Authors: Alan Jacobson
A few moments later, she stood up straight and looked out at the cellhouse as the cutter eased past it. “What is it about this place?”
Dixon followed her gaze to the top of the island. “What do you mean?”
“It’s a legend, mythical almost. It housed the worst of the worst. Yet, I can’t help but think that the criminals we turn out nowadays are more violent, malevolent, evil. And we don’t know how to deal with them. Do we execute them? Lock ’em up? We can’t release them, but sometimes...we do. And a lot of them kill again. Because that’s the way they’re wired. Others don’t know how to survive in society and fall back on what they know how to do. What they find comforting.”
Burden watched as the boat jolted a bit, and then with a roar of the engines, its speed increased. “It’s always been that way, for as long as cops, and laws, existed. For as long as humans have existed.”
The bellow of a fog horn blared in the distance. Vail closed her eyes and took a deep breath of cold, salty sea air. “I guess all we can do is keep on keeping on. They break the law, we track ’em down and throw ’em behind bars.”
Dixon combed windblown blond hair from her face. “I have to think we’ll find a better way. Someday.”
They were silent as the place known as Devil’s Island retreated behind them. Whether or not “a better way” would be found remained to be seen. The evil Vail had personally fought for so many years gave her substantial doubt as to whether they’d ever find an effective means of dealing with society’s incorrigibles.
For the rest of her career, Alcatraz, and places like it, would likely remain the de facto standard. And for now, she was okay with that. Because at least behind bars, on rocks in the middle of oceans, or behind electrified fences and razor wire, the offenders could prey only on themselves. And the way Karen Vail saw it, that was the best she could hope for.
As always, I’ve attempted to be as factual as possible in the writing of
Inmate 1577
. I’ve consulted professionals, historians, archivists, correctional officers who worked at Leavenworth, and officers and others who worked, and lived, on Alcatraz. I’ve read numerous nonfiction books, reviewed original prison records, and worked with my usual cadre of experts, many of whom are mentioned below.
The nature and pacing of a novel forced me to condense the real-life Alcatraz June 11, 1962, escape attempt. In some cases where it was unclear from the archival evidence which inmate performed certain tasks in the escape, I assigned those to Walton MacNally. A more detailed discussion of Alcatraz fact versus
Inmate 1577
’s fiction can be found on a special page on my website, at
inmate.alanjacobson.com
.
As mentioned in my opening Author’s Note, this story was not an attempt to provide a factual depiction of the Morris-Anglin escape. Still, some of the Alcatraz inmates (and the associate warden) included in
Inmate 1577
were real individuals. I’ve attempted to capture their personalities based on what I read of these people, but I am in no way claiming to have accurately portrayed them. My creative reconstruction could deviate from who they were as real persons.
Inmate 1577
was unusual for me because it spans five decades. As such, I had to write what was essentially an historical novel, which required me to seek out people who lived and worked at these locations in the late fifties and early sixties. I needed to know what the experience was like from multiple perspectives. While I spent a great deal of time at present-day Alcatraz (and even wrote some of the novel on the island), I’ve attempted to be as accurate as possible in both my physical descriptions and the conditions that existed there fifty years ago. To my knowledge, these depictions are correct.
I sincerely thank the following individuals who made it possible for me to write the story with the realism and credibility that I strive for in my novels:
Mary Ellen O’Toole, Senior FBI Profiler and Supervisory Special Agent (ret.) for her extensive assistance. I’ve worked with Mary Ellen for over fourteen years, and have always found her perspectives on her work as a profiler fascinating and insightful. She’s been instrumental in helping me to understand Karen Vail’s place in the unit and how others see her because Mary Ellen is the “real-life Karen Vail,” doing in truth what Vail does fictionally. I’ve not only valued Mary Ellen’s friendship, but her font of knowledge. In the case of
Inmate 1577
, it was particularly vital in helping me to get a handle on the psychopathic killer’s motivations and how he would react to Vail’s actions (and vice versa). Not only do I owe Mary Ellen thanks for her year-long feedback on the manuscript, but also for her thorough review of the novel after I’d typed the final period. If I can quicken Mary Ellen’s pulse, I know I’ve nailed the scene.
