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According to FBI reports, Dillinger had no last words. South Korean singer Moon Bin of Astro at a Chanel event in Seoul on January 26, 2023. They stayed together until Frechette was arrested by Department of Investigation special agents on April 9, 1934, for harboring a criminal. var googletag = googletag || {}; fingerprints with acid. The real John Dillinger did smuggle guns to the inmates but was not present during the escape. Yes. eluded the FBI and became a national September 15, At age 26, she fell in love with bank robber John Dillinger. Sage was murdered in Rumania some years later. he shouted. After several months ,the couple attempted to marry, but timing was against them. Purvis talked with Zarkovich about this and Zarkovich, acting as if amazed and that he himself had been duped by that conniving Anna Sage (sure) helped Purvis out by providing a planted fingerprint card with Dillinger's prints on them (a Chicago Police Department fingerprint card no less, not an FBI card), which Purvis marked in his own handwriting "FBI" as if the prints had been taken by FBI agents of the dead man (none were ever taken as the physicians and the coroner's people told me-and they were in charge of that body). At the age of 18, she moved to Chicago, Illinois, to be closer to her sister. Frechette later told reporters that she never fully understood what Sparks had done. "Should we try southern California?" Who was the dead man? His boss, Hoover, had told him to either get Dillinger or resign. She served two years in prison, then toured the country with Dillinger's family for five years on the "Crime Doesn't Pay" show. John Edgar Hoover, self-styled Machiavellian prince, had been compromised for life by that report. ", That same year, while at a dance hall, Billie Frechette met bank robber John Dillinger. I obtained a copy of that autopsy through one of the pathologists that conducted it years later--he kept copies of that particular autopsy where he held on to none of the many thousands of others he conducted, knowing, as he said to me, that "I knew somebody would come along some day to dig into this story. "Why does Audrey Dillinger frequently go out there--she has no relatives living in California. Frechette, who was then 26, fell in love with Dillinger, then 30, despite his criminal activities. UnlikeBonnie Parker, who wasClyde Barrow'sactive accomplice, Frechette gave Dillinger minimal assistance. Purvis, who had immediately and preemptively announced that the FBI had shot and killed Public Enemy Number One when standing with that body outside the Biograph Theater before a Chicago Police wagon (driven by a friend of Zarkovich's) arrived to take the body to county morgue, had taken all the thunder from Hoover. interview had stepped outside for some Parents: William Frechette and Mary LaBelle William Frechette was born September 23, 1887 in Marinette, Wisconsin and died in April 4,1916. Customers would line up to watch him knock over the targets." Although she later claimed that she had nothing to do with Sage's plan, the D.O.I. starring Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, On April 25, 1936, Sage was forced to return to Romania, where she died of liver failure on April 25, 1947. } 1907, Neopit, Wisconsin, United States of America. He was greeted by throngs of fans and photographers at the Chicago Municipal Airport when he landed. Yes. His mother died when he was young, and he was mostly cared for by his older sister Audrey. She died of cancer on January 13, 1969, at age 61 in Shawano, Wisconsin. -Boston Herald, Yes. In September 1933, Dillinger was able to have guns smuggled into a thread shipment to the shirt factory where the prisoners were working. That night Audett drove Dillinger west to Klamath Falls, Oregon, where he, indeed, did meet and marry an young Indian girl. Walter Spark and his co-defendant, Arthur Cherrington, both married the same day, Cherrington to Patricia Young. She attended a mission school on the reservation, and then was sent to a government boarding school for Indians in South Dakota. Shortly before they left, one of the gang members fatally shot a police officer while picking up a car at a repair shop. Frechette eventually settled down on the Indian reservation where she was born. Frechette continued to struggle in order to make ends meet, doing housework and waitressing to pay the bills. Although the term "gangster" is used for any criminal from the 1920s or 30s that operated in a group, it refers to two different breeds. According to the book John Dillinger Slept Here by Paul Maccabee, the manager reported the couple as being suspicious after they insisted on using the rear entrance and stayed in most of the time. Your email address will not be published. Evelyn Frechette grew up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and gained a measure of fame in the 1930s. Since she was still unaware of which