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John Dillinger — Part 2

44 pages · May 10, 2026 · Broad topic: Famous Crimes & Fugitives · Topic: John Dillinger · 44 pages OCR'd
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+ - 8- we have all been amiting and he mst be taken. Deo not wmnecessarily endanger your own lives and if Dillinger offers eny resistance each man will be for himself and it will be up to each of you to do whatever you think necessary te protect yourselves in taking Dillinger.® "after specific instructions were given to the agents by Mire Purvis, someone asked "What type of guns shall we take?" and Mr. Purvis stated, "Your pistols, enly." ¥o agent had at the scene any other kind rhe above were the instructions as given by Mr. Purvis as epokesman and concurred in by Mr. Cowley ~ maybe not verbatin, but to the , sane intent and purpose as nearly as I oan recall ot this late date." Bpecial Agent H, ender date of August 2, 1955, cuberi tted a signed statenent outlining his recollection of the incidents surrounding the shooting of Dillinger and states with reference to the instructions issued by Mr. Cowley and Mr. Purvis: “at this conference no instructions were given to shoot Dillinger, nor were ary instructions given that he was to be taken alive. It was the wuderstanding cf this Agent that Dillinger was not to escape, and that he was to be taken alive, if possible. This understanding was based on the fact that instructions were given that when the signal that Dillinger had been spotted was given, the Agents were to close in around Dillinger. If it had been the intention to shoot Dillinger, the writer does not believe that instructions would have been given to olose in around Dillinger, inasmich as the Agents participating in effecting his apprehension would be in the line of fire fram the pistols ef the other Agents.* Special Agent B, under date of Aucrust 1, 1955 submitted a signed statement from which the following excerpt is taken; "fhe instruostions given by Inspector Cowley and Special Agent in Charge Purvis were to the effect that no umdue ehances should be taken in connection with the appre- hension ef Dillinger. Wo instructions were given at that time, by anyone during the conference, to the effect that Dillinger should not be taken alive under any circumstances. Neither waa this mentioned ly officers . from the East Chicago, Indiana Police Departmenty®
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