Honor Among Thieves

I need to break away from politics for a moment, to unwind a little. Having just finished a few paragraphs concerning the IRS, I naturally began to think about theft, and remembered a trip I took to Indianapolis a few years ago, while visiting friends in Indiana.

On my way to vist the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, I stopped at Crown Hill Cemetary in Indianapolis to check out the gravesite of one of America's most infamous bank robbers, John Dillinger. Off-the-wall things like that interest me sometimes.

When I found the grave, it was just a simple headstone that said "John H. Dillinger.....1903 1934" (31 years old....those guys didn't have a too much life expectancy back then). There was one major difference though, between this grave and the rest of them in the cemetary........there was MONEY on his headstone!

I guess it was about a dollar or so in change, and I tossed it all into the grass so I could get an unobstructed view of the headstone for my camera. After I took the picture, I put the money back and took another shot, with the money included.

I stopped at the curator's office on my way out and told them about the money out there, and was told that was nothing unusual. The lady behind the desk, well into her late 70's or early 80's, told me an interesting story.

Dillinger was robbing banks during the Depression, and a lot of folks held the banks responsible for losing their farms and homes, so whenever John held up a bank, that was "just fine" with a lot of people............"The dirty buggers had it coming."

Anyway...........when Dillinger and his gang came out the front doors, heading for their getaway cars, he was said to have always tossed money out into the streets and sidewalks; maybe not a lot, but a few fives, tens, maybe twenties.

Now, no one was really sure if he did that because of the hard times people were living in, or perhaps hoping nobody would tell the cops which way he went if they had a few dollars in their pockets. Some even think today, that he did it so people would block the exits so bank guards couldn't give chase, with so many people scrambling all over the sidewalks for money.

Whatever the reason, he was looked upon by many as a "modern day Robin Hood", a guy who in spite of the Depression, was making HIS ends meet and paying HIS bills.

Now.........John Dillinger wasn't robbing for the people....John Dillinger was robbing for John Dillinger, but most would never tell the Feds where he was even if they KNEW! As we know, Anna Sage ("The Lady in Red") tipped off the FBI in Chicago, and he was shot and killed just outside the Biograph Theater.

But what about the money on his grave? The lady behind the desk said it was the "people's way" of paying him back for the money he tossed to them, as he robbed banks all over Indiana, and to this day, people still wander in there and drop money on his headstone.

"So, what do you guys DO with it?" I asked. She said they use it for grass seed, weed killer and such.

The crux of this story I guess, is that even "Public Enemy Number One" gave a little back of what he stole. Our government does too, through refunds.

In BOTH CASES...............none of it was THEIRS to steal in the FIRST place!.........................but notice how the common people still had enough respect for Dillinger (even TODAY) to give him back some money anyway. 74 years after his death, ol' John D. is still making a few bucks, and seems to have more respect than our politicians.

I guess folks figure he was a better class of crook!