Gangster Escape

John Dillinger was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He commanded the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing twenty-four banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned for his crimes several times and shockingly, he escaped twice. His most notorious escape occurred on March 3, 1934, from the Crown Point jail in Indiana using a carved fake gun. That was not his first escape, however.

Dillinger was initially captured in September 1933 and jailed in Ohio. It seemed as if his life of crime was finally over. Then, in October of the same year, he was rescued by five former convicts who had escaped from Indiana State Prison, an operation Dillinger had financed and planned. During this incident, a sheriff was killed, highlighting the violent nature of Dillinger’s criminal activities. Dillinger was ruthless, and he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

While the first escape was shocking enough, it was not his most famous escape. Dillinger’s most famous escape took place from the Crown Point jail, which was previously considered escape-proof. Dillinger managed to make a fake pistol from a piece of wood and a razor, which he painted black with shoe polish. During a morning exercise session, Dillinger suddenly brandished this fake gun, catching the guards by surprise. Dillinger then took several guards hostage and fled the jail in the sheriff’s car, singing as he left, “I’m heading for the last roundup.”

You might have expected Dillinger to lay low following his escape, but he was bold, and continued his crime spree, robbing banks and engaging in shootouts with law enforcement. His escape led to a nationwide manhunt, and he was eventually tracked down and killed by FBI agents on July 22, 1934, outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago. Not many criminals are able to escape from prison, so when it happens not once, but twice it is especially shocking. Things like that can cause a bit of panic for the public. Nobody wants to think of a murdering bank robber running around town. It gives a distinct sense of unease. A prisoner who escapes one can seem like dumb luck, but when they escape twice or mor, they start to get a reputation as a criminal who can’t be held. That leads to much concern in the public eye. They had to figure out a way to hold Dillinger, or as was the case, simply track him down and kill him. That was what ended Dillinger’s reign of terror for good.