Merchants National Bank in South Bend less than an hour after the robbery
(Note to visitors: What you are about to read is the "accepted" version of what happened shortly before noon on June 30, 1934, in South Bend, Ind. Read the story; enjoy it. Then read "revisting South Bend." It explains a lot, ties up loose ends and answers some obvious questions. All the people mentioned here are real, and were at the scene that Saturday morning. The parts they claimed to have played, however, differ. Consider the facts, then you be the judge as to what really happened that morning.)
The Final Count
Dillinger's IRA; Van Meter going scouting
By the time summer arrived in 1934, Nelson, Dillinger and the other gang members were the most hunted criminals in the country. Rumors, some logical and others completely off the wall, were appearing almost daily in newspapers, over the radio and on street corners. Dillinger was positively identified in London; Nelson had robbed four banks in a single day in Toronto; Van Meter was getting together a super gang that included Dillinger, Nelson, Alvin Karpis and Pretty Boy Floyd. Their plan included the kidnapping of FDR and holding him hostage for $5 million (a sum almost beyond comprehension in 1934).
The simple truth was, there was no simple truth to these rumors. The gang had gone its separate ways, and were keeping low profiles. Van Meter was back in St. Paul; Dillinger had undergone plastic surgery in Chicago to try to alter his appearance; Nelson was moving around the Midwest, but apparently committing no major crimes.
The one piece of truth in all the rumors, however, was that the gang was planning a major heist. They were tired and frightened. They had prices on their heads and most of them wanted out. Although Nelson still seemed to enjoy the attention he was getting, Dillinger was making plans for a permanent escape. He had set his sights on Mexico months earlier, and his original plan called for going there with $100,000, but that figure was now down to less than $40,000. He wanted - needed - one big score. He wanted a major heist that would put some heavy money in his pocket, and Van Meter had just the place - the Merchants National Bank in South Bend, Ind.
Van Meter, whose talent was finding banks to hit, assured Dillinger this one was a winner. The post office, he learned, deposited large amounts of cash in the bank and if hit just right, it could net the gang at least $100,000. Van Meter figured they would need about five men for the job.
Contrary to belief, gangs werern't "locked in stone." There were no set members - mostly because individuals were getting killed or arrested - and they certainly weren't "close friends." Dillinger and Van Meter seemed to get along, but there doesn't appear to have been a strong bond other than their common desire to steal enough money to "retire." Dillinger didn't trust Nelson because of Nelson's quick temper and apparent willingness to engage in violence; Nelson was jealous of Dillinger's "fame," and felt he should be getting the headlines and big reward offers (Dillinger had a $15,000 price tag on his head; Nelson had about $2,000 offered for him at that time.)
As for Van Meter and Nelson, there was absolute hatred. Nelson referred to the lanky Van Meter as "that scarecrow"; Van Meter called the 5'4" Nelson "a tree stump" and "a stupid little runt." Dillinger once said he'd be surprised if the two didn't someday kill each other. (That story can be found on another page to be posted soon. Readers will be interested in learning the history of Van Meter and Nelson. They were once trusting friends).
There was, however, one common link that kept them working together. Each was completely trustworthy on a job. They were professionals, and each knew the others could be counted on if there was trouble. Nelson, especially, was absolutely fearless in a gun battle. Tommy Carroll once said of Nelson: "That guy would walk into hell and back on a job. He's a mental case otherwise, but he would fight the devil when we were hitting a bank."
So in early June, Van Meter, Nelson and Dillinger began planning what Dillinger hoped would be his last robbery. (It was, but not for the reasons he thought).
Because of the intense heat on the gang, the trio was having difficulty finding others willing to work with them, but Nelson said he knew some guys who would do it. Eventually, said the FBI, three others were signed on. The FBI was most certain one of the three was John Paul Chase, Nelson's partner since their days together running illegal liquor in California. The identify of the other two remain questionable, but several sources suggest one was "Pretty Boy" Floyd. If so, it was the only time Floyd, Nelson and Dillinger worked together. The other unidentified man was believed by police to be Jack Perkins, Nelson's childhood friend and first crime partner. Perkins was eventually arrested and tried for the crime, but acquitted. Others believe the second man was Adam "Eddie" Richetti, Floyd's longtime crime partner. The true identity of the three men, however, will probably never be known for certain (until you get to the end of this story).
