9781422271032

Dillinger and his violent gang terrorized the Midwest, robbing banks and killing or wounding their victims.

History.com, she died from a stroke. His older sister, Audrey, who was 17 years old at the time of her mother’s death, took over caring for John while her father worked. She also married in 1907. She and her husband, Emmett “Fred” Hancock, lived in the Dillinger home. Eager to start their own family, they made a family of seven children. John had plenty of playmates and more to come. In 1912, his father remarried, making Elizabeth “Lizzie” Fields his wife. Young Dillinger both resented his stepmother and eventually came to like her. Lizzie and John’s father also wanted to add more children to their family. The following year, John became a big brother when Lizzie gave birth to Hubert M. Dillinger. Before the marriage, John had behaved like the typical boisterous child, attending Sunday school and church, and developing a love for baseball. Perhaps affected by his older sister and her family moving into their own home, young Dillinger started acting out. At first, he and his playmates played small pranks, such as stealing a watermelon here and there.

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John Dillinger