John Dillinger Public Enemies

John Herbert Dillinger was born on June 22, 1903 in Indianapolis, Indiana. John came from a middle class family and his father was very strict. John's mother died when he was only 3 years old. He had an older sister. Six years later his dad remarried but, John didn't get along with his stepmother. John was often in trouble as a teenager. He eventually quit school when he was 16 and went to work in a machine shop. He fell in love but, the girls father scared him off. Dillinger stole a car and was caught. He was pressured to join the Navy. Of course he got into trouble again and deserted the Navy. In 1924 he married Beryl Hovious who was 16. John was smart and tried to find work. But, there was nothing he could do. So Dillinger joined Ed Singleton who was a pool shark and they were caught trying to rob a grocery store. Ed pleaded not guilty and got two years in prison. Meanwhile Dillinger's dad talked him into pleading guilty. For some reason or another Dillinger had the book thrown at him. He was charged with intent to rob, assault and battery, and conspiracy to commit a felony. In prison he became worse. He was mad at the world which was somewhat understandable considering how he was treated. In prison he was always in trouble and put into solitary confinement. Fellow prisoners taught him how to be a great criminal and they made plans for their future robberies. The system definitely had made him worse instead of better. In 1933 he was released and even carried a map of all the places he planned to rob.

Dillinger was released at the worst point in the Great Depression. He had no chance of finding work and was practically schooled in being a criminal. At the time the banks were considered the enemy for many Americans. So Dillinger became a hero in the news. It didn't even matter that he shot and killed people during his robberies. Dillinger was very smart and would outwit the police. Their were stories of him escaping the police by using a wooden gun and he stole a sheriff's car. He could empty a bank in minutes. He even escaped from the police on the few times he was caught. Soon after he was released he robbed a bank in Blufton, Ohio. He was arrested in September and was waiting for his trial at the Lima jail. Meanwhile his friends from prisoner that he planned the robberies with escaped using guns that were smuggled into the prison. I'm guessing Dillinger helped smuggle the guns in because he had their escape plan with him when he was arrested. They became the first Dillinger Gang. Three of them showed up at the Lima Jail got John out of there. They then robbed numerous banks using elaborate schemes and lots of guns. Eventually some of the gang was caught by the FBI.

In the summer of 1934 John went to Chicago and went by a new identity. He had a girlfriend named Polly Hamilton and pretty much disappeared. Polly's roommate Anna Sage, recognized Dillinger and gave the information to the FBI in order to collect the $5,000 reward and keep herself from being deported. John Dillinger died on July 22, 1934. He was gunned down in a shootout by police after leaving the Biograph Theater in Chicago.

John Dillinger:
The Life and Death of America's First Celebrity Criminal

The Rise And Fall Of The Dillinger Gang

Public Enemies:
America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34

Dillinger:
The Untold Story Expanded Edition

The Complete Public Enemy Almanac:
New Facts and Features on the People, Places, and Events of the Gangsters and Outlaw Era, 1920-1940

Dillinger

!945 John Dillinger movie starring Lawrence Tierny.

Dillinger

!973 John Dillinger movie loosely based on real events.

Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 2
(Born to Kill / Clash by Night / Crossfire / Dillinger
(1945) / The Narrow Margin
(1952))