Evening star., 1934-07-26
.D|LL|NGER CAUSED
OWN DISASTER
Driving Across State Line in
Stolen Auto Gave Govern
ment Jurisdiction.
Continued Prom First Page.)

Continued From First Page)
city and State law authorities. He
posed as a magazine writer. induced
gullible police to display their arsenal
and then robbed them Of the very
guns with which they had Dragged
they would get Dillinger." Brazenly
he entered towns where his wanted"
notices plastered public walls and
ralded banks he had inspected pre-
viously in the role OF customer or
vault salesman.
The Government agents could only
stand by helplessly while Dillinger
and his gunner murdered policemen
who dared TO face them and citizens
who sought to protect their property.
They waited impatiently for Dillinger
figuratively to knock the chip of their
shoulders by violating some Federal
Law.
Finally the long break came.
When Dillinger cowed his Crown
Point jailers with a wooden pistol,
stole an automobile from nearby
garage and drove out of Indiana, he
had held the Federal men powerless.
Government Quick to Act.
Attorney General Homer Cummings
shortly thereafter gave the word that
electrified into action the Nationwide
forces of the Division of Investigation.
Hoover was on the long distance
telephone, swapping orders TO Chicago,
st. Paul, st. Louis, Kansas City and
other cities of the Midwest where
field offlces of the division are main
tanned
Inspectors and other aces of the
chronological brain
trust" boarded planes for the scene
of the manhunt, ready to set up
front-line board Of strategy.
Veteran agents skilled in sharp
shooting and trained in the ways of
the underworld converged on Chicago
and were mohilized into q special
"Dillinger squad"
Harold Nathan, imperturbable as
sistant director of the division, as
sumed the job of field marshal in this
war on an elusive, dangerous public
enemy-"No. l." the newspapers rated
him. Other executives from head
quarters appeared. unheralded, in the
Middle West. Hugh Clegg and Sam
uel Cowley, other assistants to Hoover,
went to the front" Cowley later was
to be headquarters representative at
the successful ambush outside Chi
cago's North Side Biograph Theater.
Inspector Rorer, captor of Machine
Gun" Kelly, joined the group of crack
investigators organized for the hunt.
In Chicago, center of most of the
activities, a slim young man from
South Carolina found himself saddled
with a major share of responsibility.
He was 31-year- Melvin Purvis,
agent in charge of the important Chi
cago field Office Of the division. Al
most boyish in appearance, Purvis
would pass for a clerk, but hardly a
detective. Appearances, however, are
deceptive. The Touhy mob under
rated him and went to prison. Verne
Sankey reckoned without him and was
captured, later to commit suicide.
Works Night and Day.
Rurvis dropped virtually every
thing else to concentrate on Dillinger.
Night and day he worked on the
case-sometines without sleep for 48
hours at grind. Before the search
was over he was to meet many dis
heartening setbacks, the worst of
them at the Little Bohemia Inn. He
was to be subjected to bitter criticism
from police and citizens and press,
but Hoover, convinced of the un-
fairness Of the attacks, stood by him
through it all.
Loyalty to his chief prompted
Purvis, at the height of the fire
when petition was being circulated
demanding his removable offer to
to step out Ito avoid any embarrass-
ment to the department" Hoover
picked up the long distance phone,
taunted Purvis in mock seriousness
with being afraid of little criticism"
and ended by telling the agent he
could not quit until he got Dillinger.
PurviS, reassured by the directors
expression of confidence, plunged
back into the hunt and had the
satisfaction of redeeming himself