John K. Giles
Encyclopedia
- For the Republic of Ireland footballer, see: Johnny GilesJohnny GilesMichael John "Johnny" Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s...
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John Knight Giles (February 16, 1895 February 1979). He was sentenced to the United States Penitentiary on May 11, 1935 for attempted robbery of the Denver and Rio Grande Western
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
mail train. previously been serving a life sentence in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
for murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
before escaping. Giles had escaped from the jail in Oregon as a WANTED MAN. Giles began serving his sentence for the attempted train robbery at McNeil Island
McNeil Island
McNeil Island is an island in western Puget Sound, located just west of Steilacoom, Washington, with a land area of 17.177 km² . It lies just north of Anderson Island. Fox Island is to the north, across Carr Inlet. To the west McNeil Island is separated from Key Peninsula by Pitt Passage. The...
on June 17, 1935, but due to his escape record and the length of his sentence, was transferred to Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock" or simply "Traz", the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal...
on August 28, 1935.
Escape attempt
On July 31, 1945, at 10:40 a.m., the Army launch General Frank M. Coxe pulled into the Alcatraz wharf. Giles, wearing an Army Technical Sergeant's uniform that he had been able to steal while working in the laundry that was contracted to clean army uniforms, jumped aboard the boat through a freight hatchway below deck. As the boat pulled away, a count of the soldiers on board indicated one extra, and at the same time, a count of the Alcatraz dock workers indicated one missing convict. Assistant Warden E.J. Miller was notified, and he followed the Army boat in a small speedboat until it reached Fort McDowell on Angel Island. Alcatraz officials called ahead to Fort McDowell, instructing them to keep everyone on the boat. The boat Captain took this to mean nobody was to disembark without a pass. Giles showed his pass. It worked. He got off. According to Warden Johnston, it should have been called a successful escape, but the Bureau of Prisons and the Attorney General decided to call it attempted escape.While on board, Giles was unaware that he was being followed. He talked to fellow passengers and told them he was a "lineman working on the cable".
After Giles disembarked the boat, he was questioned by Lieutenant Gordon L. Kilgore, officer of the day. Kilgore had noticed that Giles' uniform appeared incorrect. After inspecting the passes and realizing they were bad forgeries, he was detained and eventually turned over to Assistant Warden Miller. By 11 a.m., he was headed back to Alcatraz.
The story of Giles' capture and his attempted escape were profiled on the radio program Gang Busters
Gang Busters
Gang Busters was an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered as G-Men, sponsored by Chevrolet, on July 20, 1935.-History:...
in 1945.