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Introducing the Players

The Gang in Tucson (2).jpg

Dillinger and his gang sitting in a Tucson, Arizona courtroom following their arrest over a bank robbery in East Chicago, Indiana

Prison Time

While in prison, Dillinger made new contacts including seasoned bank robbers Harry Pierpoint, Charles Makley, Russell Clark, and Homer Van Meter. These men taught Dillinger much of what he knew on the inner workings of heists and would later become part of Dillinger's crew.
Harry Pierpoint.jpg

Mugshot of Dillinger gang member

Harry Pierpoint

Harry Pierpoint

Loyal friend and mentor, Harry "Pete" Pierpoint was one of Dillinger's closest members and right hand man. The two met while imprisoned at Indiana State Prison, and were bound together in brotherhood after helping each other escape confinement. First, Dillinger helped Pierpoint after being released on parole and returned to help break his newfound friends out of prison, then Pierpoint returned the favor after Dillinger was arrested in Lima, Ohio.

Pierpoint was one of the many influences that lead Dillinger to becoming one of the FBI's most wanted and Dillinger was known to confide in Pierpoint during hardships. Despite being more seasoned than Dillinger, Pierpoint didn't care much for the limelight that followed their escapades and was happy to let Dillinger take the front seat when it came to interacting with the public.
John Hamilton Portrait.jpg

Mugshot of Dillinger gang member

John Hamilton

John Hamilton

John "Red" Hamilton first met Dillinger in Indiana State Prison and the two quickly became friends. Dillinger was paroled before the other men were released and his parting words to them was a promise to come back and break them out. Dillinger later fulfilled that promise when he returned to the prison with smuggled handguns that 10 convicts, including Hamilton, used to escape.

Charles Makley (photo unavailable)

Another of Dillinger's Indiana State Prison friends, Charles Makley was a seasoned bank robber much like the others. He was another one of the convicts that Dillinger aided in his 1933 prison break and when Dillinger was later arrested in Lima, Ohio, Makley was one of the crew that went to bust him out.

Getting the Gang Together

The Dillinger gang pulled their first heist together at the New Carlisle National Bank in New Carlisle, Ohio on June 21, 1933, making off with thousands of dollars and fleeing the police. This robbery was the first of many that would take Dillinger and his group around the country looking for new places to rob and live the high life. That lifestyle eventually brought the gang to Wisconsin. Their target? The American Bank and Trust of Racine.