Rufus William Franklin was born on January 15, 1916, in Calhoun County, Alabama. His early life remains largely undocumented, but by his late teens or early twenties, Franklin had turned to a life of crime. He was arrested and convicted for a string of felonies that included bank robbery, car theft, and assault, crimes serious enough to warrant a transfer to one of the most infamous prisons in America: Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.

Once in Alcatraz, Franklin became known as inmate #335-AZ. Alcatraz was home to many of the country’s most dangerous and escape-prone inmates, and Franklin would soon become part of one of its most notorious escape attempts. Intelligent, aggressive, and discontent with his imprisonment, Franklin grew increasingly rebellious behind bars. Along with fellow inmates Thomas R. Limerick and James C. Lucas, he would attempt one of the earliest escape efforts from the “Rock,” a high-security island fortress designed to be escape-proof.

On May 23, 1938, Rufus Franklin took part in the third documented escape attempt from Alcatraz. The plan was bold but flawed. Franklin, Thomas Limerick, and James Lucas decided to strike during their work shift in the prison’s mat shop. The escape began with the trio attacking Custodial Officer Royal Cline, who was unarmed and supervising the detail. Using hammers stolen from the work area, they bludgeoned Cline with brutal force, leaving him unconscious and mortally wounded.

After disabling Cline, the trio made their way to the rooftop, intending to overpower an armed guard and hijack a police boat. But once they reached the roof, they were immediately met with resistance. Guard Harold Stites, who would himself be killed years later in the 1946 Battle of Alcatraz, opened fire. Both Franklin and Limerick were shot during the confrontation, while Lucas managed to avoid being hit. The escape ended quickly as more guards arrived, cornering and capturing the wounded inmates.

Officer Royal Cline succumbed to his injuries the following day, on May 24, 1938. Limerick also died from gunshot wounds he received during the escape. Franklin and Lucas survived and were both charged with murder for Cline’s death. During their trial, they were found guilty but were spared the death penalty, receiving life sentences instead.

Franklin spent many of his remaining years in solitary confinement in Alcatraz’s notorious D Block. Eventually, he was transferred to the federal prison in Atlanta, where he served out his life sentence. After more than three decades behind bars, Franklin was paroled in 1974. He died less than a year later, on May 26, 1975, from natural causes.