Evening star., 1934-07-24
OFFICER REVEALS
D|L[|NGER WATCH
East Chicago Captain Says
Bandit Was Observed
for Week.
Rr,h. Associsted Presn.

BY the Associated PreSE.
CHICAGO. July 24-The Chicago
Herald and Examiner in copyrighted
story today said John Dillinger had
been under police observation for q
week before he was shot and killed
Sunday night by Department Of Jus
tice agents.
The central figure in the case. the
newspaper said, quoting Capt. Timo-
thy A. ONeill OF the East Chicago.
Ind. police. who was at the scene of
the shooting was a Croatian inform
or, a former gambling acquaintance
Of Dillinger.
Told Of Seeing Dillinger.
Capt. ONeill's story was set out as
follows:
six weeks ago this man, who has
been living in Chicago for months,
came to me and told me he had seen
Dninger. 1 informed him that if
chance Of collecting the $4,000 re-
ward money.
This informant then told his story
that he had seen Dillinger in front
of the Biograph Theater, at 2433
North Lincoln avenue.
"A few days later. the informant
told me OF seeing Dillinger at the
theater again. And on the night of
the Saturday that Dillinger and his
gang accomplished a spectacular bank
robbery at South Bend. he reported
seeing our man at the theater third
time
Two days later told Sergt. Mar
tin Zarkovich Of the Indiana Harbor
Police, comrade of the policeman Dill
linger shot down in an Indiana Har-
Dor bank robbery more than six
months ago.
Zarkovich TraiIed DiIlinger.
"Zarkovich went on his vacation
Immediately afterward, but he spent
his time trailing down Dillinger.
"On July l6, Zarkovich sat in front
of the theater in car and saw Dill
linger visit the theater. Next day
when the program changed again, ne
came back once more.
"Zarkovich had observed that Dill
linger was a regular attendant at that
particular theater, making it a point
to see each new film. Believing that
the time was coming to spring the
trap, Zarkovich called me to join him
last Saturday night.
From a parked car we saw Dill
linger come to the theater. He walked
as he had done on each other oc-
casion. but when he left he went IN
a taxicab. We trailed him, but we
found that he changed to another
cab about a mile away, as he had
done on each previous time he was
observed.
Accompanied by Women.
Incidentally. Dillinger was always
accompanied by at least one woman,
and sometimes by two.
by using two taxicabs he shook
US off Saturday night, but when we
drove back past the theater we saw
that new film would be shown Sun
day. and we guessed that Dillinger
would come again. We, therefore,
got in touch with the Federal agents
of Melvin Purvis' staff and the trap
was laid.
LAS expected, Diliinger strolled up
to the theater with woman. A
second woman entered about the same
time, but we could not be sure whether
or not she was with Dillinger.
when he left the theater two
women were again near him. One of
the women, seeing the officers, seized
Dillinger by the shirt and cried:
Women Disappeared.
"'Oh, John-those men,
Caught off his guard this last
time, Dillinger leaped back, reaching
for his gun At that moment the
woman, or women, disappeared. And
q moment later Dillinger fell dying as
he had seen many men die at his
hand-only this time it was human
mad dog the bullets hit,
And at any time in the past 10
days we could have taken John Ham
llton and George baby Face) Mel
son. But we realized that If we ar
rested these men Dillinger would
escape"