Today in Labor History May 4, 1946: The U.S. government deployed marines to end the Battle of Alcatraz. It began as a failed prison escape. It turned into a war-like battle, with marines using grenades against prisoners and tactics they had used in Japan. Three of the perpetrators and two prison officials died in the fighting. Fourteen other officers were injured. The government later executed two more prisoners for participating in the riot. One of the prisoners who died in the riot, had recently petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus. He claimed the cops had beat a confession out of him and he had hospital records to prove it.