Milton Daniel Beacher, M.D. arrived on Alcatraz Island a naïve and compassionate young doctor. It was April 26, 1937. One year later, he left with a journal. It chronicled the suicides, discipline problems, force feedings, and details of a long strike and successful escape. He also penned conversations with famous prisoners like Al Capone, Alvin Karpis, and "Machine Gun" Kelly. Dr. Beacher later wove the journal into a vivid account of life on the Rock. Befriended by some prisoners, he included their first-person narratives and original prisoner poetry. His daughter, Dianne Beacher Perfit, published her father's journal in 2001.