7 replies to this topic

[Brkdnc]

Thought you guys might like to see some PICS of the Racine Dillinger Tommygun. I was at a subgun match in March in Racine and the Gun Shop/Range had it in for a cleaning. I believe they get it from the Racine department about every 2 years for a check up since I saw it a couple years back also.






To bad they didn't let me fondle it

[Arthur Fliegenheimer]

Looks like some miscreant swiped John D's Colt actuator. Did Hoover get Johnny's signature on the buttstock outside the Biograph theater before he died of lead poisoning?

GH's serial numbers compilation states that Dillinger signed the buttstock while he was in the Tuscon, AZ jail. I hope they had the sense to hand him only the buttstock and not the complete TSMG. Of course that stock might have moved around from TSMG to TSMG since 1934.

[Warden]

I don't know how many Thompsons Dillinger and his gang had, but it's kind of funny that within the last year, I've seen 3 Thompsons allegedly belonging to John Dillinger. There is this one, recently I saw one for sale on the internet with Dillinger artifacts (going for $150,000.) and last summer, on the news, there was a story about the Thompson that Dillinger stole from the Porter county sheriffs dept. in Indiana re-appeared and was given back to the Porter co. sheriffs dept. who said that they were going to destroy it. Dillinger and his guys were around for only about 18 months doing their bank robberies, etc... How many more Thompsons did they have?

[sten guy]

I know of a Thompson that was used to shoot at John Dillinger's drunk brother-in-law....

STEN

[Merry Ploughboy]

Per Herigstad, Gordon, "Colt Thompson Serial Numbers," Forth (sic) Edition, 2004, section 'John Dillinger', page 2, there are (or were) eleven documented Dillinger related Thompsons. At page 21, Thompson S/N 9115 is referred to by the author as "Mystery Thompson" and is not included in the list of eleven documented Thompsons.

[Brkdnc]

From the story I heard this thompson was taken from a Racine officer and he was shot with it. After Dillinger was removed from the picture it was returned to the department. I am sure the documantation pile is a foot high on this one.

[Ron Mills]

If I remember the story correctly, the gun was taken from the gang in Arizona and returned to Racine, as is supported by Gordon H. I saw the gun while it was at the Racine PD, and I believe that story was documented in the display case. I must say, ol' John did a nice job on the carving...rumor has it that he was a horrible shot with a Thompson.

[Ron Mills]

My old hometown P.D. (Grand Island, NE) is a case in point: Years ago when I lived there I asked the chief if they had a Thompson; he said "Sure do. Come on down and have a look at it. Nobody ever shoots the thing. It's too loud anyway, even at the range!"

It was a 1928 Navy, pristine condition, in the nice police case, all the mags, cleaning rod, etc. I was drooling. No, I didn't take a picture. A local Class 3 dealer found out about the gun, and talked them into trading it for 6 Winchester Model 97 riot guns. He later sold the gun for I think $9000. This was in the early 1980's. I guess there was an article in the local paper about the gun recently; I'll try to get ahold of it and link it here.

Ahh, Thompson lore. Keeps us reading, and off the streets, eh fellas...wink!