time there in the segregation unit.
Parole, re-incarceration, death
Despite having been given a life sentence in Oklahoma for murder, as well as a sentence of 203 years on federal charges, Carnes was paroled in 1973 at the age of 46. However, his parole was revoked twice due to parole violations and he was sent back to prison. He died of AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-related complications on October 3, 1988 at the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, and was buried in a paupers' grave. In November 1988, Massachusetts organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
figure James J. Bulger
James J. Bulger
James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger, Jr. is a former organized crime figure from Boston, Massachusetts.Local folklore depicted Bulger as a Robin Hood-style social bandit dedicated to protecting the neighborhood and its residents. Bulger allegedly masterminded a protection racket targeting drug kingpins...
, who had befriended Carnes while on Alcatraz, paid for his body to be exhumed and reburied on land in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is a semi-autonomous Native American homeland comprising twelve tribal districts. The Choctaw Nation maintains a special relationship with both the United States and Oklahoma governments...
. Bulger reportedly bought a lavish $4,000 bronze casket and paid for a car to transport Carnes' remains from Missouri to Oklahoma.
Carnes is buried at the Billy Cemetery in Daisy, Oklahoma
Daisy, Oklahoma
Daisy is a small unincorporated community in Atoka County, Oklahoma, United States, along State Highway 43. Located in the northeastern part of the county, Daisy was once a thriving community with a general store, school and other institutions. The post office was opened April 5, 1906...
.
In popular culture
Carnes' life was the subject of a docudrama, Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story released in 1980. Michael Beck, of "The Warriors" fame, portrayed Clarence Carnes.The Battle of Alcatraz was dramatised in the TV movie Six Against the Rock. While most of those involved retained their real names (David Carradine
David Carradine
David Carradine was an American actor and martial artist, best known for his role as a warrior monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, which later had a 1990s sequel series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues...
was Bernard Coy
Bernard Coy
Bernard Paul Coy was a bank robber and federal prisoner best known as the planner of a failed escape attempt from Alcatraz prison, on May 2, 1946 which turned into a bloody two day armed confrontation leaving Coy, two fellow would be escapers and two prison guards dead.Coy was a native of Kentucky...
, Jan-Michael Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent is an American actor best known for his role as helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on the 1980s U.S. television series Airwolf .-Early life:...
was Miran Thompson, etc.), Carnes was renamed Dan Durando, portrayed by Paul Sanchez.