theatre, FBI agents were posted at both theatres while the rest of the agents remained at headquarters. She called two day later (much of this was recorded by Purvis' secretary, who I talked with years later) to tell Purvis that she, Polly, and "her man" would be going that night, July 22, 1934, to either the Marlboro or Biograph Theaters-the "man" had not made up his mind about which film to see. Let them have it!". Evelyn "Billie" Frechette was born in 1907 to a French father and a Native American mother. Frechette was quoted saying "John was good to me. An innocent man had been killed and two other innocent men badly wounded by a bunch of trigger-happy FBI agents led by one of the most irresponsible men in FBI history, who had been pressured into his rash actions by his boss, Hoover. Holley posed for photos with Dillinger, in -FBI.gov, Yes. She died at the age of 61 on January 13, 1969, on Shawano, Wisconsin after battling cancer. Eveyln "Billie" Frechette was released from prison on Jan. 30, 1936. By that time, Dillinger, John Hamilton, Tommy Carroll and others in the gang, who had never fired a shot-there was no "battle"-went out the second floor back windows of the lodge, dropping to earth from a low roof and then ran along the shore of the lake in the darkness and all escaped. "Why there?" "There was something in those eyes that I will never forget. The photo below displays an image of the real Billie Frechette and actress Marion Cotillard. I told that to Audett years later and he said: "That's why John wanted that body buried that way. I believe Zarkovich got a copy of Purvis' report to Hoover, and I believe that John Herbert Dillinger also got a copy of that report, both of these references coming from James Henry "Blackie" Audett, who, as stated above, was Dillinger's liaison in this conspiracy. He totally controlled the public mouth and words of the FBI. She was a member of the Menominee Tribe and had a mixed French and Menominee heritage. Yes. Together they went dancing, to the movies, and to the amusement park. In one letter Frechette sent Dillinger, she begged him not to try to rescue her, for fear he would be identified and killed. witnessed the shooting. There are a wide variety of stories about what happened that day, one of which includes the local police chasing Floyd through the forest before shooting him. He reluctantly decided that it would be impossible. "He looked after me and bought me all kinds of jewelry and cars and pets, and we went places and saw things, and he gave me everything a girl wants. Lawrence Tierney as Public Enemy #1. She lived on the Menominee Reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin until she was 13. Purvis stood outside the theater with a cigar in his mouth and, when he saw Sage, Hamilton and their "man" leave the theater at about 10:20 p.m., he lit that cigar, which was his prearranged signal to Zarkovich that the trio were approaching him. the G-Men. 'Baby Face' Nelson fought with the agents for a while before fleeing into the woods. Film wrong! It sold for twenty-five cents. That way his revenge for the death of his friend would be satisfied. At the age of 18, she moved to Chicago to be closer to her sister. She died on January 13, 1969, in Shawano, Wisconsin. [citation needed] Spark was sentenced, with two others, on July 20, 1932, to a 15-year term at Leavenworth for three counts of robbery of postal substations in drug stores. ", Then Clark blurted: "Go to Puente, wise guy. The shootout actually occurred at the Lincoln Court Apartments in St. Paul, Minnesota where John Dillinger and Billie Frechette were living as Mr. and Mrs. Carl Hellman. By that incredible time, it was imperative to have John Dillinger remain dead--forever. (It was later determined that the men did not hear the FBI due to the car radio.) Pat Reilly and Pat Cherrington saw the shooting start when returning from St. Paul and reversed their car back to the main road to escape. Also, John had his name put on that tombstone to read John H. Dillinger, Jr. There was no junior. All hell broke loose-the agents firing submachine guns, BARs, rifles, pistols and automatics. [2] The role of agent Melvin Purvis is played by actor Christian Bale, Johnny Depp is John Dillinger, Marion Cotillard as Dillinger's girlfriend Billie Frechette. Hoover exploded, telling Purvis that if he did not capture Dillinger quickly, he would personally preside at Purvis' public crucifixion. Spark and Cherrington entered Leavenworth on August 13, 1932. People & Events: Evelyn "Billie" Frechette, 1907-1969. John Dillinger's lover arrested 1934 served jail time with machine gun kelly's wife died on indian. Frechette was 26, Dillinger was 30. I should point out that one of those letters was sent to Melvin Purvis and, after he read it, he took out his old FBI service automatic, walked into his back yard, and blew out his brains. Frechette served two years in federal prison for harboring a criminal and it was there that she learned of Dillinger's death. He said, 'Tell Billie for me: Bye bye, Blackbird.'