FROM BLUFFTON ICON - John Dillinger takes the stage in a free virtual lecture from the Hancock Historical Museum this weekend.

The presentation is at 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 11. To register for the Zoom lecture, click here for the museum’s website or call the museum at 419-423-4433.

Denise (Marquart) Testa, a 1975 Cory-Rawson graduate, is the presenter. She will talk about her soon-to-be-released 226-page book “Defending the Dillinger Gang.”

The author grew up on a farm north of Jenera. She told the Icon that she heard several Dillinger stories from her parents and grandparents while growing up, which sparked her interest in the subject.

Later she did research for another author on Dillinger, and from that background plus her family stories, decided to write her own Dillinger book.

About the book
The book traces the careers of Jessie Levy and Bess Robbins, two women attorneys who represented Dillinger’s gang members in their Lima trial.

Testa said that in the early 1930s, women practicing criminal law were often held in the same low regard as the clients they served. 

“When a corrupt prosecutor was determined to send as many of the Dillinger gang to death row as he could, female attorneys, Jessie Levy and Bess Robbins, rose to the challenge,” she said. 

The two women represented six of the gang members, a number far greater than any of their male counterparts. Their story of deals gone bad, wrongful convictions, and success against the odds has all but vanished from history. 

The recent discovery of interviews, personal correspondence, and court transcripts—a treasure trove untouched for over 80 years—forms the basis for this book, which traces the careers of Jessie Levy, Bess Robbins, and the John Dillinger gang, in detail for the first time.

Testa now lives in western New York state and visits her family farm in Jenera on a regular basis. When not writing books she works in veterinary medicine.

Click here for details on ordering copies of the book.