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On August 14, 1933 Harry Copeland, Hilton Crouch and
John Dillinger robbed The Citizens National Bank of Bluffton. Taken in
the robbery was a revolver and $2,100. A few weeks later, John Dillinger
was arrested for the robbery at his girlfriend's home in Dayton, Ohio.
He was extradited to the Allen County jail on September 27th to await
trial.
The day before his extradition, Dillinger's gang members escaped from
the Indiana Prison in Michigan City. Among the escapees were Harry
Pierpont, John Hamilton, Charles Makley and Russell Clark. The gang hid
out on a farm owned by Pierpont's parents near Leipsic, Ohio. On October
3, 1933 they robbed the First National Bank of St. Marys in hopes of
getting enough money to finance the escape of John Dillinger.
On October 12, 1933, at 6:30 PM, Harry Pierpont, Charles Makley, and
Russell Clark entered the office of Sheriff Jesse Sarber at the Allen
County Jail. Sheriff Sarber was seated at his desk reading. His wife sat
near him working a crossword puzzle. Deputy Wilbur Sharp, who was not in
uniform, sat on a nearby couch.
The three men told Sarber that they were from the prison in Michigan
City, IN and wanted to question Dillinger. When Sarber requested
identification, Pierpont replied, "Here is our credentials,"
and pulled his revolver. When Jesse Sarber reached for his gun in the
desk, Pierpont fired one round into the sheriff's stomach severing a
major artery. When Sarber attempted to stand up, Makley pistol-whipped
him about the head.
The three demanded the keys to the cell and struck the dying sheriff
again stopping only after Mrs. Sarber cried, "Let Dad alone! I'll
get the key!" Mrs. Sarber and Deputy Sharp were pushed into the
cell as Dillinger picked up his jacket and walked out.
Mrs. Sarber and Deputy Sharp broke out a window in the cell and began
yelling for help. After help arrived, the sheriff was taken to the
hospital about 7 PM but died at 8:05. He was 47 years old.
The Dillinger gang was apprehended in January of 1934 in Tucson,
Arizona. Pierpont, Makley and Clark were charged with the killing of
Sheriff Jesse Sarber and were brought back to the Allen County Jail to
await their trials. Dillinger was extradited to Crown Point, Indiana to
await trial for the killing of a Chicago policeman.
During the trials, security was tight around the Allen County Courthouse
complex. The jail was surrounded by barbed wire; machine-gun nests were
set up behind sandbagged barricades and on nearby rooftops. Eight-foot
fences guarded the sheriff's residence. National Guardsmen patrolled the
grounds and machine-guns were placed at the ends of the jail corridors.
Complicating the situation, Dillinger escaped his Indiana captors by
using a carved wooden gun. In spite of threats to free his friends,
Dillinger never made it to Lima, Ohio.
Harry Pierpont was sentenced to death on March 11, 1934 followed by
Charles Makley on March 17th. Russell Clark was sentenced to life
imprisonment. In an attempted escape in September of 1934, Makley was
shot and killed by Ohio Penitentiary guards and Pierpont was wounded.
Pierpont was executed by the state on October 17, 1934. Russell Clark
served time until 1968 when it was discovered that he was dying of
cancer. He was released on August 14th, 35 years to the day after the
Bluffton bank robbery. He died on Christmas Eve, 1968.
John Dillinger, who became Public Enemy Number One on the FBI's most
wanted list following the murder of Sheriff Jesse Sarber, was shot and
killed in an ambush outside of the Biograph Theater in Chicago on July
22, 1934. Dillinger and Sarber were both born on June 28th--18 years
apart.
Submitted by: Norita Moss |