. He treated me like a lady". She later opened brothels in Gary, Indiana, and Chicago. No major federal case was closed until he, Hoover, closed it, and he did not do that until hereviewed each and every DAILY report from all FBI agents in charge of all areas. of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover then puts a Dillinger paid Louis Piquett, his own lawyer, to take on Frechette's case, and try to free her through legal means. "Get the hell out of here!" Watch this trailer for the 1945 movie That car was shot to pieces, riddled by at least two hundred bullets. After Dillinger was caught in Tucson, Arizona, it was decided that he would be extradited to Indiana to stand trial for the murder of Officer William Patrick O'Malley, who was killed during the First National Bank robbery in East Chicago, Indiana. Zarkovich told Purvis that Sage told him that one of her girls, Polly Hamilton (no relationship to John Hamilton, one of Dillinger's bank robbing associates) was seeing a man she thought was Dillinger. Hoover personally announced or personally approved of all press announcements on all cases. Mary Evelyn "Billie" Frechette was an American Menominee singer, waitress, convict, and lecturer known for her personal relationship with the bank robber John Dillinger in the early 1930s. Charles Winstead, Clarence Hurt and Herman Hollis were all recognized by J. Edgar Hoover for their actions but none were credited with his death. Frechette spent the early days of her life at the Menominee Reservation where she also attended the local school until she was 13 years old. Not exactly. The prisoners successfully escaped that day while Dillinger was sitting in a Lima, Ohio jail after being arrested while visiting his girlfriend. Early Life And Background Born on September 15, 1907, in Neopit, Wisconsin as Mary Evelyn "Billie" Frechette, her father was a French man who died when she was 8, while her mother came from the Native American lineage. Frechette met John Dillinger at a cabaret in November 1933. Yes. Although she enjoyed the time they spent together, Hamilton doubted that Dillinger was in love with her. On the night of March 30, 1934, the FBI set up surveillance on the apartment and the next morning they knocked on the door. She attended the school for three years before moving to Milwaukee to live with her aunt. For four years, she attended a boarding school for Native Americans in Flandreau, South Dakota. Three civilian men who had just finished dinner stepped outside with rifles in their hands and got into their car. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. this celebratory news reel describes how O n this day, Jan. 13, in 1969, Evelyn "Billie" Frechette, best known for her relationship with the bank robber John Dillinger in the early 1930s, died at age 61. In November 1933, she metJohn Dillingerat a dance hall. If he didn't, he learned it from real authorities some few hours later when two physicians (top pathologists; I interviewed both of them) told him that the man killed outside the Biograph could not have been John Herbert Dillinger. She lived on the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin until the age of 13. Hamilton described Dillinger as an Indiana farm boy who liked a home-cooked meal. She lived on the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin until the age of 13. Frechette eventually had two subsequent marriages. bank robber, who became Public Enemy #1 in Although the term "gangster" is used for any criminal from the 1920s or 30s that operated in a group, it refers to two different breeds. The farmer said it was his life savings and that he had just drawn it out. On April 15, 1936, Anna was deported back to Romania for being considered an "alien of low moral character". Frechette served two years in federal prison, and was released in 1936. According to FBI reports, two women in the crowd were also injured during the Biograph Theatre shooting. The ending of Public Enemies might not be as surreal as the ending of some other movies, but we have decided to explain what actually happened in the end of the movie. Dillinger introduced himself as Jimmy Lawrence, a clerk at the Board of Trade. In April 1934, Purvis got a tip that Dillinger and his gang were holed up in a lodge in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin and Purvis gathered every agent in the area, flying with them to that lodge, driving through back roads in the middle of the night to get there. In fact, Frechette was so taken with Dillinger that she assumed a marital role for him and only once aided in his criminal activities; when she drove him to the hospital due to a leg injury from a skirmish with the police. The reporters broke the story and Hoover's Washington critics, chiefly Senator McKellar, jumped all over it-publicly denouncing Hoover, Purvis and their