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Thomas Robert Limerick (January 7, 1902 – May 23, 1938) was an American criminal, who took part in the third documented escape attempt from
Alcatraz Island 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 ...
on the night of May 23, 1938.


Biography

Thomas Limerick was born on January 7, 1902 in
Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...
. 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 is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 21,704. Its county seat is Beatrice, Nebraska, Beatrice. The county was created in 1855 and organized in 1857. ...
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 is a city in Sioux County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,700 at the time of the 2020 census. It is located on the Big Sioux River. History Hawarden was platted in 1882. It was named for Hawarden Castle, the Welsh home of s ...
,
Dell Rapids, South Dakota Dell Rapids is a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,996 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is known as "The Little City with the Big Attractions." The city to ...
and
Superior, Nebraska Superior is a city in Nuckolls County, Nebraska, Nuckolls County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the city population was 1,957. Superior bills itself as the "Victorian Capital of Nebraska", and holds a ...
. They kidnapped three people during one of the robberies. Limerick was arrested in a nightclub in
St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...
on May 25, 1935, and eventually sentenced to life imprisonment at
Leavenworth Penitentiary The United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth (USP Leavenworth) is a medium security U.S. penitentiary with an adjacent minimum security satellite camp in northeast Kansas. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the Unite ...
, but later transferred to Alcatraz.


Alcatraz escape attempt

In the spring of 1938, Limerick, James Lucas, and
Rufus Franklin Rufus William Franklin (1916-1975) 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 t ...
planned an escape from Alcatraz. Their escape plan began by incapacitating an unarmed guard supervising a work detail on the top floor. Once the supervisor 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 Officer Royal Cline with hammer blows to his head. They proceeded to the roof, where armed guard Harold Stites (who was later killed in the 1946 Battle of Alcatraz) 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. Cline died of his injuries the next day, as did Limerick. Lucas and the other surviving convict, Rufus Franklin, were tried for
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
and sentenced to life
imprisonment Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...
.


See also

*
List of Alcatraz escape attempts Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay was the site of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary between 1934 and 1963. There were a total of 14 escape attempts from the prison made by 34 prisoners during this time. Two men tried twice, making for a total of ...


References


External links


Escapes from Alcatraz



Photo of his grave, showing birth and death dates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Limerick, Thomas R. 1902 births 1938 deaths American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment American escapees Escapees from United States federal government detention Deaths by firearm in California Inmates of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary American people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention People shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States American people convicted of robbery Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the United States federal government People convicted under the Federal Kidnapping Act