HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mary Evelyn "Billie" Frechette (September 15, 1907 – January 13, 1969) was an American woman known for her personal relationship with the bank robber
John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (; June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He commanded the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing twenty-four banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprison ...
in the early 1930s. Frechette is known to have been involved with Dillinger for about six months, until her arrest and imprisonment in 1934. She finished two years in prison in 1936, then toured the United States with Dillinger's family for five years with their "Crime Doesn't Pay" show. She married and returned to the
Menominee Indian Reservation The Menominee Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in northeastern Wisconsin held in trust by the United States for the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin. It is the largest Indian reservation east of the Mississippi River. In the Menomi ...
, where she was born, for a quieter life in her later decades.


Early life

Mary Evelyn ("Billie") Frechette was born in Neopit, Wisconsin, on the
Menominee Indian Reservation The Menominee Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in northeastern Wisconsin held in trust by the United States for the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin. It is the largest Indian reservation east of the Mississippi River. In the Menomi ...
. She described the background of her mother (née Mary Labell) as "half French and half
Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...
", and that of her father as simply French. Frechette's father died when she was eight years old. She attended a mission school on the reservation, and then was sent to a government boarding school for Indians in
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
. After time there, she moved to her aunt's to become a nurse. At the age of 18, she moved to Chicago to be closer to her sister. On April 24, 1928, she gave birth to her only child, William Edward Frechette, while residing in an unwed mother's home in Chicago. William lived for three months before dying on July 24, 1928.


Marriage and family

Frechette and "Walter Sparks" (Welton Walter Spark) married on August 2, 1932, in Chicago. Spark had been sentenced, with two others, on July 20, 1932, to a 15-year term at Leavenworth for three counts of robbery of postal substations in drug stores. Walter Spark and his co-defendant, Arthur Cherrington, both married the same day, Cherrington to Patricia Young(who later on became known as Patricia Cherrington and as the girlfriend of another gangster, John Hamilton). Their marriage ceremonies were conducted at the Cook County Jail by Chaplain E. N. Ware. Spark and Cherrington entered Leavenworth on August 13, 1932.


Involvement with John Dillinger

Frechette met John Dillinger at a cabaret in November 1933. They began a relationship soon after that. Frechette was quoted as saying, "John was good to me. He looked after me and bought me all kinds of jewelry and cars and pets, and we went places and saw things, and he gave me everything a girl wants. He treated me like a lady". Frechette assumed more marital roles with Dillinger than an accomplice. She once drove a getaway car after Dillinger was shot by the police. She was arrested on April 9, 1934, for allowing him to hide in her
St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...
, apartment and for
obstruction of justice In United States jurisdictions, obstruction of justice refers to a number of offenses that involve unduly influencing, impeding, or otherwise interfering with the justice system, especially the legal and procedural tasks of prosecutors, investiga ...
. Dillinger and a companion watched the arrest from a block away. Dillinger wanted to attack the lawmen and rescue her, but accepted the argument that he would die in the attempt. He was killed by police on July 22 of that year. Frechette served two years at the Federal Correctional Farm in
Milan, Michigan Milan ( or ) is a city in Monroe and Washtenaw counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,079 at the 2020 census. The community was settled as early as 1831. Milan incorporated as a village in 1885 and much later as a city ...
, for violating the Federal Harboring Law. She was released in 1936.


Later life

Frechette traveled with the Dillinger family for five years after her release and his death. The traveling show was "Crime Doesn't Pay." Frechette returned to the Menominee Reservation, where she had two subsequent marriages. She died of cancer on January 13, 1969, at age 61 in
Shawano, Wisconsin Shawano ( ) is a city and the county seat of Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,243 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is ...
. She is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery next to her third husband, Arthur Tic.


Popular culture

* In the 1973 film '' Dillinger'', Frechette was played by
Michelle Phillips Holly Michelle Phillips ( Gilliam; born June 4, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Described by ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine as the "purest soprano in pop music", she rose to fame in the mid-1960s with the folk rock vocal ...
. * In the 1991 film '' Dillinger'', Frechette was played by
Sherilyn Fenn Sherilyn Fenn (born Sheryl Ann Fenn; February 1, 1965) is an American actress. She played Audrey Horne on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. She als ...
. * In the 2009 film '' Public Enemies'', Frechette was played by
Marion Cotillard Marion Cotillard (; born 30 September 1975) is a French actress who has appeared in both European and Hollywood productions. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Marion Cotillard, various accolades, including an Ac ...
.


References


External links


People & Events: Evelyn "Billie" Frechette, 1907–1969
''
American Experience ''American Experience'' is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American his ...
'' website {{DEFAULTSORT:Frechette, Evelyn 1907 births 1969 deaths 20th-century American criminals American female gangsters American gangsters American people of French descent American Métis people People from Menominee County, Wisconsin Deaths from cancer in Wisconsin People from Shawano, Wisconsin American Métis women