George DeVincenzi, former Alcatraz Correctional Officer (1950—57), for his anecdotes and honest appraisals of life on The Rock; his stories of his interactions with the inmates; his descriptions of what life was like as an officer; of what specific inmates were like as individuals; and for taking a trip with me to the island to retrace his former steps. George’s recall was remarkable, and his stories brought the cellhouse, hospital, barber shop, kitchen, Industries building, and grounds to life for me. He was a tremendous resource and I feel fortunate to have made his acquaintance. Likewise, his review of the manuscript for accuracy was important in my endeavor to get it right.
Jolene Babyak, author and former child resident of Alcatraz. Jolene shared with me details surrounding the 1962 escape attempt, the Anglin brothers, her meetings and interviews with Clarence Carnes, and insights regarding her father, Associate Warden Dollison. Jolene also answered a variety of questions regarding the prison and the time she spent on The Rock, and provided helpful perspective on Carnes. The discussions I had with her were always fascinating and her numerous books about Alcatraz are absolutely worth a read.
Constance Smith-Golda, Alcatraz Civil War—era historian, for her tour of the Hospital floor and absorbing discussion about Alcatraz’s diverse history.
Alcatraz National Park Service Rangers John Cantwell, Craig Glassner, Al Blank, and Jayeson Vance. John’s behind-the-scenes tours of the island gave me the depth of knowledge and detail that I needed to write
Inmate 1577
with the realism it demanded; Craig answered my many and varied questions spanning several months about procedures on the island, the functioning of the penitentiary, National Park Service/US Park Police law enforcement jurisdictions and protocol,
etc.
Al provided important background and information on a variety of prison issues, including the original keys and locking mechanisms used in the cell blocks. Jayeson assisted me with Alumni Day logistics and information regarding the law enforcement presence on the island. In addition, Ranger José Roldan at the Presidio Officers Club gave me an overview of the region and the law enforcement patrol protocols that exist within the Presidio.
Thanks also to Marybeth McFarland, Acting Operations Supervisor, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, National Park Service, for her efforts in attempting to obtain island access as well as her follow-up answers to law enforcement jurisdictional issues regarding the Presidio’s Inspiration Point and the Palace of Fine Arts.
Father Bernie Bush, former Alcatraz seminarian, for his perspective on life on The Rock, and the details of his interactions with the inmates during the time of MacNally’s incarceration. As Father Bush pointed out to me after reviewing the pertinent
Inmate 1577
chapters, the fictional Father Finelli bears no resemblance (physically, in demeanor, actions, personality, or otherwise) to the real Father Bush.
Former Alcatraz Correctional Officers Jim Albright and John Hernan, for their perspective and input on their years on The Rock and an officer’s duties; John Jr. and Kathy Hernan for their ancillary assistance.
Kenneth LaMaster, twenty-seven-year Leavenworth Correctional Officer (ret.), Institution Historian, and author, for his assistance with, and perspective on, prison life at the penitentiary, the institution’s layout in the late fifties, and the nuances that accompanied MacNally’s stay there—including his escape. My lengthy phone calls and unending emails with Ken spanned several months, and his very thorough read of the novel helped me bring stark realism to the fiction. Even more so than Alcatraz, Leavenworth underwent substantial changes in the intervening decades, and Ken made sure the references, physical layout, and slang were correct.
Jerry Gelbart, MD, for his assistance with head trauma and frontal lobe brain injuries, their symptoms and sequelae; and Maury Gloster, MD, for his thorough explanation of Inspector Friedberg’s injury, treatment protocol, and recovery time frame; for the treatment Walt MacNally received and the medical terminology used.
Award-winning
San Francisco Chronicle
staff writer Kevin Fagan for his assistance with all things reporter-based in the manuscript—including newspaper industry terminology, the timing of deadlines, the journalist culture, their thought processes and approaches to stories, and their relationships with the police.
San Francisco Police Department homicide Inspectors Antonio Casillas and Tom Walsh for their background on the workings of the department, procedures for handling major crimes, resources available to inspectors, and for answering my plethora of mundane yet vital questions regarding SFPD capabilities, crime scene management,
etc.
Carol Wolther and Sharon Phelan at the Cable Car Powerhouse. Carol, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Maintenance Superintendent of component repair and heavy repair rail transit shops, oriented me as to the workings of the Cable Car barn, and the maintenance and storage of the cars. Sharon gave me a terrific overview of the cable routes, the Sheave and Control rooms, and an explanation of how the sheaves operate.
