Dillinger's Charisma
A consummate charmer
What made the prolific bank robber different from his peers was his charisma and wit. As seen above, he poses with a prospective prosecutor but moments later, he would take this opportunity to signal to his gang of a forthcoming escape.
Timeline
Jan. 1, 1934
midnight
Gang fires machine guns at the beach to celebrate the New Year. The sound was not observed out of the norm due to fireworks being set off by others in the area.
January 1934
Billie consults with George R. Brokins, Attorney at Law, at 707 Stevens Building, Chicago, about divorcing her husband, Welton Spark, #42165, U.S. Penitentiary, Leavenworth, Kansas.
Early Jan. 1934
Dillinger, Makley, Clark and Opal Long party in Daytona Beach, Florida, while Harry Pierpont, Mary Kinder and Mary's sister Margaret go to Miami. l
Jan. 6, 1934
Saturday
Michigan City escapee Walter Dietrich captured in Bellwood, Illinois, and returned to prison.
Jan. 14, 1934 Sunday: Dillinger, Makley, Clark and Opal Long are chased by Daytona Beach police in the afternoon. They head south to meet Pierpont in Miami. A possible escape route to Cuba.
Jan. 15, 1934
Monday
According to Mary Kinder the First National Bank of East Chicago, Indiana, was robbed by John Hamilton, Homer Van Meter and an unidentified man associated with Baby Face Nelson (possibly John Paul Chase, Tommy Carrol or Eddie Green).
BANDIT CAR: Blue Plymouth
WOUNDED: Hamilton; shot in right hand,losing finger, shot four times in groin.
KILLED: Officer William Patrick O'Malley
TAKE: $20,000
Jan. 16, 1934
Tuesday
Bloodstained and bullet-riddled Plymouth getaway car found at Byron Street and California Avenue, Chicago.
Jan. 17, 1934
Wednesday
Early morning hours of 1 or 2 a.m. Dillinger, Makley, Clark and Opal Long visit John's father in Mooresville, Indiana. After a few hours they leave and John stays the night. Later John goes off to his brother Hubert's work. Clark, Makley and Opal Long head directly to Tucson from their only visit to John's home.
Jan. 18, 1934 John goes to Chicago to check on Hamilton and meets Billie there. Hamilton pays gambling debts to John using East Chicago money. John and Billie go back to Mooresville farm in route to St. Louis to introduce Billie to John's father again and confirm he was not in East Chicago. He tells his dad he has no intent of hurting anyone let alone killing anyone.
Jan. 19, 1934
With Billie Frechette, Dillinger attends the auto show at the St. Louis Municipal Auditorium. A Boston Bull Terrier Dillinger had bought for Frechette gets loose at the show. An officer on duty at the show catches the dog and returns it to Dillinger.
Jan. 22, 1934
Monday
The Congress Hotel, where Clark and Makley are registered, catches fire. The two pay firemen $50 to retrieve their belongings, then relocate to a house on 927 North Second Avenue.
*In California, Baby Face Nelson buys himself a new getaway car, a Hudson sedan, issued to him under the name of James Rogers.
Jan. 23, 1934
Tuesday
Browsing through detective magazines back at the station, the firemen recognize Clark's mug shot and notify the Tucson police. Harry Pierpont and Mary Kinder arrive at Tucson cabins.
*Kidnap victim Edward Bremer released.
Jan.24, 1934 Late Wednesday Dillinger and Billie arrive in Tucson after checking escape routes into Mexico.
Jan. 25, 1934
Thursday
Charles Makley arrested at a radio store in downtown Tucson; Clark and Opal Long captured at the house on North Second Avenue; Pierpont and Mary Kinder apprehended on South Sixth while trying to leave town in a '34 Buick. Hours after Clark's arrest, Dillinger and Frechette arrested at the North Avenue house.
Jan. 26, 1934
Friday
Preliminary hearing before Justice of the Peace C.V. Budlong, Pima County Courthouse. Bond set at $100,000 for everyone except Frechette ($5,000). Gang represented by L.A. attorney John Van Buskirk.
Jan. 29, 1934
Monday evening
Dillinger flies by charter plane to Douglas, Arizona, to make American Airways connection. He leaves Douglas at 11:40 p.m., makes stops in Dallas, Fort Worth, Little Rock, Memphis and St. Louis. Lands at Midway Airport, Chicago, at 6 p.m. Jan. 30.
