The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-04-20
BANK EMPLOYE
SEEKS PARDON
FOR DILLINGER
MOOreSViIIe Youth Working
Here Started Petition,
Times Learns.
HUNDREDS SIGN PLEA
Outlaws Admirers to Give
Document to MCNutt,
Is Report.

Document to MCNutt,
Is Report.
A petition for pardon of John
Dillinger. public enemy No l and
avowed foe of banks, is being cir
culated.
The petition was originated, The
Times learned today, by young In
dianapolis bank clerk and a COM
panion.
The bank clerk, an adding ma
chine operator in a downtown insti-
tuition. Is Donald Roe, 25, who drives
daily from Mooresville to his work
here. His companion, according to
Roe, is Clyde Whitney, Candy, R.
r. l.
Neither of them, Roe said, knows
Dillinger, but newspaper accounts of
the desperados activities have
stirred their admiration and SYM
pathy.
A discussion in Edwards restau-
rant in MoOresvilIe, home town of
the gang leader, gave birth to the
idea Of pardon petition, Roe said.
School Teacher Heads List.
Whitney drew it up, according to
Roe, and the latter was put in charge
of getting signatures.
Already the petition, supposed to
contain hundreds of names. has
gone into the mining districts around
NSrazil, into Newcastle, among state
highway employees and into Indi-
annapolis A school teacher was
among the first to sign, according
to Roe.
nervous young man who speaks
with a slight draWl, Roe talks sim
Cerely of his desire to make Indi-
ana a sanctuary for the man hunt
ed in every state in the nation.
The document will be presented
to Governor Paul V. McNutt upon
his return from New York
The desperados father, John Dill
lnger ST., revealed the circulation
of the petition to pardon his son
when he admitted that the younger
Dillinger. wanted for a score of
bank robberies, the murder of De-
tective Pat OMalley OF East Chi
Cago and two Jail breaks, had spent
a quiet weekend at the old home
stead, April 7-8, while a nation
wide hunt for him was in progress.
Conditional Pardon Asked.
The document asks that John
Dillinger be given conditional par
don by the Governor exercising the
emergency powers in him vested to
the following effect
That John Dillinger will sur
render to the nearest legal author
/ity in Indiana and agree to faith
fully abide by the state laws and
discontinue all association and con-
neCtion with law vIolators; any vio-
lation of this agreement to consti-
tute an automatic cancellation of
said pardon and make him answer
able to the law as If same had never
been granted
Among the reasons set forth in
the petition are that John Dillinger
never manifested a vicious. revenge
full or bloOdthirsty disposition, there
being considerable doubt as to
whether he ever committed a muir
der.
1T Is our belief that Dillinger
fell into the wrong channel of life
in his youth. from which escape is
almost impossible. and that if given
the above opportunity, he would
gladly avail himself of it and live
up to it.
Tt is our opinion that many of
the financial institutions of the state
have robbed our citizens Just as
crimnally without any effort being
made TO punish the perpetrators
The petition went on to state. that
while the signers do not in any
case condone crime. We feel that the
new deal can manifest itself in no
better way than TO remove from the
execution Of the law. the vindlctive
spirit of the barbaric past and let
it stand for wholesome protection
imbued with the humanity and con-
sideratiOn of new and better day"
HaraSSed by reporters and police
men who quiEzed him about his
sons visit to his Mooresville farm,
where he ate a chicken dinner Sun
day night. John Dillinger ST. his
aged body bent with toll, stood on
his Scrubby acreage yesterday be-
Mind q team of horses and frankly
admitted that johnny had spent a
quiet weekend with his folks on the
farm
Proposes He Be Cop
News of the pardon petition great
" pleased the year-old man. He
said he had not signed the docu-
ment. but avered that lots of peo-
pie in MoOreSville like Johnny first
rate"
When a reporter asked his father
what Johnny could do if he were
pardoned. and allowed the freedom
of a law-abidlng citizen. the farmer
refiectiveIy scratched his chin and
thoughtfully regarded his team of
bays
Well" he answered. I think
Johnny might make a good police
man. for one thing He's smart.
Smarter than the cops. I think.
While the farmer was telling
about the family reunion yesterday
four bandits robbed a bank in Pana,
IL. Of s27.629. Some authorities
believed the robbery bore the stamp
of a typical Dnlinger Job" because
of its finished technique and the
fact that one of the bandits was
reported to have a game leg" and
tesembled Dillinger.
From Columbus. o., came word
That postal authorities were seeking
the sender Of a death threat TO Gov