National Affairs: Whittler's Holiday

''Til shoot my way out," sneered Desperado John Dillinger when after his ignominious capture in Tucson, Ariz., he was brought back to Indiana and locked up in Crown Point's jail to be tried for murder (TIME, Feb. 5). Sheriff Lillian Holley, mistress of Crown Point's escape-proof jail, also made a promise: "I know he's a bad baby and a jailbreaker but I can handle him." The sheriff meant to keep her promise, but Dillinger's promise was a shrewd piece of bluff. For weeks he sat in his cell doing nothing but whittle a small piece of wood with a...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!