John Dillinger

By Josh Fox, Listverse.com, August 1, 2011:

Among his associate criminals of his time, such as Baby Face Nelson, Homer Van Meter and John “Red” Hamilton, Dillinger was, by far, the most notorious. He was famous for his likable personality and charm. He would often flirt with female bank tellers whom he was robbing, and would also sometimes leap over the counter, a stunt he imitated from the movies. He was charged with the murder of a police officer during his criminal career, though many witnesses insisted John Hamilton performed the killing.

Dillinger was born in Indiana and originally had no ties to crime. As a young man he enlisted in the US Navy, but was dishonorably discharged after he deserted. He married Beryl Hovious, in 1924, but the marriage ended in divorce. After this he had difficulty holding down a job and began to plan a robbery with a friend. He was arrested after being recognized during the robbery and sentenced to 10 to 20 years imprisonment, which was a very harsh sentence, indeed, for a first time offender.

Whilst incarcerated he became embittered against society, and began to mix with notorious criminals such as Harry Pierpoint and James “Oklahoma Jack” Clark. He spent his time planning heists with his new found friends, that they would commit shortly after being released. Dillinger was paroled in 1933, at the height of the great depression, when a convicted criminal had almost no option of employment. He robbed a bank in Ohio, but was captured soon after.

Four days after his arrest, Dillinger oversaw the smuggling of weapons into his friend’s prison cells, and they escaped, but not before killing two guards. The escapees then travelled to Lima County jail to liberate Dillinger. They impersonated police officers, telling the Sheriff they had come to extradite Dillinger to Indiana. He asked for credentials, so they shot him and Dillinger escaped with them. The newly formed group of escapees became the first Dillinger gang.

Dillinger and his gang began a spree of bank robberies across Indiana, accumulating over $300,000 in total. During their spree, they killed around 13 lawmen, although Dillinger was never proven to have killed anyone. As the gang became notorious, Dillinger rose to the top of the list of Public Enemies, with other members of his gang filling out most of the top ten. His numerous prison escapes also added to his legend. After being arrested and imprisoned in the “escape proof” Lake County jail, Dillinger was able to use a carved wooden pistol to trick guards, and lock them in his cell. He also stole the Sheriff’s new Ford car to make his getaway.

His demise finally came when he attended the Biograph Theatre, in Chicago. After exiting the theatre the FBI were waiting for him and he was shot down as he tried to escape down a nearby alleyway. At the time of his death, he was 31 years old. Dillinger was portrayed by Jonny Depp in the 2009 film Public Enemies, though the film has some major inaccuracies, such as the timeline of deaths of Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson. In fact, Dillinger was one of the first in his gang to be killed.