It was the best of bank robbers, it was the worst of bank robbers, it was the age of outlaws, it was the age of lawmen, it was the spring of Robin Hoods, it was the winter of villains, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.
In 1902, in the bustling heartland of America, the infant Johnny Dillinger came into this world in Indianapolis, Indiana. Born three months after his parents wed, Johnny was initially a surprise but well loved by his stern father and kindly mother. As a youth, he showed more interest in baseball and making mischief than hard work and academics. His boyhood chums called him ‘Johnnie’ and he led them on adventures skinny dipping and pranking the rich folk across town.
Headstrong and reckless, Johnnie quit school at 16 to work in a machine shop. But when the Great War came, he saw a chance to prove his manhood and enlisted in the Navy. The chaos of naval bootcamp only aggravated the rebel in Johnnie. Going AWOL repeatedly, he was discharged dishonorably in 1923. Johnnie returned home embarrassed, angry at the world, and with an itch for trouble.
He soon found an outlet for his frustrations running with local hoods like Ed Singleton and Harry Pierpont. They taught Johnnie the tricks of their trade - cracking safes, stealing cars, robbing grocers. His career in crime accelerated quickly. In 1924 Johnnie was caught robbing a hardware store and earned himself hard time in the Indiana state pen.
Behind bars the brash outlaw was forged. Surrounded by older inmates Ed and Harry, Johnnie received an education in everything illicit. His name changed too -- from Johnnie to the more infamous sounding ‘John Dillinger’. Upon getting paroled in 1933, Dillinger emerged a tenacious and talented bank robber.
He immediately rejoined his gang and commenced a daring spree across the Midwest. With each job, Dillinger displayed cunning and audacity. He leapt over counters, cracked vaults, wore disguises, threatened witnesses, tore out phone lines, led shootouts with cops, and evaded every FBI trap. In between robberies, Dillinger lived lavishly, buying fast cars and fine suits, though he was no womanizer.
As banks failed nationwide, many saw Dillinger as a present-day Robin Hood, robbing from the rich. His image brought copycat criminals hoping to imitate his success and fame. J. Edgar Hoover made Dillinger America’s Public Enemy Number One. But the people cheered their desperado, who had by then conducted over a dozen lucrative heists without being caught.
However, 1934 would prove a turning point for Dillinger. After being captured in Arizona, he escaped using a wooden gun colored black with shoe polish. This breakout propelled him to the height of his legend. Then in July came his downfall in Chicago. Shot and betrayed by a woman, Dillinger met his end outside the Biograph Theater, not yet 31 years old.
John Dillinger, though deeply flawed, lived more boldly in 31 years than most do in a lifetime. He was both reckless punk and folk hero, a complicated man in a complicated time. His shootouts, jailbreaks, and robberies form an American tale of wrongdoing, adventure, love, and death. As the British philosopher Dickens wrote, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness. For John Dillinger walked the line between both. And he inviting America along for the ride.