Jorge Beltran, Coast Guard Agent, for assisting me with Coast Guard terminology and for serving as the conduit for obtaining agency clearance; Henry Dunphy, US Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist 2nd Class, for information pertaining to the Coast Guard’s policies regarding interagency cooperation; and for a description of its vast complement of vessels.
Joe Sanchez, Archives Technician, The National Archives at San Francisco, for educating me on the Alcatraz materials stored at the facility and the time frame in which the documents arrived there; and for providing me with the current disposition of former inmates.
Roger Lamm and Bob Goldberg, for sailing around the island and giving me difficult-to-obtain views of Alcatraz. Gaining perspective on an island requires not only being on it physically, but viewing it from the outside looking in.
Mark Safarik, Senior FBI Profiler and Supervisory Special Agent (ret.). The novel is dedicated to Mark, but without Mark’s eighteen-plus years of tutelage on behavioral analysis, I would not have been able to conceive of the story, let alone write it with any degree of accuracy. Mark also helped me with Vail’s “New York problem”—and did his usual, detailed review of the manuscript.
Jeff Jacobson, Esq. My brother was my initial point of contact and answer machine for issues and questions pertaining to MacNally’s legal problems and Scheer’s sordid background.
Scott Portier, electrician, for instruction on how to torture someone using exposed electrical wires. That sounds odd, but it is what I asked him about, and it is what we discussed.
Kevin Smith, my editor. I’d like to say that after four novels, Kevin and I have fallen into a rhythm. But I can’t—because we were in lockstep from the moment we started working together on
The 7th Victim
. In baseball, some pitchers prefer to work with certain catchers because they call a great game and coax the best performance out of that pitcher on a given day. Kevin is my personal catcher...helping me throw the well-pitched game with minimal errors.
On the topic of errors, kudos to Anais Scott, my copyeditor. I’m increasingly convinced that Anais is not really human. She sees things—catches things—that everyone else’s brain slides past. When I think I’ve found something on which she goofed (we’re all human, right?), she replies with a detailed explanation as to why I was wrong. So I stand corrected. She’s right—and for that, I benefit.
John Hutchinson and Virginia Lenneville of Norwood Press for producing the classy Karen Vail trilogy boxed set and for being the driving force behind the
Inmate 1577
hardcover release. They are a class act, and I’m excited to be working with them.
Daniel Tibbets, Thomas Ellsworth, and Hutch Morton of Premier Digital Publishing. Their vision, vast experience, and enthusiasm for this project were instrumental in successfully launching me into the eBook realm. Special shout-out to Lorianne Tibbets for her sharp proofing eyes and behind-the-scenes assistance.
Joel Gotler and Frank Curtis, my agents, for taking care of the business side of publishing so that I can spend more of my time doing what I do best.
Jill, my wife, who has put up with insane schedules, long hours, and the unrelenting stress of multiple deadlines. I look forward to spending more time with you.
Additionally, many thanks to my draft readers, whose sharp eyes caught a litany of typos: C. J. Snow, and Jeff and Danielle Jacobson.
Thanks, as well, to those who have helped me get my books into readers’ hands: the awesome Tom Hedtke, Vicki Lorini, Keith Kilby, and Nathan Spradlin; John Keese; Valerie Burnside, Kara Schneider, and Jeff Bobby.
Marc Stiles; Patrick Malloy; Pam Woods, Kirk Pasich; J. B. Dickey, Fran Fuller; Joan Hansen; Patrick Millikin; Bobby McCue, Linda Brown; Jennifer Ballot; Scott C. Maynard, Amanda Kruse, Patrick McGhee, Sheree Tolman; Peter MacHott, Willie Davis, Jennifer Griffiths; Bonnie Lewis, Chris Bravo. Douglas Thompson; Russell Ilg; Jeane Coggan, Kristine Williams.
Ed Kauffman; Robert Snyder, Bob Blake, Francis Murphy, Ted Pelonis; Andrew Gulli; John and Shannon Raab; Terry Louchheim Gilman, Maryelizabeth Hart; Patrick Heffernan, Lori Burns, Linda Tonnesen; Chris Acevedo, Daniel Piel; Barbara Peters, Will Hanisko; Terry Abbott.