Dillinger, John

Dillinger, John dĭlˈĭnjər [key], 1902–34, American bank robber, probably b. Indianapolis. Paroled after serving a prison term for attempted robbery, Dillinger organized a gang and terrorized the Midwest in 1933. He escaped jail twice, was held responsible for 16 killings, and was declared “public enemy number one” before he was shot (July, 1934) in a Chicago street by FBI agents.

See J. R. Nash, The Dillinger Dossier (1983); biographies by R. Cromie and J. Pinkston (1962) and by J. Toland (1963).

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