John Dillinger was an outlaw until he got locked up in a jail that was considered “inescapable.”
John Dillinger has been the subject of many a biopic on historic bank robberies and prison breaks. With one of the most infamous mugshots of all time, Dillinger led an incredibly exciting, and crime-laden, life.
Starting as a child, Dillinger had shown early signs of criminal intent. He grew up under harshly strict parents in Indianapolis. Dillinger’s youth escapades incentivized his father to move them to rural Indiana, isolating John from negative influence.
Unfortunately, Dillinger did not take well to the change in scenery. He maintained his petty crime spree, and after time lost touch with his father. This led to Dillinger joining the navy, which took him back to his former stomping grounds, Indianapolis.
Dillinger did not stay away from crime for very long, he successfully completed a robbery but was caught some time afterward. He then served 8 years of his sentence and was paroled.
Almost immediately after his release, Dillinger robbed a bank in Bluffton, Ohio. He was then placed in the county jail to await sentencing, where a document containing prison escape plans was found on his person. Dillinger denied involvement, and 4 days later 8 of the other inmates being held escaped using the same plans found on Dillinger’s person.
The inmates returned to spring Dillinger out, claiming they were going to take him to Indiana state prison. They then shot the sheriff when challenged about their credentials, they broke Dillinger out and went their separate ways.
Dillinger then spent several years working with well known Mafioso “Baby Face Nelson,” which lead to his infamous prison escape. After a short period of freedom and bank robberies without conviction, Dillinger was caught with a significant amount of money and multiple stolen guns.
He was placed in a holding cell at a county jail, where he whittled a wooden gun and dogged down the prison guards to release him, lock themselves in his cell, and relinquish all of their weapons.
After this escape attempt, Dillinger was a most wanted criminal. After a year of running from authorities, he was finally cornered and shot to death by the FBI on July 22nd, 1934. Dillinger was a cult celebrity at the time of his death (kind of like Natural Born Killers style) since he was handsome and incredibly daring.