One of America’s most coordinated prison break began in this Indiana shirt factory

Dillinger’s Cross-State Prison Break Conspiracy and Sheriff’s Murder

John Dillinger got out of prison in May 1933 and right away went to work. He robbed banks to fund a bold plan – break out his prison pals still locked up in Indiana.

With help from two women, he snuck guns into the prison shirt factory. Then luck turned.

Cops nabbed Dillinger in Ohio on September 22, but his plan still worked. Four days later, eight inmates broke free using those hidden guns.

Next, three of these men posed as cops at the Ohio jail holding Dillinger. When Sheriff Jess Sarber asked for ID, they shot him dead and freed their friend.

The bloody jailbreak turned Dillinger from small-time crook to Public Enemy Number One almost overnight.

Prison Buddies Taught Dillinger The Art of Bank Robbery

John Dillinger made friends with skilled bank robbers during his time in Indiana State Prison from 1924 to 1933.

While working in the prison shirt factory, he got close to Harry Pierpont, Charles Makley, Russell Clark, and Homer Van Meter. These guys taught him the “Herman Lamm method” for robbing banks like a military operation.

Pierpont became the group’s leader and Dillinger’s main teacher. They spent years talking about escapes and future robberies.

Dillinger worked hard in the factory and helped others meet their quotas, building loyalty.

Freedom Kicked Off A Criminal Master Plan

Dillinger left prison on May 10, 1933, after serving eight-and-a-half years for assault and trying to rob someone.

He jumped right back into crime.

Just weeks later, on June 21, 1933, he robbed his first bank, taking $10,000 from New Carlisle, Ohio. He used this money to fund his real goal: breaking his prison friends out of Michigan City.

By August 14, he hit another bank in Bluffton, Ohio, grabbing $2,100 more for the prison break fund. Police tracked these robberies and started linking them together.

Two Women Played Key Roles In The Escape Plot

Pearl Elliott, a 46-year-old madam from Kokomo, Indiana, agreed to handle the money and set up the escape plan.

Mary Kinder, girlfriend of the locked-up Harry Pierpont, carried messages between Dillinger and the prisoners in Michigan City. Both women ended up on Chicago’s Public Enemies list in 1933.

Elliott ran a 21-room boarding house that hid criminals and had sheltered Pierpont after earlier bank jobs.

Kinder had strong ties to criminals, with her brother, husband, and boyfriend all doing time at Indiana State Prison.

Weapons Made Their Way Into The Prison Shirt Factory

Dillinger set up a clever plan to sneak guns inside the prison walls.

He packed several pistols, shotguns, and rifles in a box of thread sent to the prison shirt factory where his friends worked.

The weapons mixed in with regular factory supplies, making them hard for guards to notice during checks. Mary Kinder worked out the delivery details with the prisoners.

They picked September 27, 1933, as escape day.

Prison officials later found out the guns came through the supply routes Dillinger knew well from his time inside.

Police Nabbed Dillinger Just Days Before The Breakout

Dayton police caught Dillinger on September 22, 1933, at his girlfriend Mary Longnaker’s apartment after his landlady tipped them off.

Cops found papers on him that looked like prison escape plans, though Dillinger claimed he knew nothing about any plot.

They moved him to Allen County Jail in Lima, Ohio, to wait for trial on the Bluffton bank robbery. His arrest came just five days before the planned September 27 prison break.

Even with Dillinger locked up, his prison buddies decided to go ahead with their breakout using the smuggled guns.

Ten Inmates Busted Out Using Dillinger’s Smuggled Arsenal

On September 26, 1933, ten men broke out of Indiana State Prison with the weapons Dillinger had snuck inside.

Harry Pierpont, Charles Makley, Russell Clark, Walter Dietrich, John “Red” Hamilton, Edward Shouse, and others overpowered guards during their escape.

The escaping inmates shot two prison guards as they fled.

They went straight to a safe house set up by Ralph Saffell, where Mary Kinder brought them food, clothes, and a place to hide.

FBI records show eight of Dillinger’s close friends among the escapees who would form the core of his future gang.

The Gang Hatched A Plan To Free Their Friend

The escaped prisoners quickly learned about Dillinger sitting in Lima, Ohio, and started planning how to get him out.

Harry Pierpont came up with a plan to pretend they were Indiana State Police officers coming to take Dillinger back to Indiana.

The gang got the right clothes and fake IDs to fool local cops. They gathered information about the Allen County Jail layout and Sheriff Jess Sarber’s daily routine.

On October 12, 1933, Pierpont, Makley, and Clark drove to Lima while other gang members stayed behind as lookouts.

Sheriff Sarber Asked For Credentials And Got Shot

At 6:25 p.m. on October 12, 1933, the three men walked into the Allen County Jail where Sheriff Jess Sarber was eating dinner with his wife Lucy and Deputy Wilbur Sharp.

Pierpont told Sarber they came from Indiana State Prison to take Dillinger back for breaking parole rules.

When Sheriff Sarber asked to see their badges, Pierpont pulled out a gun and said, “Here are our credentials. We want Johnny.”

Sarber reached for his gun, and Pierpont shot him twice, then beat him with his pistol. Mrs. Sarber begged them to stop and got the jail keys when they threatened her.

Dillinger Seemed Upset About The Wounded Sheriff

Pierpont struggled with Dillinger’s cell door and made Deputy Sharp unlock it while keeping Mrs. Sarber and Sharp at gunpoint.

When Dillinger came out and saw Sheriff Sarber bleeding on the floor, he looked troubled and asked Pierpont why he had to shoot him.

The gang locked Mrs.Sarber and Deputy Sharp in the jail basement and took the keys with them. They left Sheriff Sarber unconscious and dying on the jail office floor.

A boy walking in the alley heard cries for help from the basement and ran to tell the Lima Police Department.

A Lawman’s Death Sparked A Nationwide Hunt

Sheriff Jess Sarber got rushed to Lima Memorial Hospital but died at 8:05 p.m., just over two hours after getting shot.

Rescuers needed several hours and a cutting torch to free Mrs.Sarber and Deputy Sharp from the locked basement.

Before he died, Sheriff Sarber described his attackers as “three big men,” helping police identify Pierpont, Makley, and Clark.

The sheriff’s murder turned Dillinger from a small-time bank robber into “Public Enemy Number One.” Federal and state authorities launched a massive manhunt across the country to catch Dillinger and his rescuers.

The Gang Went On A Ten-Month Crime Spree

After the jail break, Dillinger and his gang started a 10-month terror campaign across the Midwest.

They raided police stations in Auburn and Peru, Indiana, stealing Tommy guns, rifles, and bulletproof vests. The gang robbed banks in Indiana, Wisconsin, and other states, killing cops and scaring communities.

FBI Director J.Edgar Hoover used the Dillinger case to change the Bureau of Investigation into the modern FBI with more federal powers.

The operation that began as a prison escape plot ended on July 22, 1934, when FBI agents shot Dillinger dead outside Chicago’s Biograph Theater.

Visiting Indiana State Prison (Jeffersonville site), Indiana

The former Indiana State Prison where Dillinger’s gang escape was planned now houses a Colgate-Palmolive plant at 1410 South Clark Boulevard in Clarksville.

You can see the historic 40-foot Colgate Clock from the street.

The property is closed to the public, but there’s a historical marker at South Clark Boulevard and Woerner Avenue.

Visit nearby Colgate Park at 800 South Clark Boulevard for the Heritage Trail connecting to the historical area.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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