The date for the robbery was set for Saturday, June 30. It would be the gang's last robbery together, and one the citizens of South Bend would remember for a long time.....partly for the excitement of the day, but mostly for the bloodshed.
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The simple truth was, there was no simple truth to these rumors. The gang had gone its separate ways, and were keeping low profiles. Van Meter was back in St. Paul; Dillinger had undergone plastic surgery in Chicago to try to alter his appearance; Nelson was moving around the Midwest, but apparently committing no major crimes.
The one piece of truth in all the rumors, however, was that the gang was planning a major heist. They were tired and frightened. They had prices on their heads and most of them wanted out. Although Nelson still seemed to enjoy the attention he was getting, Dillinger was making plans for a permanent escape. He had set his sights on Mexico months earlier, and his original plan called for going there with $100,000, but that figure was now down to less than $40,000. He wanted - needed - one big score. He wanted a major heist that would put some heavy money in his pocket, and Van Meter had just the place - the Merchants National Bank in South Bend, Ind.
Van Meter, whose talent was finding banks to hit, assured Dillinger this one was a winner. The post office, he learned, deposited large amounts of cash in the bank and if hit just right, it could net the gang at least $100,000. Van Meter figured they would need about five men for the job.
Contrary to belief, gangs werern't "locked in stone." There were no set members - mostly because individuals were getting killed or arrested - and they certainly weren't "close friends." Dillinger and Van Meter seemed to get along, but there doesn't appear to have been a strong bond other than their common desire to steal enough money to "retire." Dillinger didn't trust Nelson because of Nelson's quick temper and apparent willingness to engage in violence; Nelson was jealous of Dillinger's "fame," and felt he should be getting the headlines and big reward offers (Dillinger had a $15,000 price tag on his head; Nelson had about $2,000 offered for him at that time.)
As for Van Meter and Nelson, there was absolute hatred. Nelson referred to the lanky Van Meter as "that scarecrow"; Van Meter called the 5'4" Nelson "a tree stump" and "a stupid little runt." Dillinger once said he'd be surprised if the two didn't someday kill each other. (That story can be found on another page to be posted soon. Readers will be interested in learning the history of Van Meter and Nelson. They were once trusting friends).
There was, however, one common link that kept them working together. Each was completely trustworthy on a job. They were professionals, and each knew the others could be counted on if there was trouble. Nelson, especially, was absolutely fearless in a gun battle. Tommy Carroll once said of Nelson: "That guy would walk into hell and back on a job. He's a mental case otherwise, but he would fight the devil when we were hitting a bank."
So in early June, Van Meter, Nelson and Dillinger began planning what Dillinger hoped would be his last robbery. (It was, but not for the reasons he thought).
Because of the intense heat on the gang, the trio was having difficulty finding others willing to work with them, but Nelson said he knew some guys who would do it. Eventually, said the FBI, three others were signed on. The FBI was most certain one of the three was John Paul Chase, Nelson's partner since their days together running illegal liquor in California. The identify of the other two remain questionable, but several sources suggest one was "Pretty Boy" Floyd. If so, it was the only time Floyd, Nelson and Dillinger worked together. The other unidentified man was believed by police to be Jack Perkins, Nelson's childhood friend and first crime partner. Perkins was eventually arrested and tried for the crime, but acquitted. Others believe the second man was Adam "Eddie" Richetti, Floyd's longtime crime partner. The true identity of the three men, however, will probably never be known for certain (until you get to the end of this story).
The date for the robbery was set for Saturday, June 30. It would be the gang's last robbery together, and one the citizens of South Bend would remember for a long time.....partly for the excitement of the day, but mostly for the bloodshed.
Home Next
