Rufus Roy McCain (July 7, 1903 – December 3, 1940) was a prisoner at

Alcatraz Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pris ...

who attempted escape with

Henri Young Henri Theodore Young (born June 20, 1911 – disappeared 1972) was an American convicted bank robber and murderer who, while serving one of a series of prison terms, attempted a 1939 escape from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary with four other inm ...

and

Arthur Barker Arthur R. "Doc" Barker (June 4, 1899 – January 13, 1939) was an American criminal, the son of Ma Barker and a member of the Barker-Karpis gang, founded by his brother Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis. Barker was typically called on for violent ac ...

in 1939.

Attempt

On the night of January 13, 1939, McCain, with Young, Barker, and two other men, attempted escape from the Rock. The guards started to fire shots at Arthur Barker. Barker eventually died and the others were recaptured. McCain and Young were sentenced to almost 22 months each in

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

. After Young and McCain returned to the normal prison population, McCain was assigned to the tailoring shop and Young to the furniture shop located directly upstairs.

Death

On December 3, 1940, Young waited until just after the count to run downstairs and stab McCain with a sharpened spoon. McCain fell quickly into shock and died five hours later. Young refused to disclose his motive for the murder.

References

External links

Alcatraz: Rigid and Unusual Punishment
1903 births 1940 deaths American escapees Escapees from United States federal government detention Inmates of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary American people who died in prison custody Deaths by stabbing in California Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention Prisoners murdered in custody {{US-prison-stub