In March 1934, Infamous Gangster John Dillinger Used a Fake Pistol to Escape From the Lake County Jail

John Dillinger was captured in January of 1934 in Tucson, Arizona, and escorted back to Indiana to stand trial for the murder of East Chicago Patrolman Patrick O’Malley. Dillinger was incarcerated in the Crown Point Jail, a facility the local cops described as escape-proof. On March 3, 1934, John Dillinger disproved the claim definitively.

There have been several conflicting allegations regarding the gun in question. However, the most commonly accepted theory is Dillinger took a piece of wooden washboard, carved it into a rough gun shape using a pair of razor blades and blacked the resulting facsimile with shoe polish. Using this crude fake pistol Dillinger locked 23 jailers and trusties in jail cells, stole a pair of Thompsons from the warden’s office, walked out of the jail with no one being the wiser and then drove away in the Sheriff’s car. To add insult to injury, the jailers had to be freed with cutting torches as Dillinger absconded with the jail’s only set of keys.

John Dillinger had taught the So-called escape proof Crown Point a valuable lesson because they underestimating the brilliance of his criminal mind. After planning the escape carefully, he took his time and waited for the right moment. When he was ready, Dillinger remained calm, he made the escape look like child’s play. Dillinger used psychology to bluff the guards; he put the image of a real gun into their minds and let them know he meant business. Anyone of these guards could have stopped Dillinger at anytime during the break, but he kept his cool and let them know he was escaping at all costs. Armed with only a piece of wood, and his wits, he fooled the guards. This escape would blast Dillinger to stardom, a super criminal of the times.

It began when Dillinger and fourteen other prisoners were placed in the exercise bullpen. Sam Cahoon broke Crown Point rules by entering the exercise area when prisoners were present. He was bringing in soap and other supplies for Saturday night baths. At 9:15 a.m., Dillinger struck what appeared to be an automatic pistol in Cahoon’s side and ordered him into the cell, stating, “Get in quick or I’ll kill you.” Then he captured and forced two jail porters into the cell. Dillinger looked down the corridor and saw Ernest Blunk, the fingerprint expert. He commanded Cahoon to call Blunk from the foot of the stairs. Blunk responded, and was easily captured. Cahoon was then locked in the cell with his fellow companions, and Blunk because the bait to lure in other guards. One by one Crown Point officials were bluffed into captivity, driven by fear of being shot or perhaps killed.

Dillinger’s plan worked like a charm. He had successfully immobilized the entire security of Crown Point armed with a piece of wood and his wits. Dillinger had succeeded in locking up ten guards and a few trustees and took the only master set of keys to the jail with him. To add to Sheriff Holley’s embarrassment, Dillinger stole her own personal police car for his escape.

John Dillinger, prisoner Herbert Youngblood, and Earnest Blunk headed for the Main Street Garage. The trio walked behind the Criminal Courthouse building and into the garage. Edwin Saager, a mechanic was busy working on a car when Dillinger came in, and didn’t even notice his presence. Leaning on the car talking to Saager was Robert Volk. He didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary either. Dillinger walked up with a machine gun in his hands and asked Saager, “Which is the fastest car?” Saager thought Dillinger was a deputy, so he pointed to Sheriff Holley’s black V-8. Dillinger then requested that Saager join the party, but he declined because he was to busy. Dillinger pointed his machine gun and forced Saager into the back seat with Youngblood. Dillinger and Blunk climbed into the front. Blunk was ordered to drive. As the car pulled out of the garage onto Main Street, Blunk claimed he tried to sideswipe another car to attract attention, and then he ran a red signal light. Dillinger warned Blunk that if he tried this again he’d be shot. He advised Blunk to drive the speed limit. He said; “Thirty miles an hour is enough, there’s no hurry!” As they passed by the First national and commercial bank, Dillinger made a remark that he was tempted to rob the bank, but he’d better wait. Blunk noticed how cool and calm Dillinger remained during the entire trip. He told Blunk he wished he could have said goodbye to Sheriff Lillian Holley before he left. Dillinger had Blunk turn at every corner and stick to gravel roads. Blunk remembered that they only passed through one town during the drive, and that was the town of St. John, which was on route 41. As they approached the town, Dillinger told Blunk to stop the car; he jumped out and broke the police spotlight off the side of the vehicle, because every cop in the country would be looking for the car.