Final answer:
John Dillinger escaped from jail in 1934 by carving a fake gun from wood and using it to intimidate guards at the Crown Point Jail in Indiana.
Step-by-step explanation:
The infamous American bank robber John Dillinger escaped from jail using a clever ruse. In 1934, while imprisoned at the Crown Point Jail in Indiana, Dillinger carved a fake gun from a piece of wood, possibly from a washboard, and blackened it with shoe polish. He used this fake gun to intimidate the guards into opening his cell and eventually managed to escape, reinforcing his reputation as a cunning criminal and creating a legendary tale in the annals of American crime history.