Dubbed "the most thrilling manhunt ever staged in this part of the country", the Grandfather of bank robbery, Herman "Baron" Lamm, took his last left turn (while heading North and allegedly on the path to 49), running from a posse, and speeding to his demise on this very road.
Herman "Baron" Lamm
After robbing the Citizens State Bank of Clinton, Indiana, of $15,567, the infamous gang's luck began to run downhill quickly. The original getaway car was driven over the curbing in town during a U turn, and blew a tire. The next car that the gang got their hands on couldn’t go any faster than 35, due to a governor on the engine. Then their next set of wheels, a truck, had nearly nothing in the radiator.
This fiasco ended up in Illinois, near the placement of this cache, when their last car had only a gallon of gas. Stopping near the Moody farm, they made their final stand. The gun battle involved a couple hundred cops and vigilantes, so Herman Lamm and his driver, E.H. Hunter, were killed, G.W. “Dad” Landy committed suicide, and James "Oklahoma Jack" Clark and Walter Detrich were sent to Michigan City for life.
John Dillinger himself, began to adopt Herman Lamm's style of bank robbery after serving time together with Clark and Detrich in the Indiana prison system shortly after. Dubbed the "Lamm Technique", his ideas are what gave "Baron" Lamm his notorious moniker as the "Grandfather of Bank Robbery"
"We had a lot of bad luck that day." ~ Walter Detrich
"Nice-looking chap" ~ Leo Moody on his confrontation with Lamm