Evening star., 1935-07-12

Continued From First Page.)
H.. had assigned Purvis and another
agent to watch a motion picture
theater in Chicago which Dillinger
was in the habit Of attending. Other
agents were stationed at other movies
in the neighborhood where Dillinger
was known to be hiding
Purvis, sitting in an automobile
near the Biograph Theater, saw Dill
linger and two women enter the
amusement place early in the evening.
Purvis telephoned Cowley and re-
Inducements were ordered to the
scene. Cowley arrived and took per-
sonal charge Of arrangements. Agent
Hollis was one Of the more than a
dozen agents who came quietly to
the vicinity and loitered in Railways,
at the curb, in the lobby of the theater
and other vantage places.
Recognized Gangster.
Purvis entered the theater once to
see II he could locate Dillinger, but
it was too dark and the theater was
too crowded After the show the
crowd poured out and among the first
to come out were Dillinger and his
girl friends. Several agents, including
Purvis, recognized the gangster imme-
diately, despite his facial operation.
In accordance with Cowley's direc-
tions, the agents began to close in as
Dillinger walked down the sidewalk.
Purvis. standing nearby, lighted q
cigar, just as Dillinger reached an
alley. The women had dropped back.
Dillinger. apparently sensing trouble
started to run down the alley, drawing
a pistol from his pocket as he turned
to look back. Before the gangster
could fire there was a burst of bullets
from three Government pistols. Nei-
ther Cowley nor Purvis fired any of
the four bullets which found their
mark. Agent Hollis fired one of the
shots and the identity of the two
others who fired never has been di-
| vuIged.
Purvis was assisting Cowley in a
search for Thomas H. Robinson, jr..
fugitive kidnaper of Mrs. Berry Stoll
OF Louisville, KY, when Hoover or
dered both to drop that Job temporarily
end enter the hunt for Pretty Boy"
Floyd. who had escaped from local
police in Ohio.
Floyd Trapped on Farm.
Cowley and Purvis, with other
agents, caught up with Floyd on a
farm and cut him down with bullets
as he fled after refusing to surrender.
Neither Cowley nor Purvis fired the
fatal bullets on that occasion.
Because Purvis was the only agent
known to newspaper men in Chicago,
lie found his name blazoned boldly as
commander of the Dillinger and FLOYD
captures. The more he denied things
the more convinced reporters became
that he was "just modest" Holly
wood has fashioned movie around
Purvis and his reported feats.
Purvis, as a matter of fact, was In
the thick of many hazardous skirm-
ishes which Hoover's men had with
gangland in the Midwest. He dem
onstrated repeatedly he was without
fear in the face of underworld bullets
and won commendation time after
time for his achievements. He. as
well as several other agents, received
promotions for work in the Dillinger
case.
As agent in charge at Chicago, Pur-
Wis supervised the roundup Of the
Touhy mob" which kidnapped John
Factor, the capture Of Verne Sankey
and Gordon Alcorn, kidnapers Of
Charles Boettcher, I'd, and many
other desperate criminals.
Purvis is a native of South Caro-
lima. He joined the Bureau Of In
vestigation in 1925, after graduation
from law school.