Thomas R. Limerick
Encyclopedia
Thomas Robert Limerick was an American criminal, who took part in the third documented escape attempt from Alcatraz Island
on the night of May 23, 1938.
. He grew up in a middle class family until his father died when he was 15. His family was soon thrown into poverty and left Thomas, the oldest of 5 children, to get a job. Originally a boxcar bandit, he joined a gang of bank robbers headed by Maurice Denning based in Gage County, Nebraska
in 1934. On August 23, 1934 the gang robbed a National Guard Armory, and between October and November of that year, robbed large banks in Hawarden, Iowa
, Dell Rapids, South Dakota
and Superior, Nebraska
. Limerick was arrested in a nightclub in St. Joseph, Missouri on May 25, 1935. Limerick was sentenced to life imprisonment at Leavenworth Penitentiary
, but later transferred to Alcatraz.
and James C. Lucas
planned an escape from Alcatraz. Their escape plan began by incapacitating an unarmed custodial worker supervising a work detail on the top floor. Once the supervising worker was rendered unconscious, the convicts would escape through a window to the rooftop, where they would incapacitate an armed guard and leave the island via a seized police boat. They enacted their escape plan on May 23, 1938 in the prison's mat shop, where they assaulted custodial worker Royal Kline with hammer blows to his head. They proceeded to the roof, where an armed guard shot both Franklin and Limerick, although Lucas wasn't shot. Other guards arrived at the scene. Franklin, Limerick and Lucas were cornered and surrendered to the guards.
The custodial worker died of his injuries the next day, and Thomas Limerick, one of the wounded convicts, also died. Franklin and the other surviving convict, James C. Lucas
, were tried for murder
and sentenced to life imprisonment
.
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 the night of May 23, 1938.
Biography
Thomas Limerick was born on January 7, 1903 in Council Bluffs, IowaCouncil Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
. He grew up in a middle class family until his father died when he was 15. His family was soon thrown into poverty and left Thomas, the oldest of 5 children, to get a job. Originally a boxcar bandit, he joined a gang of bank robbers headed by Maurice Denning based in Gage County, Nebraska
Gage County, Nebraska
-History:Gage County was formed with land taken from the Oto in an 1854 treaty. It was named after the minister William D. Gage.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 22,993 people, 9,316 households, and 6,204 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per...
in 1934. On August 23, 1934 the gang robbed a National Guard Armory, and between October and November of that year, robbed large banks in Hawarden, Iowa
Hawarden, Iowa
Hawarden is a city in Sioux County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,478 at the 2000 census. It is located on the Big Sioux River.-Geography:Hawarden is located at , along the Big Sioux River....
, Dell Rapids, South Dakota
Dell Rapids, South Dakota
Dell Rapids is a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,633 at the 2010 census. It is known as "The little city with the big attractions."-Geography:...
and Superior, Nebraska
Superior, Nebraska
Superior is a city in Nuckolls County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,957.Superior bills itself as the "Victorian Capital of Nebraska", and holds an annual Victorian Festival...
. Limerick was arrested in a nightclub in St. Joseph, Missouri on May 25, 1935. Limerick was sentenced to life imprisonment at Leavenworth Penitentiary
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 later transferred to Alcatraz.
Alcatraz escape attempt
In the spring of 1938, Limerick, Rufus FranklinRufus Franklin
Rufus Franklin was an American criminal who served a life sentence in Alcatraz. He is best known for taking part in the third documented attempted escape from Alcatraz Prison with Thomas R. Limerick and James C. Lucas on the night of May 23, 1938.-Biography:...
and James C. Lucas
James C. Lucas
James C. Lucas was an American criminal who served a life sentence in Alcatraz. He is best known for being part of an attempted escape from Alcatraz Penitentiary in 1938, and for attacking Al Capone in the prison's laundry room on June 23, 1936....
planned an escape from Alcatraz. Their escape plan began by incapacitating an unarmed custodial worker supervising a work detail on the top floor. Once the supervising worker was rendered unconscious, the convicts would escape through a window to the rooftop, where they would incapacitate an armed guard and leave the island via a seized police boat. They enacted their escape plan on May 23, 1938 in the prison's mat shop, where they assaulted custodial worker Royal Kline with hammer blows to his head. They proceeded to the roof, where an armed guard shot both Franklin and Limerick, although Lucas wasn't shot. Other guards arrived at the scene. Franklin, Limerick and Lucas were cornered and surrendered to the guards.
The custodial worker died of his injuries the next day, and Thomas Limerick, one of the wounded convicts, also died. Franklin and the other surviving convict, James C. Lucas
James C. Lucas
James C. Lucas was an American criminal who served a life sentence in Alcatraz. He is best known for being part of an attempted escape from Alcatraz Penitentiary in 1938, and for attacking Al Capone in the prison's laundry room on June 23, 1936....
, were tried 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...
and sentenced to life imprisonment
Imprisonment
Imprisonment is a legal term.The book Termes de la Ley contains the following definition:This passage was approved by Atkin and Duke LJJ in Meering v Grahame White Aviation Co....
.
See also
- May 23, 1938 Alcatraz Escape Attempt
- List of Alcatraz Escape Attempts