During the Great Depression, the "Investigation Division" or what we now know to be the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was just getting started. A man named J. Edgar Hoover was head of the FBI during this time period. He ran the FBI for 48 years! Under his command, the Bureau brought many criminals to justice. His "right-hand man", Melvin Purvis, was the mastermind behind many of these judges. Hoover left Purvis in charge of the Bureau's Chicago office. This meant that he was in charge of bringing to justice some of the most dangerous gangsters and criminals of this era, including a man named John Dillinger. In this way, Purvis became a very famous man. Soon, Hoover became quite jealous of Purvis' newfound fame, this led to tension between the two men. In all, the Federal Bureau of Investigation defended the law, J. Edgar Hoover shunned Melvin Purvis, and the American people idolized John Dillinger. Soon, John Dillinger became one of the most notorious criminals of this period. Dillinger began committing crimes at an early age, but his claim to fame didn't begin until he created the plan that helped eight inmates escape the Lima County Jail. Less than a month later, three of these inmates, disguised as correctional officials from the Indiana State Prison, returned to supposedly pick up Dillinger for a parole violation. When the sheriff at the Lima County Jail asked to see their credentials, one of the men pulled out a gun, shot the sheriff and beat him until he was unconscious. Then, the men stole the keys to the prison cells and freed Dillinger. After the incident, Lima County Police requested the assistance of the FBI in bringing the fugitives to justice. While on the run, Dillinger robbed several b...... middle of paper... stalked her body on the street, and women even went so far as to dip the hems of their skirts in her blood. They did it because they idolized him as a Robin Hood type person. He stole from the same banks that took people's homes and put them in debt. This is probably why Dillinger led such a normal life while a fugitive. However, after Purvis captured Dillinger, Purvis gained much fame. Boys and girls across America wore FBI badges and played the Melvin Purvis board game. Hoover soon became extremely jealous of Purvis' newfound fame. He began assigning Purvis “bad” cases “…and subjecting him to more thorough scrutiny.” This is what supposedly led to Purvis' resignation less than a year after Dillinger's death. Even after Purvis resigned, Hoover sabotaged Purvis' chances of getting a law enforcement job..