Although she later claimed that she had nothing to do with Sage's plan, the D.O.I. Because of this, she was not with Dillinger during his famous shootout with FBI agents at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters. Frechette is known to have been involved with Dillinger for about six months, until her arrest and imprisonment in 1934. When they passed him, the women saw Zarkovich and dropped back. Frechette served two years in federal prison for harboring a criminal. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. his tail. The world bought Hoover's story and it is welcome to it. Before his death, Dillinger frequently met Piquett or his legal investigator, Arthur O'Leary. Eveyln "Billie" Frechette was released from prison on Jan. 30, 1936. Frechette's father died when she was only 8 years old, leaving her mother to raise Frechette and her four brothers and sisters on her own. The gunfire prompted Dillinger's gang to start shooting from a second-floor window. He simply walked up behind the man, pushed him down to the cement and fired two bullets into the back of his head (proved by the autopsy), murdering him at close range, then walked away and Purvis and his agents rushed to the scene. Sheriff Sarber died later that evening from his injuries. "Being married to him didn't amount to much. Dillinger watched from a few blocks away as authorities took her away and even attempted a rescue mission but dismissed the idea after much evaluation. Just as the engine started and the lights turned on-the car was facing in the direction of the agents-the lights flooded the area to show the agents. Billie Frechette leaned back in the chair and gazed off beyond the gauzy figures that made up her audience. They performed a play called "Crime Doesn't Pay" of which their tour lasted for a period of 5 years before she received to her hometown of Menominee Reservation where she spent the rest of her days. Frechette, who had met Dillinger in 1933, was charged with harboring the fugitive in her apartment. "He looked after me and bought me all kinds of jewelry and cars and pets, and we went places and saw things, and he gave me everything a girl wants. You got the guts for everything else, why not that?". [3] She was arrested on April 9, 1934 for allowing him to hide in her St. Paul, Minnesota, apartment and for obstruction of justice. An incredible woman who faced the unthinkable. He looked after me and bought me all kinds of jewelry and cars and pets, and we went places and saw things, and he gave me everything a girl wants. According to the book John Dillinger Slept Here by Paul Maccabee, the manager reported the couple as being suspicious after they insisted on using the rear entrance and stayed in most of the time. Zarkovich got $5,000 of the overall federal reward for Dillinger's capture, in addition to what he reportedly got from Dillinger. She died of cancer on January 13, 1969, in Shawano, Wisconsin. Hamilton wrote that Dillinger was generous and considerate; "he never liked to hurt anyone's feelings." After time there, she moved to her aunt's to become a nurse. The prisoners successfully escaped that day while Dillinger was sitting in a Lima, Ohio jail after being arrested while visiting his girlfriend. It is rumored that he said, "You got me," after he was shot. That car was shot to pieces, riddled by at least two hundred bullets. Zarkovich told Purvis that Sage told him that one of her girls, Polly Hamilton (no relationship to John Hamilton, one of Dillinger's bank robbing associates) was seeing a man she thought was Dillinger. Frechette moved in with Dillinger and was with him when his gang went on their famous bank-robbing spree. As a young girl, she attended St. Anthony's Catholic Mission School in Neopit, Wisconsin, and in her early teens she was taken from her family and culture and placed in boarding school at Flandreau, South Dakota. Evelyn Frechette grew up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and gained a measure of fame in the 1930s. [citation needed] Spark was sentenced, with two others, on July 20, 1932, to a 15-year term at Leavenworth for three counts of robbery of postal substations in drug stores. "He never told me what he was up to," she said. Frechette served two years in federal prison for harboring a criminal. Polly Hamilton was 26 years old when she met John Dillinger at a Chicago nightclub in early June 1934. Yes. On April 15, 1936, Anna was deported back to Romania for being considered an "alien of low moral character". That was Hoover's invention. He burned up the phone wires to Chicago in trying to reach his agent in charge. Upon her release in 1936, Frechette toured in a theatrical show calledCrime Doesn't Paywith members of Dillinger's family. from his numerous escapes to crossing the Her work helped lay the foundation for modern codebreaking today. When Purvis handed him his nine-page report, Hoover must have had apoplexy. At that time, two reporters, who had heard about the agents flying into the area, followed them to the lodge and waited in thick brush just behind where the agents were positioned. Frechette eventually settled down on the Indian reservation where she was born. Billies lawyer was the flamboyant Louis Piquette, a fellow Wisconsinite who would be immortalized as the lead male character in the musical CHICAGO. Facing Fear reveals the hidden life of Evelyn Frechette, John Dillinger's girlfriend. Before his