Jan. 30, 1934
Tuesday
Thirteen-car motorcade begins journey to Crown Point, Indiana; arrives at the Lake County Jail at 7:40 p.m.
Jan. 31, 1934
Wednesday
Louis Piquett, Esq., and Arthur O'Leary, Piquett's investigator, travel to Crown Point in an attempt to see Dillinger. Denied access, they return to Chicago.
Feb. 1, 1934
Thursday
Piquett again drives to Crown Point to meet Dillinger. He is first met by Warden Lou Baker, searched, then allowed to see him.
Feb. 5, 1934
Monday
Preliminary hearing before Judge William J. Murray. With 50 guards present, the shackled Dillinger is represented by Joseph Ryan, a one-armed lawyer from Indianapolis. Ryan was hired by John Sr. Unhappy with Ryan's representation, Dillinger demands to see Piquett, who subsequently replaces Ryan.
Feb. 9, 1934
Friday
Dillinger is arraigned; the trial is set for March 12.
Feb. 10, 1934
Saturday
Prosecutor Robert Estill asks Judge Murray to transfer Dillinger to Michigan City for safekeeping. The request is denied.
Feb. 15, 1934
Thursday
Arthur O'Leary travels with Piquett to Crown Point and meets Dillinger for the first time.
Feb. 17, 1934
Saturday
Pierpont, Makley and Clark plead not guilty to the Sarber killing. Mary Kinder is released.
Mid-Feb. 1934
Arthur O'Leary and Piquett arrange fto meet with John where trial strategy and payment arrangments discussed.
Feb. 26, 1934
Monday
Billie Frechette visits Dillinger at the Jail in Crown Point. She poses as John's wife.
Feb. 28, 1934
Wednesday
Piquett and O'Leary rbecome concerned that Hamilton and Van Meter may attempt a violent rescue of John.
Dec. 11, 1933
Monday
Tommy Carroll engages in gun battle with police in San Antonio, Texas. Detective H.C. Perrow is slain..
Dec. 14, 1933
Thursday
John Hamilton kills Sgt. William T. Shanley in a North Broadway garage in Chicago
Mid-Dec. 1933
Dillinger and Frechette, after visiting John Sr. at the Mooresville farm, drive to Daytona Beach, Florida. In addition Pierpont and Mary Kinder head to Daytona. Charles Makley, Mary Kinder's sister Margaret, Russell Clark and Opal Long also go to Daytona Beach to vacation and get out of Chicago as Frank Nitti was angered by Hamilton's killing of a Chicago Detective. Mary was trying to see if Margaret would take a liking to Fat Charlie Makley but the romance didn't take. All three cars took different routes and left at different times. They were to meet in Nashville, TN before leaving for Florida. In Tennessee Margaret joined Harry and Mary to Harry's objections.
Dec. 20, 1933
Wednesday
Edward Shouse captured in Paris, Illinois, and returned to Michigan City.
Dec. 21, 1933
Thursday
Homer Van Meter and John "Red" Hamilton join the gang in Daytona and ask for assistance with Chicago mob planned bank robbery of an East Chicago bank. Dillinger and Pierpont feel it might be a Nitti trick to take action against them so they reject the offer. Hamilton and Van Meter leave as Pierpont makes it known that Van Meter is not welcome.
Dec. 23, 1933
Saturday
Hilton Crouch apprehended at 420 Surf Street, Chicago; sentenced to 20 years for the Massachusetts Avenue Bank job.
Christmas Day 1933
Monday
Dillinger has a great Christmas with Evelyn. The next day he sends Evelyn "Billie" Frechette with his car, a diamond ring, thousands of dollars in cash with instructions to go back to the Indian reservation in Neopit, Wisconsin, file for a divorce and help her family have a great Christmas. She stops by the Mooresville farm with gifts to John's family too.
April 3, 1934
Tuesday
Eddie Green shot and mortally wounded by agents at 778 Rondo Avenue, St. Paul. Eddie rambles unconciously as he is dying while federal agents write everything down.
April 4-6, 1934
Dillinger and Frechette travel to Mooresville to visit John's father, arriving on the 5th. On the 6th, Dillinger and his half brother, Hubert, drive to Leipsic, Ohio, to make contact with Pierpont's family.
