Today is Wednesday, May 27th, 2020.

On this day in 1934, legendary bank robber John Dillinger underwent facial reconstructive surgery

to change his appearance. He hoped that a new look would allow him to continue

eluding the FBI, which was conducting a massive cross-country

manhunt for the famous criminal. Welcome to Today in True Crime, a parcast original.

I'm Vanessa Richardson, and today I'm joined by our guest host Richard Rossner.

Hello today in True Crime listeners.

Parcast fans might recognize Richard's voice from the Parcast original Dictators,

where he and his co-host Kate tell the stories of histories tyrants and despots.

He's here to discuss some of the historical aspects of today's story, while I'll cover the

narrative.

Thanks, Vanessa.

I'm excited to dive into this moment from the life of America's most legendary bank robber.

Due to the graphic nature of today's crimes,

listener discretion is advised. Extreme caution is advised

for listeners under 13. Now let's go back to the evening of May 27th to a small

Chicago apartment.

Dr. Harold Cassidy drew back the plunger of the syringe and watched the liquid ether fill the barrel.

It was mechanical, a task he'd done countless times, but nothing else about the operation was normal.

The tiny apartment bedroom was a far cry from the Sterling operation room he was used to. The lights were far too dim. the never worked in such conditions, but then he'd never operated on a wanted criminal either.

Across the room, the spectacled Dr. Wilhelm Luzer was directing their patient into the bed. It would serve as an operating table. Once the

man was comfortable, Louser instructed Cassidy to administer the anesthetic and left to wash his hands.

...