death, Dillinger frequently met with his lawyers about Frechette's appeal, even though he was already dating Polly Hamilton. South Korean singer Moon Bin of Astro at a Chanel event in Seoul on January 26, 2023. Dillinger saw her arrest from nearby and wanted to stop it but was talked out of it because it was too dangerous. O n this day, Jan. 13, in 1969, Evelyn "Billie" Frechette, best known for her relationship with the bank robber John Dillinger in the early 1930s, died at age 61. While we can't be sure what exactly happened that day, none of the stories credit Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) as the shooter. Evelyn Frechette was released from prison in 1936 and for five years earned a living on the Crime Did Not Pay speaking tour. Another scenario involves the FBI spotting a suspicious car behind a corn crib prior to a shooting match between the FBI, Pretty Boy and a local man, who managed to disable Pretty Boy Floyd before the FBI killed him at point blank range. Watch video featuring footage of the real John Dillinger, Sheriff Lillian Holley and an eyewitness to John Dillinger's death. and criminal ways of America's original criminal whose law breaking ways he asked, dropping his cocky attitude. John had that "junior" put on as a way of a joke, that the man taking his place in that grave was a 'junior' his own." I do not know for certain that the man I talked to was John Dillinger or not. There were dozens of other people I interviewed in covering that story, including Russell Clark, the last of the Dillinger gang released from prison (like Audett, dying of cancer). After being asked for identification, Sheriff Jess Sarber was shot and beaten. After His mother died when he was young, and he was mostly cared for by his older sister Audrey. Hamilton described Dillinger as an Indiana farm boy who liked a home-cooked meal. She died at the age of 61 on January 13, 1969, on Shawano, Wisconsin after battling cancer. Part 1 of 3, this documentary includes He totally controlled the public mouth and words of the FBI. Sage was murdered in Rumania some years later. Sign up now to get the Washington Examiners breaking news and timely commentary delivered right to your inbox. Billie R. Davis, 56, of Bloomington, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Evansville Thursday on a charge of willfully causing injuries . They took up positions behind trees and waited. William would live for three months before dying on 24 July 1928. Dillinger dated Evelyn "Billie" Frechette, who was of mixed French and Native American ancestry. 1 | People & Events", People & Events: Evelyn "Billie" Frechette, 19071969, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Evelyn_Frechette&oldid=1150861316, This page was last edited on 20 April 2023, at 14:06. When "Big Bill" died, Sage took over the management of the East Chicago brothel where she had been working. The goal of both mission and boarding schools was to use education as a tool to assimilate the First Nations. After having agents posted at both locations, Dillinger was seen entering the Biograph Theatre on Lincoln Avenue where. They met my eyes and held me hypnotized for an instant. He wanted Purvis to take responsibility of identifying Anna Sage and the man she would show up with, making it therefore an FBI identification and all responsibility for whatever happened thereafter exclusively that of the FBI and, specifically, Melvin Purvis. She described the background of her mother (ne Mary Labell) as "half French and half Indian",[1] and that of her father as simply French. Frechette served two years in federal prison, and was released in 1936. He left the scene "crying like a baby." After serving her sentence, Frechette toured with members of Dillinger's family to perform in a play called "Crime Doesn't Pay.". He treated me like a lady.". if ( 'querySelector' in document && 'addEventListener' in window ) { She never actively participated in any of the robberies, but on at least one occasion drove his getaway car. "Oh, my God," Purvis said, then turned and shouted to his agents to stop firing at the lodge, but this did not happen for several minutes. morgue deceased. price of $10,000 on Dillinger's head. She lived on the Menominee Reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin until she was 13. She lived on the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin until the age of 13. Sage worked as a prostitute at "Big Bill" Subotich's place in East Chicago, Indiana. That I did something wrong? Raney marched him down to Memphis police headquarters where he was booked and then turned over the FBI agents who were waiting at those headquarters-none were present when Kelly was captured and Kelly never said "G-Man" to them or anyone else. Upon her. Evelyn Frechette and "Walter Sparks" (Welton Walter Spark) married on August 2, 1932 in Chicago. Frechette served two years in federal prison for harboring a criminal and it was there that she learned of Dillinger's death. Dillinger was dissuaded from rescuing her by fellow gang members. She did not participate in his crimes, except for once, when she drove him to a doctor after he was shot. Frechette served two years at the Federal Correctional Farm in Milan, Michigan, for violating the Federal Harboring Law. Neither Purvis nor any other agent ever announced their presence or demanded anyone to come out and surrender. eluded the FBI and became a national // cutting