Going
Home
While
Dillinger sat in the Lima, Ohio, jail, a huge box of thread arrived
at the prison shirt factory. Storeroom manager Walter
Dietrich, disciple of the legendary bankrobber "Baron"
Lamm, took the box and removed the four guns and ammunition that
Dillinger had put inside. The break was planned for September
25, but Pierpont and the other planners feared word would leak out,
so they moved it up to the very next day, September 26.
Actually, the new warden, Louis Kunkel, had no inkling of the break,
although the deputy warden knew something was imminent, but not how
imminent.
The afternoon of the 26th, ten men gathered in the shirt factory
storage room. Guns were given out to Makely, Pierpont and
Hamilton. The others had fake guns. One of these guns
was shoved into the back of the superintendent of the shirt company
while he led the men out to the yard.
There in the yard, they took a guard hostage, the huge mountain
of a man they called "Big Bertha." Pierpont told
him, "If you try anything, you're dead where you stand.
Get it, you big, brave man?" "Bertha" got it.
The superintendent, with a pile of shirts in his hands, led the
convicts, who also carried shirts, across the yard to the Guard's
Hall. "Big Bertha" brought up the rear.
Nobody was suspicious because this was a fairly common occurrence
and the site of "Big Bertha" made it all seem kosher.
Just as they were approaching the main gate, the convicts mugged
the turnkey. Warden Kunkel heard the commotion from the
business office. Someone yelled, "It's a
break!" With Pierpont's gun aimed at his stomach, Kunkel
decided just to be a spectator and not a dead hero that day.
It was pouring rain when they ran through the unlocked
gate. Three of the convicts borrowed a car from a sheriff, who
had just brought in a prisoner, and drove off towards Chicago.
The other six, Pierpont and Makley et al, hijacked a car at the gas
station across the street on sped off towards Indianapolis.
The largest prison break in Indiana history had just been made.
Eventually the men reached their hideout in Hamilton, Ohio, but
narrowly escaped a blockade that Matt Leach had set up. As it
was, one of the convicts, Jim Jenkins, Mary Longnaker's brother was
killed by a local posse. Walter Dietrich, Jim Clark and Joseph
Fox were apprehended shortly after the prison break. Once they
had a chance to rest, Pierpont realized that even though the Dayton
jail was just a little over a hundred miles away, they wouldn't be
able to try to spring him without the proper expense money and guns.
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Mary Kinder (UPI) |
Mary Kinder, Pierpont's mistress, rejoined the gang and agreed to be
the "wheel man" for their next bank robbery. Makley
convinced the group that they should rob the bank in his home town
of St. Marys, Ohio. Even though the bank had been closed by
the Treasury Department, it just happened to have a large amount of
money on hand for the planned reopening of the bank.
Pierpont went up to the cashier with a map. The cashier
looked up, ready to help Pierpont with directions and saw the gun
that was concealed under the map. Pierpont and Makley left
with two sacks of cash, while the police chief sat a few blocks away
watching the World Series. They got away with $11,000, much
more than they needed in expenses to raid the Lima jail and far more
than they expected from the little bank.
While Dillinger was in jail, he wrote to his father:
"Hope this letter finds you well and not worrying too much
about me. Maybe I'll learn someday, Dad that you can't win in
this game. I know I have been a big disappointment to you but
I guess I did too much time for where I went in a carefree boy I
came out bitter toward everything in general. Of course, Dad,
most of the blame lies with me for my environment was of the best
but if I had gotten off more leniently when I made my first mistake
this would never have happened....I am well and treated fine.
From Johnnie."
He was being treated very well by Sheriff Jess Sarber and his
wife, who lived at the jail building.
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Billie
Frechette & John Dillinger (Wide World Photos) |
Pierpont had brought along Dillinger's new girlfriend, Billie
Frechette. She was a pretty dark-haired woman, part American
Indian, who grew up on a reservation. His intent was to pass
off Billie as Dillinger's sister and get her inside the jail so that
they had some idea of the layout before they attacked.
Pierpont asked a local lawyer if he would arrange for Dillinger's
"sister" to be able to see him. Instead of a
simple "yes" or "no," the lawyer said he'd talk
it over with Sheriff Sarber the next day.
Concerned that Sarber might see through the ruse, Pierpont
decided to try to free Dillinger right away. The plan developed
almost instantly: Ed Shouse would be the lookout; Harry
Copeland would guard the cars; and John Hamilton would stand near a
couple hundred feet away from the jail.
Toland tells how at 6:20 P.M., Pierpont, Makley and Clark armed
with pistols went into the jail, which was also the residence of
Sheriff Sarber. Sarber and his wife had just finished dinner
and were sitting in the office with their deputy. Pierpont
told them, "'We're officers from Michigan City and we want to
see Dillinger.'
"'Let me see your credentials,' Sarber responded."
"Pierpont calmly pulled out a gun. 'Here's our credentials.'
"'Oh, you can't do that,' said Sarber, reaching for the gun
in the desk drawer.
"Pierpont panicked and impulsively fired twice. One
bullet went into Sarber's left side, through the abdomen and into
his thigh. He fell to the floor.
"'Give us the keys to the cell,' said Pierpont, but Sarber's
answer was to try to rise. Makley stepped forward and hit him
over the head with the butt of his gun, accidentally discharging a
wild shot. Sarber collapsed, moaning."
Mrs. Sarber grabbed the keys and gave them to Pierpont. He
opened up the cell, gave Dillinger one of his guns, and they
ran out to the car.
Sarber, in great pain, looked at his wife, "Mother, I
believe I'm going to have to leave you." He died an
hour and a half later.
