Some Facts
John Dillinger was due to meet up with Baby Face Nelson and Homer Van Meter on July 23rd, 1934 - the day after he was killed. They were supposed to meet with Chicago fixer Jimmy Murray to go over the details of a proposed million dollar train robbery. Murray had previously masterminded the train robbery at Roundout, Illinois committed by The Newton Brothers (as seen in the film "The Newton Boys"). However, once Dillinger was killed, the train robbery was abandoned.
True Crime author Jay Robert Nash has always insisted that the FBI mistakenly killed a smalltime hoodlum named Jimmy Lawrence, and that the real John Dillinger remained at large.
Dillinger was informally named America's first Public Enemy Number One in a speech given by U.S. Attorney General Homer S. Cummings on June 22nd, 1934.
Was once a professional baseball player.
Deserted from the U.S. Navy.