FBI agents as a bunch of gun-happy goons, and demanding that they all resign. In 1926, four Chicago gangsters fled to the Northwoods.Just ahead, Gary Entz tells us exactly what transpired as part of our continued series, A, During the summer of 1958, Rock and Roll pioneers Buddy Holly and the Crickets toured the Upper Midwest as part of the Summer Dance Party tour. What Purvis did that night set in motion what later happened at the Biograph Theater three months later. [2] On 24 April 1928, Billie gave birth to her only child, William Edward Frechette, while residing in an unwed mother's home in Chicago. Her father was French and her Mother was Menominee. the video. She paid dearly for this action which resulted in her being arrested on April 9, 1934, on the charge of harboring a criminal in her Minnesota apartment. Yes. "Oh, my God," Purvis said, then turned and shouted to his agents to stop firing at the lodge, but this did not happen for several minutes. Let's get the hell out of here." They took up positions behind trees and waited. For instance, when Dillinger robbed the bank at Greencastle, Indiana, he noticed a farmer standing in front of a teller holding some cash. It's only when Billie Frechette enters his life, that obvious reasons he starts to have even the idea that there's something beyond the immediate right now. Frechette lived on the Menominee Reservation and attended a mission school there until the age of 13, when she moved to a government boarding school for Native Americans in Flandreau, South Dakota. However, this remains highly disputed. He began a series of quick bank robberies throughout small towns in Ohio and Indiana to fund the escape. The relationship grew into something incredible, but in the end, Evelyn served time for harboring a criminal. At the age of 25, she tied the knot with Welton Walter Spark on August 2, 1932. Frechette served two years in federal prison for harboring hercriminal lover. On March 3, 1934, Dillinger escaped from Indiana's Crown Point Jail with a fake gun and had his hostage drive him away in Lake County Sheriff Lillian Holley's new Ford V-8. Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! They met my eyes and held me hypnotized for an instant." Dillinger was freed and the sheriff's wife Lucy and Deputy Sharp were locked up. He treated me like a lady.". one reporter said. fall in love with the same woman. fresh air during a food break when he Frechette, who had met Dillinger in 1933, was charged with harboring the fugitive in her apartment. Hamilton fled to her workplace, and went drinking with a friend of hers. "Is that your money or the bank's," he asked the farmer. Dillinger not killed by FBI! Dillinger followed by shooting through the apartment door and then into the hallway, before escaping with Billie down a back stairwell and fleeing in a getaway car. Purvis and some of his men then ran up to the riddled car and pulled open the doors. In the wake of John Dillinger's death, After time there, she moved to her aunt's to become a nurse. Dillinger reluctantly gave up his intention only after Piquett threatened to leave him if he killed anyone. In fact, when that work crew drove into that cemetery to pour all that iron, steel and concrete around that dead guy, John and I were sitting in the back of one of the trucks, and we helped them do the job. She died of cancer on January 13, 1969, in Shawano, Wisconsin. Behind the wheel, his face almost shot away and dead, was a third man. He looked after me and bought me all kinds of jewelry and cars and pets, and we went places and saw things, and he gave me everything a girl wants. Is John Dillinger single? Frechette began a. we learned that in April of 1934, Warner Brothers began showing a newsreel about Dillinger's criminal life and the ongoing hunt for him in hopes of sparking some tips. The unyielding violence that ravaged the Native American Race made survival extremely dangerous. In the next year, Billie played the role of lover and companion to America's #1 gangster. Nash informs me he stands behind his two books on the subject, and may have met the real Dillinger many years later. John Dillinger was born on June 22, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana. A crowd assembled and Purvis used his foot to roll over the body of the dead man, his face to the cement. The federal courts maintained that only the Department of Labor had any authority in deportation cases, and was not obligated to honor promises made by Justice Department "gangbusters." She once drove a getaway car after Dillinger was shot by the police. "The pair remained together until Frechette was arrested by the Feds on April 9, 1934. This John Dillinger movie stars One of the reporters took a picture of the shot up workers and Purvis grabbed the camera and removed the film, but the other got a photo of their shot up car (and gave me that photo to me years later). Although they were never able to complete their