After autopsies, the bodies were released to the undertaking parlor and the body of Limerick was prepared and shipped to the Woodring Funeral Parlors, Des Moines, Iowa, in accordance with the request of his relatives.

The body of Mr. Cline was prepared for shipment to home in Sweetwater, Texas, in accordance with request of Mrs. Cline. Prior to shipment, services were held at undertaking parlors in San Francisco, about which I will write you a separate letter. On the morning of May 24, 1938, Agents T. P. Geraghty and Orval H. Patterson at the San Francisco office of the F.B.I. came over to the Island at my request and I related what had happened, gave them the names of all of the officers who had any knowledge, names of prisoners who worked in the shop, gave them sketches which one of our officers, George D. Hoag had made of the roof and fourth door of shop building and helped then in the taking of photographs of the roof of the shop building, the window, the barbed wire, and the tower.

They interviewed all persons having knowledge and they tagged with identifying marks all of the missiles that had been found on the roof as well as the hammer and the pliers and the shattered portions of the glass from the tower.

This detailed report has been held awaiting action of the Coroner who held inquest on both cases Thursday, June 2, 1938. In the meantime l had consulted with United States Attorney Frank J. Henessy and after reciting all that happened to him, decided upon the witnesses who could give the essential testimony necessary for the inquest—E.J. Miller, Associate Warden; Clitton C. Nickelson, Senior Officer; Harold P. Stites, Junior Officer and Clifford B. Stewart, Junior Officer. These officers appeared at the inquest and testified in response to the questions of the Coroner. United States Attorney Henessy was present, as was T. P. Geraghty, F.B.I. Agent.

Mr. Henessy observed the proceedings and asked some questions. The Coroner's Jury returned a verdict that Royal C. Cline, officer of the prison had met his death at the hands of the convicts named who assaulted him in their attempt to escape, and that Prisoner Thomas H. Limerick met his death from wounds inflicted by Officer Stites who shot him in the performance of duty in order to frustrate his attempt to escape.

The verdict of the Coroners Jury is what I have received orally but I am awaiting the copy of the verdict as well as the death certificate so that I may enclose copies with this report. United States Attorney Henessy in bringing the matter to the attention of the Federal Grand Jury and states that he will present it on Tuesday, the Seventh of June, at which time he intends to ask the jury for indictments for Franklin and Lucas. Subsequent developments will be reported as they occur so that you will be kept fully advised.

J.A. Johnston, Warden

Chief Medical Officer Doctor Romney Ritchey wrote the following memorandum to the Warden, describing the condition and injuries of Limerick when he was received at the prison hospital:

United States Public Health Service

U.S. Penitentiary

Alcatraz, California

May 24, 1938

Memorandum to the Warden: Re. Reg. No. 263-A Limerick, Thomas R.

The above captioned inmate was brought to the Hospital at 3:00 P.M. on a stretcher yesterday afternoon, May 23, 1938. He was entirely unconscious and found to be suffering from a gunshot wound of the head. There was a large bleeding hole in the forehead just to the right if the midline. The right eye was badly swollen and prominent. His breathing was heavy and the pulse was small and rapid. There was no wound in the back of the head, but there was some slight prominence at one point about opposite the point of entrance, which might indicate that the bullet had reached the skull posteriorly but had not entirely penetrated it. He was in a very critical condition and medication and treatment was administered to combat the shock. His condition appeared to be absolutely hopeless from the first and he gradually grew worse until about 08:00 P.M. when stertorous breathing set in and the pulse became weaker and he died at 11:18 P.M. May 23,1938, without ever regaining consciousness. Several verbal reports were made regarding this case both to the associate warden and yourself, and the associate warden was notified when he died.

Respectfully,

Romney M. Ritchey, Surgeon.

Chief Medical Officer

Lucas in own account written years later described the escape:

Limerick and Franklin picked a little after one o'clock as the time the officer in charge of the shop went into the office to check his count sheet. At Alcatraz, each officer must check his men on the count sheet every thirty-minutes. He also looked over the orders and stayed in the office about fifteen-minutes. This routine never varied just as the officers changed places every thirty minutes on the roof and never varied. The day of the break came, Limerick said I was to work with him. At one o'clock, Mr. Cline went into his office as usual. Limerick got out a wedge he had built to hold the window open and level when he stood on it. He put it on and waited. Franklin went into the file room. He was to watch the officer patrol the back side and when he started back to the far end of the building and his back was to the window he was to walk out of the File Room. That would be the signal to go up on the roof. So that was the reason Franklin was in the file room. We stood on the floor near the window watching for Franklin to come out of the File Room. Then as we stood on the far side of the shop under the window, Mr. Cline came out of the office and walked slowly into the File Room. I don't know why he came out of his office so soon, he never had before. He never looked around, just walked slowly into the File Room. Maybe he went there to check on an order for supplies. I just don't know. I told Limerick let's put it off. His eyes were cold as ice, he shook his head. He said he didn't notice anything meaning Mr. Cline. We waited what seemed like a million years, but was only a minute or so according to time verified at the trial. Then Franklin walked out of the File Room with a hammer in his hand. Limerick grabbed my arm. Let's go he said and crawled out the window and stood up on the steel sash of the window. I crawled out the other side and stood on the steel sash also. I looked up and could see the officer in the tower, his back toward us, looking over the work area. The door to the glass tower stood open. He was totally unaware to what was creeping up behind him. I was supposed to help Limerick cut the barbwire. Franklin was below us now waiting to crawl out the window as soon as one of us went up. Before I could put up my hand and pretend to cut the wire, Limerick cut through two strands. I had to act fast as the officer was still sitting unaware of anything. As Limerick cut the third strand, I lifted my foot and kicked out one of the windows. I looked up at the officer, he never moved, my heart fell. Below Franklin jerked my pants leg. As he held one pant leg, I rested that foot on the steel sash of the window and kicked another pane of glass out. The window was only 3 panes wide. I looked up. The officer heard that one break. He slowly turned around and looked back. Limerick was crawling up on the roof. He stood up and charged the tower throwing everything he could at the tower. The officer kicked the door shut and he barely had time to bring his gun into action. At that time, the other officer was on the far side of the building getting ready to move a scaffold for workers putting in new steel. I got up on the roof and Mr. Stites was firing at everything and everybody. I was barely able to save my life by crawling under the tower. Limerick was killed at the door. Franklin came flying into action and charged the door and struck several times against the glass with a blood stained hammer. He was shot down and he struck again and again with the hammer. After everything was over, they dragged me out from under the tower. I thought all there would be was an attempt to escape against me. But I wound up being tried for murder. The very thing I sacrificed myself to avoid. There was no plan to kill Mr. Cline, he just walked out into the room where there was a man who already had a life sentence in Alabama for murder. At the trial, I asked Franklin why he killed Mr. Cline and he said when Mr. Cline came into the room, he tried to tie him, but was resisted. He said Mr. Cline reached for his sap. Franklin said he hit him several times with his hammer before he fell.