the mustard When the newly-elected FDR read about the Greencastle story, he called Hoover and said: "This man Dillinger is becoming a national hero, a Robin Hood. Soon after closing the door on the agents, Homer Van Meter came up the stairway and started shooting at the men. Together they lived a quiet, respectable life, until Edythe Black (formerly Polly Hamilton) died on February 19, 1969. Frechette served two years in federal prison for harboring hercriminal lover. Purvis and some of his men then ran up to the riddled car and pulled open the doors. She was arrested and served two years in prison for harboring a criminal. Also "John was good to me," she later told reporters. Lawrence Tierney as Public Enemy #1. Her old friend from the East Chicago police department, Mark Zarkovich, made the connection to the federal agents on the case. . This story was written by Gary Entz and produced for radio by Mackenzie Martin. Together they went dancing, to the movies, and to the amusement park. That way his revenge for the death of his friend would be satisfied. Zarkovich waited down the street in a darkened store entrance. Billie Frechette greeted them, saying her name was Mrs. Hellman and that she needed to get changed before they entered the apartment. Goin' Back to T-Town: Revisit a thriving Black community in Tulsa, which rebuilt after a 1921 racially-motivated massacre. Since the FBI believed the barking had sparked the gang to leave, they assumed these men were their suspects and began firing after the car failed to stop when asked. Holley posed for photos with Dillinger, in On October 12, 1933, former inmates Harry 'Pete' Pierpont, Russell Clark and Charles Makley posed as police officers and walked into the Ohio jail. He caught himself and immediately introduced what the FBI would later use to excuse the marked differences in the facial appearances of the dead man and John Dillinger: "Neat bit of plastic surgery, that!". What Purvis did that night set in motion what later happened at the Biograph Theater three months later. In one letter Frechette sent Dillinger through O'Leary, she begged him not to try to rescue her, for fear he would be killed. "Public Enemy #1". The two reporters then ran up to the car-I talked several times to one of them many years later-and began swearing. When she started dating Martin Zarkovich, an East Chicago police officer, Chiolak divorced her. In spite of her protests, on July 11, 1934, Dillinger told O'Leary on about a recent trip to Milan, Michigan. Purvis' FBI raid at Little Bohemia was a disaster. Zarkovich said that he had a slight acquaintance with a brothel madam named Anna Sage (a lie-she had been his mistress for years and he had protected her bordello operations in Lake County Indiana for years until she became so notorious that he had to move her operation to Chicago). At the age of 18 Frechette moved to Chicago and found work where she could, but the only jobs available to her were menial. The two of them were photographed together when they arrived that night at Bureau headquarters (I have one of those photos). bank robber, who became Public Enemy #1 in As the FBI agents were closing in on the Little Bohemia Lodge, the owner's dogs began to bark but Dillinger's gang thought nothing of it. The only federal charge ever made against Dillinger was that he drove a stolen car across a state line (the sheriff's car he stole when making his escape from the jail at Crown Point, Indiana and driving it into Illinois), and it was upon that charge alone that Hoover made Dillinger Public Enemy Number One-simply because he was getting more publicity in 1934 than was Hoover and his FBI. -PBS. She worked as a nurse there, but work was hard to come by. After Dillinger was caught in Tucson, Arizona, it was decided that he would be extradited to Indiana to stand trial for the murder of Officer William Patrick O'Malley, who was killed during the First National Bank robbery in East Chicago, Indiana. That's exactly what happened. Paperback. Captain Matthew Leach headed the Indiana State Police during the Dillinger gang's heyday. It started with the following line: "This case contains discrepancies that we cannot explain and for which, no doubt, there will be serious ramifications." In the 1930s, a legendary bank robber The relationship grew into something incredible, but in the end, Evelyn served time for harboring a criminal. Hamilton returned to Chicago under an assumed name. People & Events: Evelyn "Billie" Frechette, 1907-1969. Yes. I believe Zarkovich got a copy of Purvis' report to Hoover, and I believe that John Herbert Dillinger also got a copy of that report, both of these references coming from James Henry "Blackie" Audett, who, as stated above, was Dillinger's liaison in this conspiracy. Shortly before they left, one of the gang members fatally shot a police officer while picking up a car at a repair shop. Required fields are marked *. Purvis talked with Zarkovich about this and Zarkovich, acting as if amazed and that he himself had been duped by that conniving Anna Sage (sure) helped Purvis out by providing a planted fingerprint card with Dillinger's prints on them (a Chicago Police Department fingerprint card no less, not an FBI card), which Purvis marked in his own handwriting "FBI" as if the prints had been taken by FBI agents of the dead man (none were ever taken as the physicians and the coroner's people told me-and they were in charge