Alcatraz Escapees in the Bahamas: Updated Edition

By Peter Wohlfelder and Freddie Pinder

Three men escaped from Alcatraz on June 11, 1962. Freddie Pinders mom died in May of 1962. He was almost five years old at the time. Freddie went to live with his great-aunt in a remote region of Grand Bahama Island in June of 1962. About a month later, in July of 1962, three mysterious white men came by boat and lived in the bush behind his great-aunts farm. They lived behind her farm for years. At first, they came daily to their home for water and food. After a while, Freddies cousin helped them to dig and construct a well.

In Alcatraz Escapees in the Bahamas, you will learn about the daily lives of these men who look just like the mug shots of the three escapees. You will discover the story of how a young Bahamian boy used to go fishing with Alcatraz escapee, alleged Clarence Anglin, on this island. Within this book, you will be comparing photos of this man to the mug shot of Clarence Anglin. The discourse that Freddie Pinder and Peter Wohlfelder had with US Marshals, the FBI, and a criminal photo expert will be disclosed. You will read how these three escapees went from living as prisoners on Alcatraz Island to living as free men on a lush subtropical island.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524690595

Peter Wohlfelder

Peter Wohlfelder was a missionary in the Bahama Islands during the 1970s. He worked with the Island Missionary Society. After three and a half years, he returned to the States and met his wife, Norma Jane. They have three children. He is a graduate of St. Petersburg College and a member of Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society. Peter is an exercise enthusiast, including taking bike rides and brisk walks on nature trails.

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© 2017 Peter Wohlfelder. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/28/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5246-9060-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-9059-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017906687

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

This book is

dedicated to my dad, Peter Wohlfelder II. He was on the Detroit Police Department for twenty-five years. He spent most of his time as a detective and retired as a lieutenant. He solved many criminal cases and was a brilliant investigator. At times there were articles in the local newspaper, the Detroit Free Press, regarding cases he solved.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Notice

Introduction

1.     Alcatraz Escapees History

2.     Escapees and Florida

3.     Freddie’s History

4.     My History

5.     My First Mission Trip

6.     South Andros Island

7.     Freddie and I Meet

8.     Life Back in the States

9.     Escapees Come to Light

10.   Freddie’s Communication with the US Marshals

11.   My Communication with the Marshals

12.   Stolen Identity

13.   Mr. Bob’s Funeral

14.   Newspaper Articles in Nassau

15.   Pictures to Compare

16.   The Best For Last

17.   Affidavits

18.   You Decide

19.   Grand Bahama Island

20.   Pictures

Foreword

This book will give a detailed account of how three mysterious men came to the east end of Grand Bahama Island in July of 1962, about a month after the three prisoners escaped from Alcatraz. All three of these men looked just like the Alcatraz escapees and lived there under strange circumstances for years, of which we have affidavits. One of these men died in 2009. Freddie Pinder went to the funeral and obtained a funeral brochure with a large facial photograph of this man on the front cover. Within this book you will be comparing this photo of him to that of Clarence Anglin, Alcatraz escapee. You will also read about all the correspondence that Pinder and I both had with the FBI and the US Marshals, including US Marshal, Richard Beltz.

This book will present how the three escapees slipped out of their prison cells on Alcatraz Island and traveled to a lush West Indies island. How they went from a cold hard prison on The Rock, to a subtropical island in the Caribbean Sea. Sometimes fact is more fascinating than fiction.

In March of 1974, I became an overseas missionary with the Island Missionary Society. I was about to embark on one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I had no idea where this new journey was about to take me. I ended up living most of my time in the poor areas of Nassau. These neighborhoods were considered dangerous places to live. I also took a few trips to some of the Out Islands.

While living in Nassau I met an artist, Freddie Pinder. He had a sign business and we became friends. We took a trip to where he was from on Grand Bahama Island. This was a very remote place, especially back then. His childhood home was on the east end of Grand Bahama Island, in a small village named Rocky Creek. This was a very primitive place with no running water, no electricity, no telephones, and we got our water from an old-fashioned well pump. At night we would sit and talk by an oil lamp. While we were there Freddie told me about three suspicious white men who came to his village while he lived there as a small boy. He told me how they lived back in the bush for years close to a deserted beach. He told me how strange it was. Who were these three white men? Freddie as a small boy even went fishing with one of them. Why did they come to Rocky Creek to such a very secluded and remote area?

