Dillinger: fact or fiction?

Dillinger72234 from Bloomington - November 04, 2009 at 4:39 PM

Yes, Dillinger was quite responsible for the FBI's early success. Hoover kept Dillinger's death mask in the lobby display outside his office, as a trophy. Dillinger helped launch the FBI to stardom. As far as the Dillinger's toy gun...it was made of wood. However, other Dillinger gang members Harry Pierpont and Charley Makley did carve guns made of "Soap stone" to aid in an attempted escape from Columbus Ohio State Penitentiary. Hope this is helpful. 7ony Stewart

joeshearer from Noblesville - June 30, 2009 at 2:04 PM

Yet another completely spot on and prescient point from you, sir. By your reasoning, then, he is also responsible for Alan Rickman's line in Die Hard: "I give you the Eff...Bee...Aye." Dillinger was obviously a genius.

Drinky_McGee from Indianapolis - June 30, 2009 at 10:47 AM

Mr. Dillinger was partly responsible for the creation of the F.B.I. as we know it, which means that we have him to thank for the X-Files and Silence of the Lambs.

joeshearer from Noblesville - June 30, 2009 at 10:39 AM

After seeing the movie last night, I can tell you that the wooden gun is 100% accurate, as that's what he used in the movie. So there. In the movie= 100% reality. The movie did also deal with that lack of shall we say solid strategy on the part of law enforcement. He was always a step ahead.

Drinky_McGee from Indianapolis - June 30, 2009 at 10:25 AM

I met a direct descendant of the Dillinger family by chance one night. He knew nothing of the man's life, though. I was the one telling him stories. People have been trying to dig up the facts on this stuff from the time it went down, but there will always be holes in the story. He was a fugitive, after all. He didn't blog about his exploits and didn't live to write a tell-all memoir. I think the conjecture is half the fun.

robbiehix from siloam - June 25, 2009 at 12:03 PM

i understand that there is a popular attorney & radio d.j. that is related to j.d. there in indpls that has all theses answers. couldnt we get him to comment

Taffy from Irvington - June 25, 2009 at 10:50 AM

Ah. I am of the opinion that he wasn't half as crafty as people wanted to believe he was, he was just one of the first people to exploit the gaping holes in law enforcement at the time. I also trust the account that he wasn't the one who even made it, that it was smuggled in by his attorney.

Drinky_McGee from Indianapolis - June 25, 2009 at 8:30 AM

Mr. Taffy, I am aware of that wooden gun, but there is some conjecture that he carved it for the sole purpose of embarrassing the cops after the fact or that he picked up a toy that someone else had carved for the same purpose.

jrahn from St. Joseph, IL - June 24, 2009 at 11:38 PM

There is something called--Too much of a good thing--in regards to 18 inches. That would be just plain scary!!!

Taffy from Irvington - June 24, 2009 at 10:02 PM

Actually, Drinky, we do. The wooden gun is in a lockbox along with chain of custody paperwork verifying that it was held by Dillinger in a photograph outside of his father's house and left there.

Taffy from Irvington - June 24, 2009 at 10:01 PM

Actually, Drinky, we do. The wooden gun is in a lock box in Hammond along with chain of custody paperwork verifying that it is the wooden gun Dillinger was holding in a photograph taken outside of his father's house, where he left it following his escape.

Drinky_McGee from Indianapolis - June 24, 2009 at 5:14 PM

We don't actually know if the gun was soap, wood, a real gun or something else. Nothing that could be authenticated as the weapon in question was ever found. All we have to go on is Dillinger's word, which was notoriously untrustworthy.

akingsbury from Indianapolis - June 24, 2009 at 3:04 PM

So, 18 inches is humanly possible, according to the IU sex researcher. A better question: Is that even close to being desirable?