of that body). starring Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, For four years, she attended. By that time, Purvis must have known that it was Little Bohemia all over again-another innocent man killed and his and Hoover's careers down the drain. documentary chronicles Dillinger's She later opened brothels in Gary, Indiana, and Chicago. Additionally, federal agents were given the right to carry weapons and make arrests. Hoover personally announced or personally approved of all press announcements on all cases. After her release, she wrote a booklet about her experience. Born on September 15, 1907, in Neopit, Wisconsin as Mary Evelyn "Billie" Frechette, her father was a French man who died when she was 8, while her mother came from the Native American lineage. In the 1940s she returned to the Menominee Reservation and lived a quiet life. Frechette was quoted saying "John was good to me. Not exactly. It's only when Billie Frechette enters his life, that obvious reasons he starts to have even the idea that there's something beyond the immediate right now. Goin' Back to T-Town: Revisit a thriving Black community in Tulsa, which rebuilt after a 1921 racially-motivated massacre. In November of that year, she met John Dillinger at a dance hall. She died of cancer on January 13, 1969, at age 61 in Shawano, Wisconsin. Frechette was 26, Dillinger was 30. She talked about her life with Dillinger, and answered the audience's questions about him. -PBS. Kelly awoke and said: "Well, I've been expecting you fellows." The gang began running as soon as Purvis and his men opened up on the CCC workers. On May 18, 1934, laws were created with regard to the killing of federal officers, crossing state lines to avoid prosecution, prison employees assisting prisoner escapes, and the death penalty for bank robbers. Discover the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst who helped bring down gangsters and break up a Nazi spy ring in South America. Cherrington later said that he started "crying like a baby.". There was, of course, a very good reason to give Purvis this story. Purvis bought that story and met with Sage, who was to become the notorious Woman in Red (her skirt was actually orange on the night of the shooting) a few nights later in Lincoln Park. Dillinger and Frechette reunited in Chicago after Dillinger escaped from prison in Crown Point, Indiana. The press is showing him standing up to the banks that they believe have failed the country. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). Dillinger drove around the block several times after her arrest before Pat Cherrington, the girlfriend of Dillinger gang member John Hamilton, convinced him that he would be killed if he tried to rescue Frechette. She attended the school for three years before moving to Milwaukee to live with her aunt. Billie Frechette's father died when she was eight years old. Dillinger introduced himself as Jimmy Lawrence, a clerk at the Board of Trade. ' Meanwhile, Hoover was waiting for Purvis' report and it did not come. Yes. She called two day later (much of this was recorded by Purvis' secretary, who I talked with years later) to tell Purvis that she, Polly, and "her man" would be going that night, July 22, 1934, to either the Marlboro or Biograph Theaters-the "man" had not made up his mind about which film to see. Twenty-nine books on Amazon's Jay Robert Nash page: Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Frechette lived on the Menominee Reservation and attended a mission school there until the age of 13, when she moved to a government boarding school for Native Americans in Flandreau, South Dakota. Purvis arrived in Washington some days later and Hoover was waiting for him at the train station. After time there, she moved to her aunt's to become a nurse. They were piercing and electric, yet there was an amused carefree twinkle in them too. Evelyn "Billie" Frechette was born in 1907 in Neopit, Wisconsin, to a French father and a Native American mother. He already knew about my story on Dillinger and when I asked him where Dillinger might be living, he said, "You seem to know everything else, how come you don't know that?". Frechette served two years in federal prison, and was released in 1936. Dillinger became so angry that he vowed to kill Harold H. Reinecke, the agent in charge of Frechette's interrogation. After a few years, she moved to be near her sister in Chicago when she was 18. Frechette traveled with the Dillinger family for five years after her release and his death. He was greeted by throngs of fans and photographers at the Chicago Municipal Airport when he landed. Will four fishermen take down the administrative state? At the age of 25, she tied the knot with Welton Walter Spark on August 2, 1932. So John buried himself, you see. Frechette later toldTrue Confessionsmagazine that as result of her husband's incarceration, she had a "blurred attitude toward life." It is not so strange then, with his career on the line, that Purvis did what he did. crime. Dillinger died in 1934, after a gunfight outside the Biograph theater. You've heard of John Dillinger and the famous shootout at Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, but have you ever heard of Evelyn Frechette? Mary Evelyn "Billie" Frechette was an American Menominee singer, waitress, convict, and lecturer known for her personal relationship with the bank robber John Dillinger in the early 1930s.
