"Don't shoot G-Men, Don't shoot," A Portrait of John Dillinger

Characterized by unemployment...

(Source: LOC)


Prohibition...


(Source: LOC)

and conflict, the middle years of the 1930's were not easy ones for Americans.

It was also a time for gangsters, the Mafia, the mob. Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and others, their day-to-day activities glorified in the press and popular culture on a daily basis.

(Source: Nara)

One of the most popular was John Herbert Dillinger.

(Source: Library of Congress)

"...OK, boys; let's go make a withdrawal...."
-John Dillinger

(Source: Brainyquote)

In and out of trouble since boyhood, Dillinger soon became THE bank robber and all around bad guy of the 1930's:

(Source: Nara)

His exploits became fodder and provided an means of sensationalism and escape for the American public, but there is no denying the fact that he was a hardened criminal.

(Source: FBI)

In the end, however, in the summer of 1934, the G-Men or FBI got their man. Outside the movie theater , The Biograph in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, he was gunned down in a hail of lead by FBI agents.

Over time, many legends have sprung up concerning Dillinger, chief of which was that it was not him, but someone else who's fate ended that day. Authorities claim it was Dillinger, but in some places the mystery lives on.

Sorry for the late posting, but I got bogged down in research on this topic, plus it was fun reading about it. Lots of good links today, so make sure to visit some of them.

Have a great day and see you tomorrow!

Links:

FBI: John Dillinger

FBI (Wikipedia)

John Dillinger (Wikipedia)

Official FBI FOIA Site

Crime Library (John Dillinger)

Official list of songs about Dillinger