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Last of the Dillingers


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It was brought to my attention today, that John's 1/2 sister, Francis Dillinger Thompson has passed away. This is the end of the Dillinger family that was directly ( first generation) related to John Dillinger.

gone:

Audery, sister from his mother and father

Hubert, Doris & now Francis, 1/2 siblings from Dillinger Sr's second wife.

 

FYI to you historian types

 

Sandy

001 (3).jpg

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93 I think, John would of been 112. Francis was his baby sister.

 

Francis Dillinger & Billie Frechette at the 1934 family picnic.

Billiesis.jpg

Edited by OCM
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Since this is a Thompson forum, the story goes that ( see if I can get this correct ) Francis' step sister Audrey and her daughter Mary, John Dillinger's sister & niece , rode to Indianapolis with John & girlfriend Billie, in a 34 Ford , with a Thompson in the back seat, " on my lap " she ( Mary) said.

 

That's a stretch-

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Yes, she lived in Mooresville all her life as did her sister Doris who is passed now.

Francis lived in two places, the Dillinger family farm, which is still there and occupied by a Dillinger family member, and a home with her husband.

All in Mooresville, Indiana.

I can't say a lot, but have visited there 4-5 times, actually have been invited to spend the night in John's old room, at the farm.

There is a spot at the bottom of the stairs, leading up to the bedroom, where Dillinger Sr made John leave his Thompson. ( story from the family).

 

OCM

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Joe Pinkston that owned the Dillinger museum in Nashville, IN had seriously looked into that but the town stopped it- Didn't want to be associated with a outlaw. This was back in the 80s. Now there is some new interest in turning the farm into a museum again. Not a B&B type thing, a full scale museum. There are a lot of private family memorabilia that could go on display. The farm has actually been , or started to be, restored to the time John Dillinger lived there. Lot of original doors and stuff like that still are in the place and used. This was partially guided by the Dillinger sisters.

We'll see.

Edited by OCM
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  • 2 months later...

JPW-

The obit didn't but local Indiana newspaper stories mention she was the sister of notorious Indiana outlaw John Dillinger .

Yes, a bit interesting her married name was Thompson-

 

The early family did pronounce the name with a hard " G" , like Dillin " grrrrrrr" . Doris made that real clear when I asked her.

 

Just in case anyone wants to know ( yawn)

 

OCM

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Joe Pinkston that owned the Dillinger museum in Nashville, IN had seriously looked into that but the town stopped it- Didn't want to be associated with a outlaw. This was back in the 80s. Now there is some new interest in turning the farm into a museum again. Not a B&B type thing, a full scale museum. There are a lot of private family memorabilia that could go on display. The farm has actually been , or started to be, restored to the time John Dillinger lived there. Lot of original doors and stuff like that still are in the place and used. This was partially guided by the Dillinger sisters.

We'll see.

I recall being in the Nashville, IN museum in the past.

Went there a couple of years ago and the whole place had turned into a Gatlinburg clone. No museum anymore.

The most famous former resident of this area, and they didn't have anything Dillinger when I was there.

Edited by jpw43
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JPW43-

 

Joe Pinkston sold the Nashville, IN museum to the visitors & Convention Center many years ago, in Hammond. Now it's been transferred to the Crown Point jail where JD escaped from. You are lucky to have seen Joe's old place, a fascinating collection of John Dillinger stuff.

Joe was the king of Dillinger stuff, researching things way before any of us got into it. Great guy too.

Bill Helmer & I spent two days there in 1989. Joe allowed me to take about 72 photos of stuff there- Two rolls of 36 if anyone remembers filmed cameras. Hard to even buy film anymore, certainly not 110 Kodak- Yes I remember that- The Brownie.

 

OCM

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JPW43-

 

Joe Pinkston sold the Nashville, IN museum to the visitors & Convention Center many years ago, in Hammond. Now it's been transferred to the Crown Point jail where JD escaped from. You are lucky to have seen Joe's old place, a fascinating collection of John Dillinger stuff.

Joe was the king of Dillinger stuff, researching things way before any of us got into it. Great guy too.

Bill Helmer & I spent two days there in 1989. Joe allowed me to take about 72 photos of stuff there- Two rolls of 36 if anyone remembers filmed cameras. Hard to even buy film anymore, certainly not 110 Kodak- Yes I remember that- The Brownie.

 

OCM

I stayed in Crown Point a couple of years ago, but the building wasn't open that day, darn it!.http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x124/jpw43/Crown%20Point%20Jail_zpsguvmvr0j.jpghttp://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x124/jpw43/Crown%20Point%20Jail%20Plaque_zpsr6n8sgo8.jpg

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The building doesn't look nearly as big as it does in the movies. I wonder where the car garage is and how JHD got from the cell to the cars.

Everyone was upset at the time but if not for the jail break the building may have been torn down to make room for a pizza shop or gas station.

Jim C

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What you are looking at is the old Sheriff's house. The jail itself was behind, connected, 3 story brick jail . To the left of the house is the court house that was connected by a breezeway. The prisoners were taken back and forth as needed.

To the left of the court house was the Main street Garage.

Dillinger broke out of the l building went into the old Sheriff's house, into the kitchen out the RIGHT side door of the Sheriff's house, went straight BACK to the rear street, around the block, up the alley next to the Main Street Garage, in the side door of the MSG, stole the Sheriff's 33 Ford, then out the FRONT of the MSG, took a right and ..................

Basically went around the block.

 

Here are some old photos of the site, just after the escape. Also Dillinger being led through the breezeway to the Court House. You can see the layout, breezeway, court house, MSG..... Also one of the Sheriff's house in use still by the police in a rather contemporary photo ( 1969 I think) . The breezeway was torn down, maybe in the 70s.

Be a fun place to visit now

Crown Point just after escape.jpg

Crown Point front.jpg

Edited by OCM
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Sandy,

Very interesting pictures. Now that I see the much greater size of the buildings involved it makes the escape all the more impressive. This all could have been stopped if Lillian had spent the day wiping her Thompson with an oily rag while watching the jail, instead of baking cookies.

Jim C

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I talked to Lillian once, made the ultimate mistake of bringing up the " D" word. She hung up. The press really hounded her bad- I have a nice video of John being displayed in the jail, just after being captured, the happy family photo that is real common, where John put his arm on the prosecutor, Estill.

They didn't allow audio, just video cameras. It was like a Hollywood premier- You can see Lillian got real pissed- Why? Because I had a friend that could read lips, translate the brief encounter- This was in the 80s I did this.

Dillinger smiles and says " Tomorrow ". Apparently one of the reporters asked when he planned to get out of here- This is when Holley gets pissed and " enough" .

dshots279.jpg

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Mrs. Holley doesn't seen all to pleased- Mr. " Hollywood" Dillinger is there on murder charges.

 

In the words of Bill Helmer: " Crime Never Pays but can be the road to immortality "

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