John Dillinger
A notorious bank robber and killer from the 1930s
Born in Indianapolis in 1903, John Dillinger was a good-looking guy — a ladies’ man with a smile not unlike that of Frank Sinatra. Unlike Frank, however, Dillinger neither drank nor smoked, and claimed that his one bad habit was robbing banks — a habit he picked up late in his short life. He was the archetypal American gangster of the 1930s — fearless, ruthless, always with a broad on one arm and a Tommy-gun tucked under the other.
Although he had been a rebellious youth, it was not until he deserted from the U.S. Navy that Dillinger turned to crime. In September 1924 he stole $555 from a local grocer in his hometown of Mooresville. He was arrested, convicted, and sent to Michigan City State Prison for the next eight years. He was released on parole in May 1933 and spent the rest of his life on the run.
The desperate spree began when Dillinger and two ex-cons named John Hamilton and Harry Pierpont robbed a number of banks in Indiana and Ohio. Dillinger was caught, but Hamilton and Pierpont broke into the jail where he was held and freed him. The three men then broke into two Indiana police stations to obtain fresh supplies of guns and bullet-proof vests.
For three months the robberies continued, but big trouble started in January 1934 when Dillinger killed a…