James C. Lucas
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| James C. Lucas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1912 |
| Died | 1963 |
| Penalty | Life imprisonment |
 |
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James C. Lucas (1912 - 1963) was an American criminal that served a life sentence in Alcatraz. He was part of an attempted escape from the prison in 1938, but is best known for attacking Al Capone in the prison's laundry room on June 23, 1936.
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[edit] Biography
Lucas was originally sentenced to thirty years' imprisonment for bank robbery[1] and violation of the Dyer Act (interstate trafficking of stolen vehicles). He arrived at Alcatraz in January 1935 from the Texas State Prison[2] and was known there as James "Texas Bank Robber" Lucas.
[edit] Attack on Capone
On June 23, 1936, Lucas stabbed Al Capone in the back with a pair of shears from the prison barber shop. Capone had been working in the the laundry area 10 feet (3 m) away.[3] He defended himself, punching Lucas in the jaw before prison guards broke up the ruckus. Capone was able to walk to the prison hospital unassisted.[4] The following day, Capone left the hospital prison with minor injuries and continued with his regular duties at Alcatraz Prison.[5] Lucas was sent to solitary confinement for his brutal attack on Capone.[6]
[edit] Alcatraz escape attempt
In the spring of 1938, Lucas and two other convicts planned an escape from Alcatraz. Their 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 of Lucas's accomplices. Other guards arrived at the scene. Lucas was cornered and surrendered to the guards.[7] The custodial worker died of his injuries the next day; one of the wounded convicts also died.[8] Lucas and the other surviving convict, Rufus Franklin, were tried for murder[9][10][11] and sentenced to life imprisonment.[12][13]
[edit] References
- ^ "CAPONE IS STABBED BY ALCATRAZ FELON; Fellow Convict Plunges Scissors Into Ex-Gangster in Prison Barber Shop.", New York Times, 1936-06-24, p. 48.
- ^ "Alcatraz Felon Killed, One Shot, Third Seized As Guards Foil Escape", San Francisco Chronicle, 1938-05-24, pp. 1,5.
- ^ "Names make news", TIME, 1936-07-06. "Catching Capone at work in the prison laundry, Lucas plunged a pair of scissors into his back."
- ^ Iorizzo, Luciano J. Al Capone: a biography. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003. ISBN 0-313-32317-8
- ^ "Al Capone Leaves Prison Hospital After Stabbing", Chicago Daily Tribune, 1936-06-28, p. 17. ProQuest Historical Newspapers document 483031192. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
- ^ "Crime: Capone Prison Pet Provoked", Washington Post, 1936-06-28, p. B4. ProQuest Historical Newspapers document 240338792. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
- ^ "Three Convicts Fail in Break at Alcatraz; Slug Guard; Two Are Shot, Third Cornered", New York Times, 1938-05-24, p. 1. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
- ^ "Hammer Blow Kills Alcatraz Aide in Break: 2 Surviving Felons to Face Murder Charge; Third Slain in Flight", Washington Post, 1938-05-25, p. X1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers document 240807832. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
- ^ "Alcatraz Prisoners Hear Shooting Related by Guard", Los Angeles Times, 1938-11-05.
- ^ "Court Calls for Bullets that Halted Convict Flight", Los Angeles Times, 1938-11-09.
- ^ "Alcatraz Convicts Deny Killing Guard In Escape Attempt", Washington Post, 1938-11-23.
- ^ "Killers of Alcatraz Guard Escape Execution; Jury Limits Penalty of Felons to Life Terms", New York Times, 1938-11-27, p. 1.
- ^ "Alcatraz Pair Get Life", Los Angeles Times, 1938-11-27.
