A Bluffton-John Dillinger story you never heard before
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A Bluffton John Dillinger story from Charles Hilty that you've never heard -
A story told to me by my father was that a small, mysterious business was opened in that room (reference to the rear of 101 N. Main St.) by a guy from out of town not long before the Dillinger gang came to town.
And the little business was closed and the mysterious man went away almost immediately after the bank robbery.
This was told to John Bauman and me by my Dad one Sunday night in 1948 when he was driving us back from Cincinnati after taking John and me to a Reds doubleheader.
My Dad and my Uncle George Kempf were both on the jury in 1934 that convicted Pierpont and other Dillinger gang members of the murder of Allen County Sheriff Jess Sarber. (Readers might cross-reference this with the Charles Triplehorn Dillinger story on page 62.)
This is a sample of the content of "Bluffton Anthology - A creek runs through it." Copies are now available for $24.95 plus tax in Bluffton at:
• Roots by Strattons
• The Food Store
• The Black Lab
• Bluffton Senior Citizens Center
• The Dough Hook
• Polished
Stories Posted This Week
Sunday, September 6, 2026
Saturday, September 5, 2026
Friday, September 4, 2026
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- Ada Icon headlines, Sept. 1-4
- Celebrate Recovery program announced by Ebenezer Church
- Bluffton chamber resumes monthly meetings, Sept. 11
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- 100 years of being Beavers: 2026 Bluffton University Homecoming, Oct. 2-4
- Beaverdam Bunch results from 2026 Allen County Junior Fair