Dillinger's Happy Hunting Ground
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Claica;o Sunday Tribune Dillinger's Happy Hunting Ground tent to rob, and sentenced and quett; Hubert Dillinger, brother committed to the Indiana re- Record of Outlawry and of the prisoner, and Evelyn Fre- formatory for a term of ten to chette, John Dillinger's woman. twenty-one years." Another caller was Meyer Further, it mentioned that the Politics in Indiana Bogue. Piquett referred to him trial judge recommended, in a as an ••alibi witness." This lengthy statement, that clemen- was unknown. The governor, erers, Pierpont, Makley, and Bogue was an unsavory charac- cy be granted, and that the state who was even then being reo Clark, and three women. ter. He had been twice In the commission on clemency, II after ferred to as I. Emperor McNutt They arrived in Tucson on Jan. San Quentin penitentiary In careful investigation," recom- of Indiana," tried gracefully to 22. Three days later all were California. He had served a mended parole. kiss away any criticisms. He captured. The men surrendered term in the Michigan City prison At the time, and In view of the said that II in the spring, when without firing ash 0 t. The for jewel robbery and had been documents on which it was the sap begins to flow, the boys women were also taken into cus- let out only a few months before. based, the governor's action ap- want to get out." tody. That should have been His record should have been well peared to be of a routine nature. Other Indiana folk were not the end ot the Dillinger career. known in Indiana. It was much later when it was so complaisant about this new Three states sought to extra- The sherif asserted that all discovered that some of these deal in springs. Former Gov- dlte the outlaws. Wisconsin these visitors were searched; documents were extremely mls- ernor Leslie told why it was easy wanted them for the Racine job. that she personally saw that leading. Dillinger was (let it to get hardened felons out. Mc- Indiana pleaded to be allowed to Eve 1y n Frechette smuggled ..be remembered) sentenced in Nutt, granted dictatorial powers try Dillinger for the O'Malley nothing in. She added that their 1924, not 1930; Allen county is by a subservient legislature, had murder. Ohio wanted the three conversations with the prisoner (Tribune pboto.) more than a hundred miles from dismissed an expert warden and killers of Sherif Sarber. Gov- had been witnessed by guards. MEL YIN PURVIS Morgan county. Dillinger's rec- had replaced him with an Inex- ernor Moeur of Arizona ruled in "Nobody could have taken a ord as a trouble maker was mini- perienced man. Also, Leslie favor of Indiana, with an under- gun in," was the sherif's opinion. (Continued from paqe one.) mized. pointed out, he had removed standing that the Hoosier state Still these were artful people, A bullet fired into the back of The 0 n Iy explanation ever sixty-nlne of the 120 Michigan would cooperate with Ohio. these visitors. Remember Dll- his head killed Dillinger. Dead made by McNutt and his cohorts City guards-all men of expert- Dillinger, who had confided to linger had boasted of having men make no revelations. His (Tribune pboto.) was that thete had been clerical ence - and had replaced them Sherif John Belton that he had $100,000, and it was known he own story of the alliances bought ANNA SAGE ., ." the woman in r.cf." errors. It was also brought out with political appointees. $100,000cached away and II could paid handsomely for every favor in Indiana and elsewhere, with that warnings about the prison- get it as soon as I reach Indi- shown him. Piquett was his pay- Then the governor promised have a pistol. He had whittled the loot of his holdups, remains er's character were ignored. H. ana," was lifted into a plane on oft man (this was disclosed had been extremely active In pre- a nul Investigation. He would a piece of wood with a safety untold. In part it is suppressed. W. Claudy, a deputy warden at Jan. 30. With him were Deputy later). Evelyn Frechette was a senting evidence to this grand appoint an Impartial commission razor blade. He had made the jury. The jury, incidentally, sup- Several times the Indiana state Michigan Cit y, a Republican Sherif Carroll Holley of Lake gang moll. Bogue was a slip- to investigate. None was ap- stick into the form of a pistol administration has gone through holdover, stated later that he county, Indiana, and Chief of pery criminal who drew no lines ported the theory that the comic pointed. The prison board of and had darkened it with shoe