On this date in 1934, notorious bank robber John Dillinger escaped from the Lake County jail in Crown Point, IN. Dillinger, who had been arrested in Tucson, AZ in January, was awaiting trial for the murder of a police officer. On the morning of March 3rd, Dillinger pulled what was later reported to be a fake gun on jail guards and convinced them to open his cell. He and another inmate locked up the guards, grabbed some machine guns, and fled the jail with a deputy as a hostage. They made their way to a nearby garage, where they stole Sheriff Lillian Holly’s (front row, far left in the above photo) brand new Ford V-8. Dillinger and company fled across the state line into Illinois. This turned out to be John Dillinger’s fatal mistake. He had taken a stolen car across state lines, which is a federal crime. He would soon have the full attention of the FBI – the kind of attention he could live without.
Further reading:
Crime Museum – John Dillinger
FBI Files – Famous Cases: John Dillinger
Time Magazine – Whittler’s Holiday
Wikipedia – John Dillinger
Reblogged this on Brittius.
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Thanks.
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You’re welcome.
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John D.:
Dillinger sure had his time in Hoosierland, that’s for sure.
There’s an interesting back-story to that Ford he stole, too (and the alleged letter written to the Ford Motor Company). Here’s the link:
http://jalopnik.com/5531311/the-real-history-of-john-dillinger-and-henry-ford
Very good post and links.
Stay safe out there.
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Dillinger was a native Hoosier, so I guess he didn’t want to stray far from home for too long.
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