John Dillinger
John Dillinger was considered by some to be a
dangerous criminal, while others idealized him as a latter-day Robin Hood.
He gained this reputation (and the nickname "Jackrabbit") for his
graceful movements during bank heists, e.g. leaping over the counter, (a
movement he supposedly copied from watching it in a movie), and narrow getaways
from police. His exploits, along with those of other criminals of the 1930s Depression era,
such as Bonnie and Clyde and Ma Barker,
dominated the attentions of the American press and its readers during what is
sometimes referred to as the public enemy era, between 1931 and 1935, a period which led
to the further development of the modern and more sophisticated FBI.
Robbery career
Altogether, gangs with whom
Dillinger was believed to have been associated robbed about a dozen banks and
stole over $300,000, an enormous sum in the Depression era, totaling nearly
five million in today's economy. The United States Department of Justice
offered a $20,000 reward for Dillinger's capture, or $5,000 for information
leading to his apprehension.
Dillinger's last day of
freedom was July 22,
1934. Dillinger attended
the film Manhattan Melodrama (ironically, a gangster
film) at the Biograph Theater in the Lincoln Park
neighborhood of Chicago
with his girlfriend, Polly Hamilton, and owner Ana Cumpanas
(a.k.a. Anna Sage) who was facing deportation
charges. Sage worked out a deal with the
FBI to set up an ambush for Dillinger and drop the deportation charges against
her. When they exited the theater that
night, Sage tipped off the FBI engaged in a gun battle with Dillinger, killing
him. His last words were "You got
me.”