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Well, you've read the story of the Little Bohemia lodge and all that happened there. Do you believe it? Sounded good as you were reading, but now there are nagging questions, aren't there?

Here are a few you probably have.

If Emil Wanatka was so concerned about wanted men staying at his lodge, why didn't he make more of an effort to get a message out? After all, of the 10 most wanted men in America at that time, he had five of them sitting in his dining room.

If Wanatka was so frightened, why did he participate in a shooting match with the bandits? More importantly, why did these men hand Wanatka a loaded weapon?

Wasn't he concerned that his 10-year-old son was playing catch with these armed, desperate men?

And if he was so frightened, why didn't he warn his staff or other patrons?

If he discovered who they were as he said he did, and they knew that he knew, why would they allow his wife and son to attend a family gathering? These were hunted men. They lived on "gut" reaction. They followed their sixth sense in whatever they did. That's how they survived. Despite this, not one of the five saw any problem with allowing Mrs. Wanatka and her son to leave the lodge?

Didn't Emil seem to come out of all of this as a hero? Didn't he appear to be the savior of all around him?

Really for the rest of the story?

The truth is Wanatka knew all along who these men were. In fact, he invited them.

Before Wanatka purchased the Little Bohemia lodge, he was a bit player in the Chicago rackets. Now, some years later, he found himself on hard times. The Depression was on and he was far from the only resort in northern Wisconsin. He needed a way to make his resort stand out from the others, and he hit upon a great idea.

He contacted Louis Piquett, a Chicago lawyer who represented Dillinger and others. Piquett had represented Dillinger at Crown Point, Ind., just weeks earlier when Dillinger made his famous escape using what he said was a wooden gun. (However, many historians now believe Piquett had actually smuggled a real gun to Dillinger and the wooden gun story was invented to both protect Piquett and enhance Dillinger's image.)

In any event, Wanatka, who still had connections in the underworld, made his pitch to the outlaws via Piquett. He was offering the use of his place for a few days. It was quiet, remote and safe. They could get some rest without pressure or fear of discovery. For his end, Wanatka knew he'd be well paid, and after the outlaws left he could promote his place as the lodge where the Dillinger/Nelson gang stayed and played. With the summer tourist season just weeks away, Wanatka was certain he could fill his lodge for the entire season with people wanting to stay where the bandits stayed.

Here's where it gets a little confusing. It's unlikely Wanatka bothered to ask his wife, "Guess who's coming to dinner?" But it didn't take her long figure out who these men were. (Shortly after the Little Bohemia incident Van Meter remarked to an associate, "That woman was everywhere. You couldn't whisper your secrets into your pillow without her finding out about them 10 minutes later. A good cook, but a pain the ass.")

It was probably sometime during the first night or early the next day that Mrs. Wanatka confronted her husband about their guests. It was also about that time that she decided the gang had to leave. She went unescorted to a family member's birthday party that night because the gang trusted her. Was she followed as she believed? Maybe. Did they know that she knew who they were? Didn't matter. They were Emil's guests and they probably assumed he could keep his wife under control. (This was pre-liberation days).

Now here comes the greedy part.

Wanatka probably knew of his wife's plan to get word to the FBI. He may not have supported it, but he was most likely aware of it. (She made her brother wait until Sunday morning to contact the FBI. She needed time to make sure her husband was aware of her plan before her brother made the call. Otherwise, he would have made the call Saturday night.)

In the meantime, Wanatka knew he couldn't stop his wife, but he also saw another opportunity in her plan. If she got word to the FBI and the gang was captured, they would receive the reward money. Money up front and money all summer from the tourists. It was at this point Wanatka probably gave his wife his full support.

Everything you've read in this story about what happened after the FBI was contacted is as accurate as witnesses, police reports, newspaper stories and plain old common sense allows. The only exception is the reports that the gang, when discovered, fired machine guns at the FBI before escaping. That's the FBI's version. Those inside the lodge at the time later said they never heard any shooting from inside the lodge. It was all from the outside. When the shooting started the gang probably realized very quickly that there was no shooting coming from the rear of the lodge. That gave them an escape route. Why stay and fight when you can get away?

There are only two other questions.

Why did the gang decide to leave Sunday rather than Monday as originally planned? Who knows. Maybe they suspected Mrs. Wanatka (that sixth sense kicking in) or maybe they just wanted to stay on the move. Lastly, if Mrs. Wanatka's brother knew the gang was at the lodge and he went there Sunday morning to get the OK from his sister, why did he bring his mother? Why bring her into the lodge knowing who these men were?

Finally, the story about Mrs. Wanatka living for years in fear that friends of the gang would seek revenge is true. As to Emil Wanatka's plan to get rich quick, it didn't happen. There were tourists, but not in the numbers he expected. When the gang escaped, they left all their belongings. The FBI took the weapons, but left everything else. Wanatka opened a small museum in the lodge where he displayed the clothing and other personal items for many years. Interest in the outlaws eventually faded away however, and the clothing, left untreated, uncared for and improperly stored, eventually rotted away into piles of old, mildew covered rags.