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Verrill Raap Mugshot

Verrill Rapp, also Verrill Hersey Raap ( c. 1906-?) was an American criminal who was a convicted post office robber. [1] [2] A 1930 census mentioned him living in Fresno, California and being 24 years old at the time. On August 11, 1934, he was transferred from McNeil Island to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary to become one of the first civilian inmates incarcerated there – sentenced to four years for assault on a police officer and breaking jail. [3] He is best known for being the earliest prisoner to be paroled from Alcatraz in the spring of 1935. [4] Upon leaving to stand trial on other charges, Rapp reported that Alcatraz was a place of "inhumane treatment" and that it was causing many inmates to go insane. [5] This was widely reported in the press and marked the beginning of its sinister reputation. [4]

References

  1. ^ "Alcatraz Prisoners Numbers 1 to 50". Notfrisco. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  2. ^ Greenleaf, Mike (February 1933). "Finger Prints Nab Postoffice Robbers". Finger Print Magazine Vol.14 No.8. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  3. ^ "Alcatraz History: THE INCORRIGIBLES". OceanView Publishing. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  4. ^ a b Odier, Pierre (1 January 1982). The Rock: a history of Alcatraz : the fort/the prison. L'Image Odier. p.  117. ISBN  978-0-9611632-0-4. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  5. ^ Oliver, Marilyn Tower (August 1998). Alcatraz Prison in American history. Enslow Publishers. p.  72. ISBN  978-0-89490-990-0. Retrieved 7 September 2012.