Evelyn Frechette
Encyclopedia
Mary Evelyn "Billie" Frechette (September 15, 1907 – January 13, 1969) was an American
singer, waitress, convict, and lecturer known for her personal relationship with the bank robber
John Dillinger
in the early 1930s.
She is known to have been involved with Dillinger for about six months until her arrest and imprisonment in 1934. However, some sources believe their relationship began much earlier. She finished her two years in prison in 1936, then toured the country with Dillinger's family for five years as the "Crime Did Not Pay Show", and eventually lived her remaining decades in a quieter, married life on the Indian reservation
where she was born.
on the Menominee Indian Reservation
. She described the background of her mother (née
Mary Labell) as "half French
and half Indian
", and that of her father as simply French. (Her paternal great-grandfather was Moses Frechette Sr., a fur trader born in Quebec
, who moved to the U.S. in 1850, becoming a US citizen in Brown Township, Michigan
, and living in Menominee, Michigan
. He was an ancestor of, as of 2009, about 90 people there named Frechette. His wife—one of Billie's great-grandmothers—had parents named Mawsawquot and Poway. The first of eight generations of North America
n Frechettes preceding Billie came to Quebec City
from France
between 1655 and 1680.)
The parents of Moses Frechette Sr. were Charles and Ursule (Girouard) Frechette. Moses was born in Quebec on 10 December 1824. He married Marie LeClair Nokishiki, and they had 12 children. Moses Frechette Jr. and two of his siblings continued to reside on the Menominee Reservation, and he became the father of Evelyn Frechette.
Her father died when she was eight years old.
In 1925, she married Welton Sparks, who was convicted and imprisoned the same year for a post office robbery.
Cook County, Illinois, records indicate that Evelyn Freschette and Walter Sparks (Welton Walter Spark) were married on August 2, 1932 in Chicago. Spark was 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 co-defendant, Arthur Cherrington, both married the same day, Cherrington to Patricia Young. Their marriage ceremony was conducted at the Cook County Jail by Chaplian E.N. Ware. Spark and Cherrington entered Leavenworth on August 13, 1932.
at Milan, Michigan
, and was released in 1936.
on January 13, 1969 at age 61 in Shawano, Wisconsin
. She is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery next to her third husband, Arthur Tic.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, waitress, convict, and lecturer known for her personal relationship with the bank robber
Bank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
in the early 1930s.
She is known to have been involved with Dillinger for about six months until her arrest and imprisonment in 1934. However, some sources believe their relationship began much earlier. She finished her two years in prison in 1936, then toured the country with Dillinger's family for five years as the "Crime Did Not Pay Show", and eventually lived her remaining decades in a quieter, married life on the Indian reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
where she was born.
Early life
Frechette was born in Neopit, WisconsinNeopit, Wisconsin
Neopit is a census-designated place in Menominee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 690 at the 2010 census. Neopit is located along Wisconsin Highway 47 at its intersection with County Road M, approximately southeast of Zoar....
on the Menominee Indian Reservation
Menominee Indian Reservation
The Menominee Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in northeastern Wisconsin for the Menominee.For the most part it is conterminous with Menominee County and the town of Menominee. However, there are many small pockets of territory within the county that are not considered to be...
. She described the background of her mother (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Mary Labell) as "half French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
and half Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
", and that of her father as simply French. (Her paternal great-grandfather was Moses Frechette Sr., a fur trader born in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, who moved to the U.S. in 1850, becoming a US citizen in Brown Township, Michigan
Brown Township, Michigan
Brown Township is a civil township of Manistee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 712.- Communities :...
, and living in Menominee, Michigan
Menominee, Michigan
Menominee is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,131. It is the county seat of Menominee County. Menominee is the fourth-largest city in the Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, and Escanaba...
. He was an ancestor of, as of 2009, about 90 people there named Frechette. His wife—one of Billie's great-grandmothers—had parents named Mawsawquot and Poway. The first of eight generations of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n Frechettes preceding Billie came to Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
between 1655 and 1680.)
The parents of Moses Frechette Sr. were Charles and Ursule (Girouard) Frechette. Moses was born in Quebec on 10 December 1824. He married Marie LeClair Nokishiki, and they had 12 children. Moses Frechette Jr. and two of his siblings continued to reside on the Menominee Reservation, and he became the father of Evelyn Frechette.
Her father died when she was eight years old.
In 1925, she married Welton Sparks, who was convicted and imprisoned the same year for a post office robbery.
Cook County, Illinois, records indicate that Evelyn Freschette and Walter Sparks (Welton Walter Spark) were married on August 2, 1932 in Chicago. Spark was 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 co-defendant, Arthur Cherrington, both married the same day, Cherrington to Patricia Young. Their marriage ceremony was conducted at the Cook County Jail by Chaplian E.N. Ware. Spark and Cherrington entered Leavenworth on August 13, 1932.
Notoriety and involvement with John Dillinger
Frechette met Dillinger in October 1933 and was arrested on 9 April 1934, on the charge of harboring Dillinger in her Twin Cities, Minnesota apartment, and served two years in federal prison for harboring a criminal. Dillinger and a companion watched from a block away; he wanted to attack the lawmen and rescue her, but accepted the argument that he would die in the attempt. She served two years and a day under the Federal Harboring Law at the Federal Correctional FarmFederal Correctional Institution, Milan
The Federal Correctional Institution, Milan is a U.S. federal prison in York Charter Township, Michigan, near Milan.This prison is a low-security facility for male inmates. Its adjacent Federal Detention Center houses pretrial and holdover inmates...
at Milan, Michigan
Milan, Michigan
Milan is a city in Monroe and Washtenaw counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,775 at the 2000 census. About 60% of the city's area and 75% of its residents are located on the Washtenaw County side adjacent to York Township in Washtenaw County; while 40% percent of the...
, and was released in 1936.
Later life
Frechette returned to the Menominee Reservation, where she had two subsequent marriages. She died of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on January 13, 1969 at age 61 in Shawano, Wisconsin
Shawano, Wisconsin
Shawano is a city in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,305 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Shawano County...
. She is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery next to her third husband, Arthur Tic.
Popular culture
- In the 1973 film DillingerDillinger (1973 film)Dillinger is a 1973 gangster film about the life and criminal exploits of notorious bank robber John Dillinger.It stars Warren Oates as Dillinger and Ben Johnson as his pursuer, FBI Agent Melvin Purvis. The film, narrated by Purvis, chronicles the last few years of Dillinger's life as the FBI and...
, Frechette was played by actress and The Mamas & the PapasThe Mamas & the PapasThe Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
member Michelle PhillipsMichelle PhillipsMichelle Phillips is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She gained fame as a member of the 1960s group The Mamas & the Papas, and is the last surviving original member of the group.-Early life:...
. - In the 1991 film Dillinger, Frechette was played by actress Sherilyn FennSherilyn FennSherilyn Fenn is an American actress and filmmaker. She came to international attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the 1990 cult TV series Twin Peaks...
. - In the 2009 film Public Enemies, Frechette was played by actress Marion CotillardMarion CotillardMarion Cotillard is a French actress and singer. She garnered critical acclaim for her roles in films such as La Vie en Rose, My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument, Taxi, Furia and Jeux d'enfants...
.
External links
- People & Events: Evelyn "Billie" Frechette, 1907–1969, American ExperienceAmerican ExperienceAmerican Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television stations in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American history...
Web site