Mary Kinder

Mary Northern Kinder (August 29, 1909 – May 21, 1981) was a Prohibition era gun moll, most noted for being the girlfriend of Harry Pierpont and associate of John Dillinger. Along with Pearl Elliott, she was one of two women listed by the Chicago Police Department's Public Enemies list in 1933.

At one time, her brother, Earl, husband Dale Kinder, and sweetheart Harry Pierpont were all inmates at the Indiana State Prison at Michigan City, Indiana. Her other brother, Charles, as well as her brother-in-law, William Behrens, were also convicted bank robbers.

Early life

She was born August 29, 1909 in Indiana, the daughter of Lewis W. and Viola J. (Tansey) Northern.

By the 1910 census, the family was residing in Washington Township, Morgan County, Indiana, where Mary's father's occupation was not listed.^[1]

By the 1920 census, the family was living at 1060 West McCarty Street in Indianapolis, Indiana,^[2] where Mary's father's occupation was listed as an engineer at a factory.

Earl Northern Trial, Howard County, Indiana Circuit court, 1925

Mary testified as a defense witness at her brother, Earl Northern's trial that Northern was in attendance at a dinner party held by her aunt on March 27, 1925, giving the names of those in attendance.^[3]

Suicide of Father, 1925

Mary, along with her mother, discovered her father's body at their Indianapolis home after hearing a report from a shotgun blast in the early morning of November 12, 1925.^[4]

Michigan City Prison Break, 1933

On September 26, 1933, Harry Pierpont, Charles Makley, John "Red" Hamilton, Russell Clark, Walter Dietrich, James "Oklahoma Jack" Clark, Edward Shouse, Joseph Fox, Joe Burns, and Jim Jenkins escaped from Michigan City,^[5] using pistols that Dillinger had smuggled into the prison. The escape had been careful planned before Dillinger's parole by Pierpont, Hamilton and Dillinger.^[6]

After the prison break, Kinder was sought by police for her connection with the escapees. Authorities believed that she drove the automobile who brought the convicts to the home of Ralph Saffell,^[7] where they received food, clothing and shelter^[8] Mary's sister, Mrs. Margaret Behrens, wife of William Behrens, had been held as an accomplice for three days.^[8]

Named to Public Enemies List, 1933

Mary was one of two women, known to be associated with the John Dillinger gang, named to the Chicago Police Department's Public Enemies List.^[9][10]

Death

Mary died May 21, 1981 in Plainfield, Hendricks County, Indiana.

Notes

1. Lewis W. Northern household, 1910 U.S. census, population schedule, Washington Township, Morgan County, Indiana, USA, ED 68, SD 5, sheet 6A, dwelling 116, family 116; National Archives micropublication T624, roll 372.
2. Lewis Northern household, 1920 U.S. census, population schedule, Ward 14, Center Township, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA, ED 241, SD 7, sheet 9B, dwelling 185, family 188; National Archives micropublication T625, roll 455.
3. Lively Scrap Jars Calm In Northern Trial article, Kokomo Daily Tribune, Kokomo, Indiana, June 4, 1925, p. 1.
4. Brother Of Bandit Article, Kokomo Daily Tribune, Kokomo, Indiana, November 12, 1925, p. 1.
5. Nine Escape From State Prison article, Kokomo Tribune, Kokomo, Indiana, September 26, 1933, p. 1.
6. Girardin 2009, p. 26.
7. Second Woman Held In Search For Convicts article, Kokomo Tribune, Kokomo, Indiana, October 9, 1933, p. 11.
8. 2 Women Figure In Search For Escaped Felons article, The Vidette Messenger, Valparaiso, Indiana, October 12, 1933, p. 3.
9. New Public Enemy List Out In Chicago article, The Daily Northwestern, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, November 29, 1933, p. 15.
10. Chicago Names Dillinger As Chief Enemy Article, The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, December 29, 1933, p. 1.

References

• Girardin, George Russell (2009). Dillinger: The Untold Story, Indiana University Press.