The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, in Las Vegas has acquired significant artifacts related to Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger.
Among the newly acquired items is the infamous wooden gun Dillinger used in his dramatic escape from the Crown Point, Indiana, jail on March 3, 1934.
An investigator linked to Dillinger’s defense team allegedly smuggled the wooden gun into the jail. Dillinger used the fake firearm to imprison several guards and make his getaway, marking one of the most legendary jailbreaks in American history.
After fleeing, Dillinger entrusted the wooden gun to his girlfriend, Billie Frechette, who passed it to Dillinger’s father in Mooresville, Indiana; he kept it until he died in 1943. It changed hands and was acquired by the museum in 2023.
In addition to the wooden weapon, the museum has obtained a rare original death mask of Dillinger cast just 12 hours after his death by the FBI. It is one of only two made by Harold May.
The new collection also includes original press photographs and newspapers from the time of Dillinger’s escape. These items join the museum’s collection, which includes personal belongings of other notorious criminals like Al Capone’s Colt 1911 pistol and a .38-caliber revolver.
