A .45-caliber Thompson submachine gun stolen by members of John Dillinger's gang has been returned after more than 80 years.
Three FBI special agents from Indiana presented the weapon to Auburn, Ind., Mayor Norm Yoder during a ceremony Thursday at the DeKalb County Courthouse. The gun was stolen on Oct. 14, 1933, along with bulletproof vests, ammunition, and several other firearms. It was later recovered by the Tucson Police Department in Arizona and turned over to the FBI.
Auburn Police Chief Martin McCoy said the department was making plans to preserve and display the gun in Auburn.
The Indianapolis-born Dillinger was one of the most notorious criminals in U.S. history. He and his gang robbed several banks and police arsenals in Indiana during the 1930s. He was also charged with murdering an East Chicago police officer but never convicted.
- July 2009: Dillinger Gun Brings $95K at Auction
- June 2009: "Public Enemies" Film Sparks Tourism at Dillinger Grave
- Dec. 2009: Dillinger's Wooden Gun Goes for Nearly $20K
Federal agents shot him dead outside Chicago's Biograph Theater in July 1934.
The plaster mask of Dillinger's face, cast by an amateur criminologist who slipped past Cook County morgue guards, went on display in Springfield last year at the Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation museum.