It is Freddie Pinder who brought all of this to light.

Notice

The names of some law enforcement officials have been changed because they were shown in an unfavorable light and others to protect their privacy. Several of the US Marshals we had contact with gave us significant information about this case and accused some of the Bahamian police of a cover-up regarding the escapees in the Bahamas.

Some of the other names of individuals have been changed to protect the innocent.

True names: My name, Peter Wohlfelder; my friend, Freddie Pinder; US Marshal Michael Dyke, the lead investigator for the Alcatraz escapees; the original five residents of Rocky Creek; Stafford Laramore, who was with Freddie Pinder when they met with a retired FBI agent and a criminal-photo expert at the Cable Beach Police Station in Nassau; Laramore was also with Pinder when the US Marshals flew both of them to Miami for a private meeting where Pinder showed the Marshals a picture of the suspect who is believed to be Alcatraz escapee, Clarence Anglin; Sergeant Barr from Interpol; Mrs. Johnson and Mr. Garcia with the American Embassy; Sergeant Forbes with the Royal Bahamian Police; and all of the names on the affidavits are all true names.

Introduction

On June 11, 1962, two brothers, Clarence and John Anglin, along with Frank Morris escaped from Alcatraz. This is considered by many to be the greatest escape of all time. I was five years old at the time. As a child I never heard too much about Alcatraz other than memories of my mom mentioning it as a prison in the middle of the water and saying that it was a prison for the most dangerous criminals. The only other thing I remember hearing was that it was supposed to be inescapable. After my mom’s few remarks, I never gave Alcatraz much thought. That changed in 2011 when I reconnected with an old Bahamian friend, Freddie Pinder. He was a friend of mine while I lived and worked as a missionary in the poor areas of the Bahamas in the 1970s. Living in the Bahamas was a good experience and I am thankful for my time there.

Alcatraz is known as The Rock and is an island of sorts. It is just the opposite of a lush subtropical island as those found in the Bahamas where there are white sandy beaches and clear turquoise water. These beaches are lined with palm trees, coconut palms dripping with coconuts, plenty of tropical fruit to eat, and the riches of the sea. In these exotic islands you are engulfed with an atmosphere of freedom. Could this be only a beautiful dream as these Alcatraz prisoners lay in their beds at night? Or did it become a reality for these three escapees? Did they make it to landfall safely and start a new life in a subtropical paradise?

I returned to the States in 1977. I met my wife at church and we were married in 1979. A little over a year later my first son, Timothy, was born. Two years later my second son, David, was born. My wife, Norma Jane, was an elementary school teacher. Through a friend of mine I entered the insurance business in 1981. In 2011 I reconnected with my old friend, Freddie Pinder, and that began this new journey. Life has certainly been busy and now that I’m semi-retired, I’ve had time to write about this.

In college we are taught to develop critical thinking skills, and we should always hold up the lamp of reason and inquiry to information we receive. There certainly can be coincidences and look-a-likes of other people. I am a big tennis fan and am reminded of what recently happened at the US Tennis Open in September 2015. James Blake was a former US tennis pro for years. While he was in New York City for the US Open event, he was tackled and arrested by the New York City police. They had mistaken his identity for a person who was a cellphone thief. The article read, Cops wrongfully nab tennis star James Blake… The police chief later apologized, but in so many words said it was uncanny how much Blake looked like the suspect.

So why am I writing this book? When there is this much testimony and evidence, I would feel amiss not to present it in a clear and concise way. Number one, I know Freddie Pinder. He was my right-hand man when I lived and did mission work in a dangerous part of Nassau where even the police were often reluctant to go. He was with me in the ministry in adverse situations. He is a man of integrity, and is genuinely a true friend with outstanding values.

In this book I will be revealing the discourse and meetings that Freddie Pinder had with the US Marshals, and what they told him (never before told). I will also give a detailed account of my communication with the US Marshals. I have recorded how all of this came together and will present