Star Crossed Great Depression Era Gangsters: Bonnie and Clyde.
So, who were the Clyde Barrow Gang, known colloquially as "Bonnie and Clyde?" They were among a number of Depression Era gangsters, who were overly romanticized by the newspapers and rural populations, as was their romance. And, no, he wasn't 6'3".
Bonnie was 4'11″, and Clyde was 5'4″. Yup, you read that correctly. Frankly, I'm amazed she or he were able to drive the get-a-way car.
The gang preferred to rob Mom and Pop stores and funeral homes. Really????? What the hell is it with these Depression-era criminals and their weird ass heists?
Bonnie and Clyde met at the house of one of her friends, and reports suggest that it was instant attraction. By February, 1932, they embarked on a series of robberies, which landed Bonnie briefly in jail. She rejoined Clyde within a few days of her release, and the crime spree continued. Things got ever more serious, particularly after a robbery at a small store, where the shop owner was killed. His wife ID'd Clyde from a photograph as one of the killers, although he'd been in the getaway car the whole time.
By August of that year, Barrow and another gang member were getting drunk at a country dance (oh-kaay), when two police officers confronted them in the parking lot. Clyde and his cohort, Raymond Hamilton, opened fire, killing one and severely wounding the other. This was the first officer that Barrow's gang felled, but the total was nine.
One particularly vile act by the Barrow gang, was the car theft of Doyle Johnson (a very young man with a family). He was uselessly shot to death. It was Christmas Day, 1932. In January, Clyde and his buddy stumbled into a trap set by local police for another fu*&king criminal. Are you kidding me? Talk about hideous luck.
In March, 1933, Clyde's bro Buck was released from prison, and guess what he did? Yup, he joined Clyde and Co., with his wife Blanche, and they were off again to rob some more. The group holed up in a small apartment in Joplin, Missouri (apparently as popular a criminal meeting ground as Little Rock, Arkansas). You'd think they'd be circumspect, right? Nope. Loud poker games went on into the night, and Clyde even accidentally discharged one of his signature Browning Automatic Rifles while cleaning it. Blanche later remembered that these guys went through a case of beer per day.
Whoa. Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.
Well, it wasn't long until a neighbor reported the disturbances to local police. Ye Gods. Really? Five cops descended on the hideout, and the gang opened fire, killing another two policemen. Clyde and his buddies piled into their car, pulling Blanche on the way, who was inexplicably taking her dog Snowball for a pee. OMG. You know, history is filled with these strange little moments, like Hitler naming his dog after the American comic strip character, Blondie.
In their escape, the gang left behind a ton of personal effects, including some rolls of film. What a bunch of bright light bulbs. Prior to this, no one had a good idea of their appearance. Well, that was a thing of the past. The pictures quickly made the wires, and appeared in newspapers world wide.
How romantic.
Barf.
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What a cute couple of mass murderers.
For the next three months, these guys traveled from Texas to Missouri, robbing a smattering of businesses, but they never pulled a truly big score. In June, the group flipped a stolen car near Wellington, Texas. In the resultant gas fire, Bonnie sustained third degree burns on her leg. As they were unable to get her medical help, the injury got progressively worse. By July, 1933, they'd reached Platte City, Missouri, and tried to stay at the Red Crown Tourist Court. Blanche rented a room for three, but the manager watched five enter. No, nothing suspicious about that, right?
It wasn't long, Dear Reader, before people got suspicious (particularly after Clyde purchased bandages and disinfectant from a local store), and notified police. Preparing themselves, police even called in an armored car from Kansas City! A gunfight ensued, but Clyde and Co., escaped--but not all of them. Clyde's brother Buck was shot in the head, while his wife Blanche was hit in the eyes by shards of glass.
The escapees made it to a former amusement park located near Dexter, Iowa, by July, 1933, but they were soon surrounded by police. Another shootout ensued, and Buck was shot in the back. Still alive (barely), he and Blanche were captured. He died five days later. Bonnie and her beau escaped all the way to Colorado, ranging around, committing more robberies. Finally, they took a great gamble, going back to Dallas to see their families, and to hopefully secure Bonnie some badly needed medical attention.
In November, they narrowly escaped a net laid for them by local police near Sowers, Texas, but again the pair escaped, staying on the run until January, 1934. Wow. Believe or not, they arranged for some of Clyde's buddies to break out from jail, perhaps making good on Clyde's long time dream to revenge himself on the Texas penal system.
Uh, you don't ever want to piss off the Texan police, folks.
The authorities brought out the big guns, and got a former Texas Ranger (gulp), Frank Hamer, to track down Bonnie and Clyde.
And you especially don't wanna be hunted down by a Texas Ranger.
Hamer was famous in his home state, for being relentless, tough, and single-minded in tracking down his quarry. Think of the Ranger motto: 'one riot, one ranger.' This was a guy credited with killing 53 criminals, and having over 17 wounds. Jeez. Hamer began by tracing routes previously taken by the Barrow gang.
Alas, their capture didn't happen soon enough, and two more cops became casualties. The killings got national coverage, especially with the fiance of one of the victims wearing her wedding dress to his funeral. Ewwwwwww. Exaggerated accounts of the latest killings finally aroused public ire against the gang, signalling a change in their perception from romantic outlaws, to merciless killers.
By May, 1934, Barrow amassed 16 warrants, ranging from robbery to murder. Bonnie was also wanted for murder. Hamer led a group of lawmen along routes he'd previously traced, discovering that there was a definitive pattern to Barrow's movements. This allowed Hamer the opportunity to predict Clyde's movements enough to create a trap for the outlaws. The lawmen set up an ambush near Gibsland, LA. On the 23rd, they finally heard the approach of a car. Now, the trap consisted of a former gang member's car 'broken down' on the side of a road. Indeed, the car held Bonnie and Clyde, who slowed down when he recognized the auto. Immediately the cops fired upon them. Barrow died immediately from a head shot. Bonnie died quickly afterwards, as the police pumped more than 130 rounds into the car. Uh, overkill much? It was later said that the funeral homes had a really tough time plugging all of the holes in Bonnie and Clyde...well, I GUESS SO! Hamer later said "I hate to bust the cap on a woman." Uh huh.
At the scene, before the bodies were taken away, people began flocking to the scene, trying to take, uh, little 'mementos.' ?????????????? Like Barrow's trigger finger, and strips from Bonnie's dress. Grodie. Shell casings were super popular that day. You know, sometimes people are really pathetic.
The couple had always said that they intended to be buried together, but Bonnie's family wouldn't stand for it. At Bonnie's funeral fellow gangsters actually sent funeral wreaths (legend has it from Pretty Boy Floyd and John Dillinger). Clyde's tombstone read "gone but not forgotten."
In the years since, Bonnie and Clyde's crime spree has been overly mythologized by Hollywood--most spectacularly in a movie made in the late sixties starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Talk about fantasy casting!
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