April 7, 1934
Saturday afternoon
Dillinger, with Billie, purchases a car in Indianapolis for cash. Billie lists her address as 409 North LaSalle Street, Indianapolis, the address of Dillinger's half-brother, Hubert. The car is purchased hours after Dillinger and Hubert flee from a wreck in Noblesville. When the police discover the hot money, and Hubert's address, they raid Hubert's home and Mary Kinder's the following day.
April 8, 1934
Sunday
Dillinger family reunion back in Mooresville. The farm is under surveillance at the time, but Dillinger leaves for Chicago after dinner.
April 9, 1934
Monday
Billie Frechette arrested at State & Austin Tavern at 416 North State, Chicago, by Melvin Purvis. Dillinger escapes unnoticed.
April 11, 1934
Wednesday
Eddie Green dies. He is buried at St. Peter's Cemetery, Mendota, Minnesota. The grave marker is missing.
April 13, 1934
Friday
early morning
Dillinger robs Warsaw, Indiana, police arsenal with Homer Van Meter.
TAKE: Two revolvers and four bulletproof vests
*At the state prison in Columbus, Ohio, Warden Preston Thomas intercepts a pamphlet of St. John's gospel sent to Pierpont from, he believes, Dillinger. The scriptural pamphlet has a page turned down and a chapter marked with blue ink. It reads: "Let not your heart be troubled; Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's home are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." Preston intercepts another communication mailed from Chicago April 16. It reads: "Have no fear; Jesus has come once, He will come again."
April 14, 1934
Saturday
Allegedly Dillinger and Van Meter stop at the Evening Star Tourist Camp in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and speak to proprietor Mrs. Frank Cargin about a cabin. Mrs. Cargin explains to the men that the camp is not yet open for business, but she later discovers that one of the cabins had been broken into and that the two men had stayed two or three nights.
April 17, 1934
Tuesday
Dillinger and John Hamilton drive to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to visit Hamilton's sister.
April 18, 1934
Wednesday
May and Salt arraigned; bond set at $50,000 each. Unable to furnish the bond, they are held in the Ramsey County jail.
April 19, 1934
Thursday
Van Meter, Tommy Carroll, Baby Face Nelson, Marie Comforti, Jean Delaney, and Helen Gillis meet at the Crystal Ballroom in Fox River Grove, Illinois.
April 20, 1934
Friday
1 p.m.
Homer Van Meter, Marie Comforti, and Pat Reilly arrive at Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish, Wisconsin. Dillinger, Hamilton, Pat Cherrington, Tommy Carroll, Jean Delaney, Helen Gillis, and Baby Face Nelson arrive around 5:30 p.m.
April 21, 1934
evening
Pat Reilly, with Pat Cherrington accompanying him, is sent back to St. Paul to collect $4,000 owed to Van Meter by Harry Sawyer, St. Paul underworld fixer and Dillinger gang contact man, who, Reilly later states, was holding the money for Van Meter to be "cooled" after a prior bank heist. Reilly is given $30 for expense money by Van Meter and is instructed to contact Tommy Gannon, a minor St. Paul hood. Upon his arrival in St. Paul, Gannon is found to be drunk, so he and Cherrington again head back to Little Bohemia. Reilly later states to the FBI that before leaving he did receive $1,000 of the money owed to Van Meter by one Phil Clarrity, local bootlegger, who was holding this money for Sawyer.
April 22, 1934
Sunday
FBI trap is laid after being informed of the gang's whereabouts. The men escape unscathed.
CAPTURED: Helen Gillis, Marie Comforti, and Jean Delaney
WOUNDED: John Hoffman, John Morris (by FBI) J.C. Newman, Carl C. Christensen (by Baby Face Nelson)
KILLED: Eugene Boiseneau (by FBI) W. Carter Baum (Baby Face Nelson)
*Billie arrives in St. Paul from Chicago to await trial.
April 23, 1934
Monday
Near Hastings, Minnesota, attempting to drive into St. Paul, Dillinger, Van Meter and Hamilton engage in gun battle with police. Hamilton is wounded in back. Hamilton is brought to Chicago. Dillinger appeals to the crime syndicate for help. He is turned down. Dillinger next contacts Doc Moran, physician of the Barker-Karpis gang. Doc Moran refuses but sends them to the barker-Karpis gang.
April 27, 1934
Friday
Hamilton dies from his wounds in Aurora, Illinois, and is buried by Dillinger, Van Meter, Volney Davis, Doc Barker, William Weaver and Harry Campbell in a gravel pit near Oswego, Illinois.