the form of opening an investi- had written two letters opposing Police Nicholas Makar of East of honesty. wooden gun cowed the jail trustees gathered and made a polish. With this toy he had guards. gation. It has never finished the parole. Dillinger, he said, Chicago. Holley is a cousin of With their aid or without, Dll- report. It whitewashed the ad- fooled a jallful of guards. This one. was manifestly a dangerous Blunk was tried for aiding Dil- ministration. As a gesture one was incredible. But not more One Inquiry was begun in the criminal. linger, insisted that the bandit man was fired. That man was incredible than the rest of the fall of 1934 when McNutt was When the quoted reference to had a real pistol, and was acquit- Claudy, the RepUblican who had yarn. ted. The case against Cahoon running his candidate, Sherman Judge Williams' statement be- wanted to keep Dillinger in. He The inescapable fact was that was dropped. Official Indiana Minton, for the United States came public the jurist protested had dared the administration to Indiana had once again turned senate. Nothing m u c h hap- that his stand had been misrep- chose to torget the Dillinger epl- pened, and after election day the make a real investigation ot the the most vicious of American sode. resented. He declared and break. criminals loose on the public. whole matter was allowed to proved that he had recommend· After forwarding the pistols Attorney G e n e r a 1 Cummings • drop. ed leniency tow a r d Dillinger • • to his friends in Michigan City, said it was a disgrace. Sherif Dillinger 1i v e d nearly five • • only if the record justified clem- • Dillinger went back to his rob- Holley said Dillinger was just months after his flight from ency. McNutt continued in his bery work. He knocked over a lucky. James Posey, a Negro Crown Point. He was hunted The first chapter in the life effort to shift blame to the judge. bank in Pennsylvania and two prisoner, reported that "every- like the wild beast he was. The of Dillinger begins with his birth He even maintained that the in Ohio, at Dayton and Bluffton. body knew John was going to in 1902 and ends with his parole court had dealt Inequitably by . middle west armed against him But some efficient Ohio police- get out today." and G-men by the hundreds went from the Michigan City prison giving Singleton a light penalty men were after him. Even be- Governor McNutt made the on his trail. Rewards for a total in May, 1933. and Dillinger a severe one. Al- fore the convicts escaped he had best of a bad situation for the of $15,000 were offered for his His birthplace was a farm though Judge Williams showed been apprehended. With almost state. He saw a .ehance to take capture. twenty miles southwest of In- that Singleton had not been tried absurd ease he was seized in the the heat off his administration, With Evelyn Frechette and dianapolis. His father, indus- before him, the governor made home of a woman friend in Day- In disfavor because of the Michi· Hamilton, Dillinger motored to trious and of good character, no retraction. ton. gan City break, and shift it to St. Paul and then back to Indl- took him as a boy to that elty. That was how John Dillinger After some years the family Charged with the Blu1'tton the authorities at Crown Point. ana. On April 8 he visited old slipped unnoticed through the holdup, he was locked in the jail All were Democrats, but it was moved to Mooresville in Morgan gray walls and started Into the John Dillinger at Mooresville: at Lima, O. He was still there better to let little Democrats Evelyn came back to Chicago. county. There John Dillinger's second pertod of his career. crime career began. on Oct. 13 when three men (Tribune photo.) bear the burden. The two gangsters drove a In the summer of 1924 he and • • • walked into the office of Sherif The Chicago north .ide movie hou.. near which Dillinqerwas ahot. Assistant Attorney General roundabout route to Sault Ste. Jess Sarber. They said they Edward J. Barce went to Crown Marie, Mich. Next they crossed an accomplice, Ed Singleton, Not long was he satisfied on were deputy wardens come from Mrs. Lillian Holley, whom the linger walked out of that escape- Point. He said he was going to into the heavily wooded lake held up a merchant, Frank Mor- the parental acres. He set out gan. After beating him severely Michigan City to take Dillinger Democrats of Lake county had proof jail the morning of March make a thorough Investigation. country of Wisconsin and about to prove his viciousness. With back. The sherif asked for their made sherif.