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John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was a Midwestern bank robber, auto thief, and fugitive who captured the national imagination until the FBI caught up with him in 1934.
- Baby Face Nelson
Early Years “Baby Face” Nelson was born Lester M. Gillis on...
- Baby Face Nelson
- Early Life
- Early Crimes and Conviction
- Imprisonment and Jailbreak
- The Dillinger Gang
- The New Dillinger Gang
- Public Enemy No. 1
- Final Months and Death
John Herbert Dillinger was born June 22, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana. As a child he went by “Johnnie.” As an adult he was known as “Jackrabbit” for his graceful moves and quick getaways from the police. As a legend, he was known as “Public Enemy Number One.” His exploits during the depth of the Great Depressionmade him a headline news celebrity ...
Matters reached a head on July 21, 1923, when Dillinger stole a car to impress a girl on a date. He was later found by a police officer roaming aimlessly through Indianapolis streets. The policeman pulled him over to question him and, suspicious of his vague explanations, placed him under arrest. Dillinger broke loose and ran. Knowing he couldn’t g...
Dillinger was sent to the Indiana State Reformatory in Pendleton, where he played on the prison baseball team and worked in the shirt factory as a seamster. Dillinger’s remarkable manual dexterity came into play just as it had during his time at the machine shop. He frequently completed twice his quota in the prison factory, and would secretly help...
After the bold prison escape, the killing of Sarber, the bank robberies, and the attack on the police arsenal, the Pierpont Gang was gaining substantial notoriety. Newspapers wrote sensational stories of the gang’s exploits. Gang members were often described as shadowy figures, wearing dark overcoats with hat brims pulled down to hide their identit...
Dillinger was taken to the office of Lake County Sheriff Lillian Holley, who was serving out the term of her late husband who had been killed in the line of duty. The sheriff’s office had become command central as reporters and photographers jammed into the cramped room to get a picture and a quick quote from the famed desperado. At one point, a ph...
As summer approached in 1934, John Dillinger had dropped out of sight. Because of his notoriety, life was becoming increasingly difficult. The FBI labeled him “Public Enemy Number One,” and placed a $10,000 reward on his head. To avoid detection, Dillinger underwent a crude form of plastic surgery in May at the home of Jimmy Probasco, a Chicago bar...
On Sunday, July 22, at 5:00 PM, Anna Sage told FBI agents that she and Dillinger were planning to go to the movies. She mentioned that they were either going to the Biograph or the Marboro theater. Purvis decided to stake out the Biograph himself. Two other agents were posted at the Marboro. Purvis was standing just a few feet away from the theater...
Jun 2, 2023 · After a year of robbing banks, John Dillinger died on July 22, 1934, when federal agents shot and killed him as he left a movie in Chicago, Illinois. On July 22, 1934, federal agents surrounded Chicago’s Biograph Theater and waited for their target.
- Austin Harvey
John Herbert Dillinger (/ ˈ d ɪ l ɪ n dʒ ər /; June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He commanded the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing twenty-four banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and escaped twice.
The FBI investigated his death and declared it a suicide, although the official coroner's report did not label the cause of death as such. A later investigation suggested that Purvis may have shot himself accidentally [44] while trying to extract a tracer bullet. [41]
Jul 22, 2008 · One of the most famous cases in our 100-year history celebrates an anniversary today: On July 22, 1934, the gangster John Dillinger was killed in Chicago, moments after leaving the Biograph...
Aug 4, 2014 · In September 1924, a 21-year-old Dillinger was sent to prison after being nabbed in a botched robbery on an elderly grocer. The young hood spent the next eight and a half years doing time with ...