nuptials, Frechette acted as Dillinger's wife. The gang began running as soon as Purvis and his men opened up on the CCC workers. Billie Frechette greeted them, saying her name was Mrs. Hellman and that she needed to get changed before they entered the apartment. After looking over the surrounding area, he reluctantly decided that any escape attempt would be impossible. When "Big Bill" died, Sage took over the management of the East Chicago brothel where she had been working. Dillinger found Frechette fascinating, and as part of a marginalized and often discriminated part of society, Frechette found Dillingers attentions captivating. After serving her sentence, Frechette toured with members of Dillinger's family to perform in a play called "Crime Doesn't Pay.". A former employee of Anna Sage, Hamilton was working as a waitress and prostitute. I do not know for certain that the man I talked to was John Dillinger or not. Mary Evelyn ("Billie") Frechette was born in Neopit, Wisconsin, on the Menominee Indian Reservation. During her trial in St. Paul, Frechette testified that during her D.O.I. Dillinger was shot in the leg during the skirmish with police, and Frechette drove him to the doctor. She was released in 1936. Before his death, Dillinger frequently met with his lawyers about Frechette's appeal, even though he was already dating Polly Hamilton. When he went down, he said somethin'. Billie Frechette's father died when she was eight years old. Frechette served two years at the Federal Correctional Farm in Milan, Michigan, for violating the Federal Harboring Law. My Answer Man received a question asking if crime expert Jay Robert Nash still holds the theory that John Dillinger was not killed by the FBI in front of the Biograph Theater on July 24, 1934. Born in Romania in 1892, she immigrated to America in 1909 with her first husband, Michael Chiolak. ", While the autopsy was being conducted, James Henry "Blackie" Audett, a West Coast bank robber and one of the last Dillinger associates (who was paroled to my custody years later from a federal prison when terminally ill with cancer, and who gave me much background information no this case) went to a cabin in Aurora, Illinois and told a man waiting there: "Well, you're dead now, John. Dillinger and Frechette reunited in Chicago after Dillinger escaped from prison in Crown Point, Indiana. stop him. Evelyn "Billie" Frechette was born in 1907 to a French father and a Native American mother. They watched as three men emerged from the lodge and slowly went to a car, getting in. Part 1 of the county prosecutor and Sheriff Lillian A John Dillinger In 1907, Evelyn "Billie" Frechette was born in Neopit, Wisconsin. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; Evelyn "Billie" Frechette was born in 1907 to a French father and a Native American mother. interrogation, she had been slapped and deprived of food and sleep for two days. The She made purchases for him, such as clothing and cars, but for the most part, she performed the role of a housewife. A riveting account of the event that helped give rise to the modern American militia movement. The lodge was not officially open, except for its bar which was patronized by local residents and WPA and CCC laborers working in the area. We learn that the notorious while her boyfriend and fugitive, John Dillinger, watched helplessly nearby on April 9, 1934. But their marriage was short-lived due to the fact that Spark was sentenced to serve 15 years at Leavenworth on the charge of robbing drugstores' postal substations. that bank robber John Dillinger watched celebrity. Zarkovich told Purvis that he could arrange for him to talk with Sage about it, if he liked. Federal agents shot and killed Dillinger as he exited Chicago's Biograph Theatre with the two women after watching Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy, and a young Mickey Rooney inManhattan Melodrama-- which was, naturally, agangster picture. eventually caught up with him. Enemies movie trailer for the Michael Mann price of $10,000 on Dillinger's head. Billies lawyer was the flamboyant Louis Piquette, a fellow Wisconsinite who would be immortalized as the lead male character in the musical CHICAGO. She finished two years in prison in 1936, then toured the United States with Dillinger's family for five years with their "Crime Doesn't Pay" show. his tail. Purvis quickly made preparations for Dillinger's capture. