The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-07-26
Crowd, Seeking Souvenirs
From Grave, Chased
by Police.
STORM DELAYS BURIAL
MooresviIIe Citizens Give
$25 to Father for Expense
of Funeral.
BY BASIL GALLAGHER
Times staff Writer.

to John Dillinger today.
Swarming over the greensward of
the Crown Hill cemetery, crowd
of avidly curious men and women
reminiscent of a crowd at a side
show or clrcus-had to be driven
from the vicinity of the outlaws
grave by police riot squads.
There were no tears of grief in
the eyes of the souvenir hunters,
who stripped Dillinger's grave of
withered bits of flowers and grass.
In little groups, about the grave,
women gossiped about the career of
the farm boy who had become a
veritable plague to law-abiding
citizens.
But one sincere mourner sat on
the Weather-beaten porch of the
gangster's former home IN Moores-
vile. John Dillinger ST., 70-year-
old father of the slain bandit, shed
a few tears of genuine grief.
Storm Delays Burial
Denying that any money had been
received from his dead sons under
world associates, Mr.. Dillinger re-
vealed that Mooresville Sympa-
thizers had sent him $25 in small
sums to help defray the funeral ex-
penseS.
III have to shoulder the rest of
the expense myself" said the aged
dirt farmer still visibly shaken by
the ordeal of his sons funeral.
The burial itself took place in q
theatrical setting which made a
fitting climax to Dillinger's life OF
outlawry.
Nature, seemingly reSentful of the
presence of even the corpse of the
anti-social thug who had ridden to
notoriety in the wake of blazing
submachine guns, unleashed an cleo
trio storm which cracked and
roared around the open grave.
And hundreds in the crowd
around the cemetery, caught in the
driving rain, realized for the first
time that Dillinger-the big shot
gangster, the death-dealing bank
robber, the notorious Public Enemy
No. WAS really no more i'm
portant than the most obscure
ditch-digger toiling honestly for his
daily bread.
The crowd waiting around the
cemetery gate had seen the cortege
winding slowly along Northwestern
avenue on its way to the grave.
Bandits Father Pitied
Almost at the gate, the hearse
suddenly increased its speed as The
sky darkened ominously and great
forks of lightning flashed over the
last resting place of James Whit
comb Riley. of President Benjamin
Harrison, of Senator Albert Bev-
eridge and a host of other great
ami near-great.
In the car behind the hearse, the
crowd saw a Sad-faced little man
sitting bolt upright, oblivious to the
elements.
And the hearts of the rain
drenched spectators went out to
John Wilson Dillinger, 70-year-old
dirt farmer and father of the dead
bandit, in his sorrow.
Tears of modification had trickled
down the old mans face at inter
walls during the day as he watched
the crowd milling about the modest
gray home of Mrs. Aubrey Hancock
the outlaws sister, IN haywood.
Loved Him. He Says
Most of 'em are just curiosity
seekers" Mr.. Dillinger said.
What do they care about Johnny?
But, it's different with me. I'm his
father and I loved him and moth
ing he ever did can change my
feelings"
Of the many bloody dollars, for
which Dillinger and his terror mob
had murdered and manned innocent
men with dependents, only $3.50
was in the gangster's pockets when
he was killed in Chicago.
The rest of the blood money-va-
riously estimated at from 100000 10
$500, 000-had vanished as utterly as
though the malicious genii which
had urged Dillinger on to a career
of murder and theft had gobbled up
its ill-gotten gains.
There must be money some
where" Old John said again and
again.
L hate to touch it but I haven't
any money of my own. The crops
have been bad. But the Lord will
show lis a way out. Even today
some kind folks offered to help me. "
Hundreds View Corpse
The cause of all the parental
worry and modification, of all the
morbid curiosity. lay in gray
casket in the front room of the
Hancock home. The trigger hand, -
which had sped terror stricken vic
tins TO the death, looked weak
and Intellectual.
Ironically enough. the embalmer
found it necessary 10 put some eX-
ira fluid into the trigger hand" TO
prevent it from looking too with
cred.
Hundreds of the curious filed into
the humble gray cottage TO gaze on
the wax-hke features of the terror
mob leader. They saw the inclsions
of the plastic surgeon who had
lifted" the bandits face 10 help
him evade the law.
Futility was spelled out in the
altered features. The cleft in Dill
fingers chin which had been filled
with wax the telltale mole between
his eyes which had been removed:
the extra tilt to his nose and all
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