Photo ...Dillinger Guns...

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ParadiseRoad

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...Tucson Police Sgt. Tom Keeley and secretary Linda Bradfield pose in 1961 with guns confiscated from the Dillinger Gang...

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...link to story CLICK HERE
 
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Around my parts, John Dillinger is a bit of a folk hero. I think he would have been one heck of a neighbor to BBQ with. One of his guns went on auction a couple years ago and went for some major dollars, much more than I could handle even with my SSI.
 
To the OP

Thanks so much for this fascinating photo and link. Just imagine: two U.S. municipalities arguing how a Thompson is a part of their history! How cool is that?

Unlike the movie of the same name, "Public Enemies" by Bryan Burrough paints these hoodlums as they really were: on the run most of the time, looking over their shoulders. There is also much to admire about his treatment of the FBI agents and other LEOs who hunted down these criminals.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103
 
The two Winchester self loaders have what looks like a bracket mounted on the forend, possibly to hang that extra vertical foregrip on.
Regards,
turnerriver
 
VN Vet said:
Around my parts, John Dillinger is a bit of a folk hero. I think he would have been one heck of a neighbor to BBQ with. One of his guns went on auction a couple years ago and went for some major dollars, much more than I could handle even with my SSI.
Click to expand...

Dillinger was carefully crafting his own "folk hero" image, and a lot of people fell for it back then and in the re-telling of the story up to today.

A famous example was the picture below from the Lake County jail in 1934, where Dillinger got the county prosecutor to pose with the latter putting his arm around Dillinger's shoulder for the eager press photographers, giving a boost to his celebrity status.

This created great difficulties for the authorities hunting the "public enemies" later, since many folks bought into this Robin Hood charade about "robbing the rich banks" and not the common people, and kept their mouths shut when they should have made a call.
 

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A Snapshot in time...On Tuesday January 30th, 1934..............

............shortly after Noon,a Ford Tri Motor landed at Adams Field in Little Rock, Arkansas. On board were PA Robert Estill, and Deputy Sheriff Holley, of Lake County Indiana, East Chicago Indiana, Chief of Police Nick Makar, and Officer Hobart Wilgus, and John Dillinger.

Traveling from Arizona, where Dillinger had been captured the week before, back to Lake County they stopped to refuel.

They were met by Little Rock PD Chief of Detectives Pitcock, and Detective Sergeants Cousins, Smith, Peterson, and Fink all armed with Thompsons or Rifles.

At first Dillinger refused to get off the plane to stretch his legs until the attendant managed to spill some av gas on him. After deplaning cuffed to COP Maker he tried to keep turning to avoid the Arkansas Gazette Reporter who was trying to get a photo.

Finally the reporter asked him to be a Sport and pose. Dillinger replied there have been too many photos taken and another won't do any good.

The reporter said well at least show us you can take it. JD said your are right I can take it and the photo was taken.

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Wasn't he carrying a Colt .32 or .380 auto when Melvin Purvis and the other G-men shot him down?? I think the FBI retains that gun.
 
Indeed all the references I've seen indicate he was carrying a Colt Pocket Model 1908 (the .380 version of the 1903-.32, not the Vest Pocket .25) when coming out of the theatre that night.

Spotting a 1913 production Colt Pocket .380 collecting dust in a LGS case years ago spurred me to my first purely collectible firearms purchase, although it has faithfully and perfectly fired many rounds since. :)
 
kip595 said:
Indeed all the references I've seen indicate he was carrying a Colt Pocket Model 1908 (the .380 version of the 1903-.32, not the Vest Pocket .25) when coming out of the theatre that night.
....
Click to expand...

Here's a still from an old newsreel of Dillinger's personal effects being shown to the press after his death, including the Colt.
 

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Texas Star said:
Wasn't he carrying a Colt .32 or .380 auto when Melvin Purvis and the other G-men shot him down?? I think the FBI retains that gun.
Click to expand...

The most famous person in the town I grew up in was Melvin Purvis. He was an attorney and owned the local radio station. Lived in a huge house on several acres on Cherokee Road. The house is still there. A lot of folks in town never believed he killed himself. We used to ride bicycles out to where he lived, it was in the outskirts of town then. Today right in town. Of course all this was back in the 1900s. I love saying that. If I remember correctly he died about 1960 or so. He came and spoke to us in school a time or two.
 
kaaskop49 said:
Unlike the movie of the same name, "Public Enemies" by Bryan Burrough paints these hoodlums as they really were: on the run most of the time, looking over their shoulders. There is also much to admire about his treatment of the FBI agents and other LEOs who hunted down these criminals.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103
Click to expand...

Excellent book. I'm re-reading it at the moment, and highly recommend it.
 
joe44va said:
Look how light Sgt. Keeley's belt looks.
Click to expand...

That's just plain old ordinary wear......with no shoe polish to restore the look........been there.......

However, I did always prefer the "River Belt" over a Sam Browne.....
 
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