76 Years Ago Today

It was 76 years ago today that John Dillinger ( or somebody who looked like him) was executed on a sweltering night in Chicago. Was it Dillinger who bought it out side the Biograph Theater that night? The FBI says yes, but they have yet to explain how the guy managed to change his eye color after death, or grow extra teeth.
One thing everyone seems to agree on though is whoever died that night didn't have a chance. There was no attempt to take him alive. The saw him, and they shot him. None of this "Stop or we'll shoot stuff."
The only federal warrant on this guy was for taking a stolen car across state lines. He had never been convicted of a murder, and had only been accused of one, shooting a cop in self defense. Most witness were unsure if it even was Dillinger who was the one who shot the cop, or even if he was there at all that day. Most witnesses also claimed whoever it was who killed that cop  had returned fire, but had  aimed low.
Dillinger was a bank robber who put people in danger with his antics, and hung out with murderers, but he never shot a man in the back, something "the good guys" didn't hesitate to do on the night of July 22, 1934.
Dillinger: Dead or Alive?

The Price Of Fame

I always liked the old school gangsters and outlaws. These new guys got no class. You look at the Fed's Most Wanted list, and it looks like somebody was taking pictures of guys on skid row on casual day. Bums. Back in the day a criminal knew how to dress. What's the point of raking in the dough if you still go around like you can't carry change because of the holes in your pockets?

And most of these current guys are just plain nut jobs. Back in the 20s and 30s, you had guys who robbed and killed, but they didn't usually do it because the dog told them to do it.

Of all the depression era criminals, two stand out above all the rest. There's nobody more famous than Al Capone and John Dillinger. Guys who have never heard of Dutch Schultz or Baby Face Nelson can usually tell you something about these guys. Think of gangster, and you think of Capone. Think of bank robber, and you see Dillinger (or Jessie James if you're into the whole cowboy thing.) These guys are legends now, but they were already famous while they were alive. How many gangsters do you know who hold press conferences and make the cover of Time like Capone? They were stars. That is why we remember them, and that is why they went down. Were either of these guys the most evil or dangerous in their line of work? Far from it. Dillinger would offer his hostages taxi fair and let them wear his coat if it was cold. Capone fed thousands of people during the depression and even paid the medical bills for innocent bystanders wounded when a rival gang tried to rub him out. No, these guys became targets because they did things in a big loud way.