From archive (archive)
Subject: Book review: "Where the Money Was", by Willie Sutton
From: gnu@hoptoad.uucp (John Gilmore)
Organization: Grasshopper Group in San Francisco
Date: 25 Sep 89 06:51:08 GMT



Willie Sutton was one of the most famous bank robbers of the century.
He robbed hundreds of banks and escaped from most of the prisons he was
in, including two that had not previously been escaped from.  He ended
up released from jail after almost forty years by studying law and
having his convictions overturned while serving "three lifetimes plus
99 years", taking some other inmates along into freedom with him.

If this is reminding you strongly of Harry Harrison's "Stainless Steel
Rat", you are getting the idea.  But Willie's story is true!

His methods were unique; he would watch a bank for a few days or weeks
to get its routine down, then locate some chink in the armor (e.g. they
always opened the door for the mailman even though the bank was not
open).  He would then dress up as a mailman and be admitted to the
bank.  Using a gun as a prop (he never fired one or hurt anyone), a
confident manner, a willingness to think on his feet, and a strict
policy of keeping his mouth shut about his work, he was able to support
himself in style at bank robbing while leaving a trail of admirers
among police and the public.  (He wasn't so popular with insurance
companies and banks -- though he did influence them to change their
methods a few times.)

His escapes were various; some tunnels (including swimming the sewage
system of the prison), some wall-climbing, all with other factors thrown
in (guard uniforms, inclement weather, etc) to tilt the odds in his favor.

The book is his autobiography and covers his life from birth through
his release from prison in 1969 (through clever use of procedural
loopholes opened up by the Supreme Court in the '60s).  He's a very good
writer, with a good sense of pace and a lot of side comments that give
much of the flavor of the times and his life.

If you enjoyed the Stainless Steel Rat, you'll love Willie Sutton.

	Where the Money Was
	by Willie Sutton with Edward Linn
	New York: Viking Press, 1976.
	ISBN 0-670-76115-X

I don't know if the book is in print; I found it in a used book store.
-- 
John Gilmore      {sun,pacbell,uunet,pyramid}!hoptoad!gnu      gnu@toad.com
		"Watch me change my world..." -- Liquid Theatre