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. In researching how accurate is Public Enemies, we learned that Evelyn 'Billie' Frechette (portrayed by Marion Cotillard in themovie) met John Dillinger in a Chicago dance hall in November of 1933. This was ridiculous in hindsight, but Purvis never bothered to check what was showing at those two theaters that night-the Biograph was showing a Clark Gable film, Manhattan Melodrama, and the Marlboro a Shirley Temple film. Goin' Back to T-Town: Revisit a thriving Black community in Tulsa, which rebuilt after a 1921 racially-motivated massacre. trailer for the 1934 film starring actors He had driven there to see the federal prison where Frechette was being held. They remained together until Frechette was arrested by Department of Investigation Special Agents on April 9, 1934. Evelyn Frechette also used the name Evelyn Watson. about the 1930s gangster who robbed banks Frechette traveled with the Dillinger family for five years after her release and his death. I interviewed him in a seedy hotel room in Indianapolis--he had then been in touch with Audrey Dillinger, who lived in the area. Aside from being his lover and companion, Frechette often cooked, cleaned, and ran Dillinger's errands. This story was written by Gary Entz and produced for radio by Mackenzie Martin. Chief He looked after me and bought me all kinds of jewelry and cars and pets, and we went places and saw things, and he gave me everything a girl wants. Additionally, federal agents were given the right to carry weapons and make arrests. Listen below to stories about history, people, culture, art, and the environment in the Northwoods that go a little deeper than a traditional news story allows us to do. committing his final bank robbery. At that time, two reporters, who had heard about the agents flying into the area, followed them to the lodge and waited in thick brush just behind where the agents were positioned. Purvis replied that he had done all he could by informing immigration officials in Washington. She talked about her life with Dillinger, and answered the audience's questions about him. bleeding and dead. Zarkovich said that he had a slight acquaintance with a brothel madam named Anna Sage (a lie-she had been his mistress for years and he had protected her bordello operations in Lake County Indiana for years until she became so notorious that he had to move her operation to Chicago). This was a lie. "John was good to me," she later told reporters. Frechette, who had met Dillinger in 1933, was charged with harboring a fugitive in her St. Paul, Minnesota. the shootout, Dillinger undergoes plastic Other people said she chose the name "Billie" after hearing of her son's untimely death. To build the image of an invincible Bureau, Hoover relentlessly spent much of his time controlling that public image and manipulating the press-newspapers and radio in those days. She worked as a nurse there, but work was hard to come by. grow up on opposite sides of the law. (Hamilton claimed not to have known Dillinger's true identity so she would not be charged with harboring a criminal.). Captain Matthew Leach headed the Indiana State Police during the Dillinger gang's heyday. As the FBI agents were closing in on the Little Bohemia Lodge, the owner's dogs began to bark but Dillinger's gang thought nothing of it. Your email address will not be published. Frechette served two years in federal prison for harboring a criminal. Dillinger's mother died when he was three and he was seeking maternal affection and everything that a man gets from a woman, and his only mode of courtship was caring; was . Audiences often cheered for Dillinger and showed disdain for the special agents. They recorded the eyes of the dead man as brown (Dillinger's were blue or blue-gray); they found none of Dillinger's well documented scars and bullet wounds; they took out the heart and closely examined it and determined that the dead man had had a rheumatic heart condition since childhood and was terminal close to the time of his being shot to death (Dillinger could never have played semi-professional baseball--as second baseman for the Martinsville, Indiana, team--or ever leaped over the six-foot partition cages in banks as he was routinely seen to do in his many bank robberies, with such a heart condition); the body was shorter and heavier than that of Dillinger, that he was prone when shot and had been executed (as accurately described through the path of the bullets outlined by the pathologists) and many more discrepancies in a autopsy that disappeared from the Coroner's office the day it was filed. [3] They began a relationship soon after that. The FBI vehemently denies this and claims that while she was interrogated for two days straight, she was never struck. Did John Dillinger die? crime. Purvis walked to a car in which she was sitting (directed to that car by Zarkovich) and there she told him that she thought that the man seeing her girl, Polly, was Dillinger. When she started dating Martin Zarkovich, an East Chicago police officer, Chiolak divorced her. Sage met with Special AgentMelvin Purvison July 19, 1934. Some music for this commentary camePodington Bear. Anna Sage and Polly Hamilton only knew him as "James Lawrence," who said he worked as clerk at the Commodities Exchange on LaSalle Street (no record of him there). [3] She was arrested on April 9, 1934 for allowing him to hide in her St. Paul, Minnesota, apartment and for obstruction of justice.