Bonnie & Clyde: Romance, Crime and Lonely Roads

Ask the average person  about Bonnie & Clyde and most likely, any information they supply will be from the ground
breaking 1967 movie. So what's true, and what's fiction?

West Dallas 'Hood
The Barrows, a share cropper family from Telico Plains (in Ellis County, Texas), moved to Dallas in 1921 when they
could no longer eke a living off their farm. A very poor family, they didn't fare much better in West Dallas, an
unincorporated area in the bottom lands of the Trinity river where they lived in a tent under a bridge in a free
campground.

The boys of the family soon turned to crime. Although they tried to "go straight", it seemed that the police patrolled
West Dallas constantly, not trusting the influx of poor, desperate newcomers.  Henry Barrow, Clyde's father, opened a
small gas station with the proceeds he received from a lawsuit, and this became the Barrows' home.

Clyde (1909-1934) had already begun his less-than-stellar career as a petty criminal before he met Bonnie, having
learned the "trade" from his brother Buck. Clyde had had previous girlfriends, even tattooing the initials of one (E.B.W)
on his arm. Bonnie Parker (1910-1934), whose family moved to Cement City (a company town close to West Dallas)
from Rowena after her father died, had already  a romantic past as well. She had married Roy Thorton, another criminal,
when she was only 16. When Bonnie met Clyde at a mutual friend's house (some sources say it was Bonnie's brother's
house), Roy was doing time in prison.

Doin' Time
Clyde quickly followed him. Arrested while visiting
Bonnie at her mother's house, Clyde was jailed in
Waco for several burglaries. Bonnie moved to a cousin's
house in Waco to be closer to him. He convinced Bonnie
to steal a gun from the house of a fellow inmate to help
him break free, and without hesitation Bonnie complied,
concealing the weapon under her dress. This was the
first indication of the lengths Bonnie would go for her man.

The law soon caught up with Clyde after his successful
jailbreak. Sentenced to the Eastham Prison Farm near
Huntsville for 14 years, he experienced such brutal
treatment that his life changed forever. The prison was
notorious for its ill treatment of prisoners, whom guards
would whip, shoot, and beat whenever the mood struck.
Assaulted by a large trustee whom Clyde later bludgeoned
to death, Clyde asked another inmate to cut off two of his
toes to avoid the back breaking labor that the prison forced
him to do. He was transferred to the Walls Unit in Huntsville,
where his brother Buck, who had turned himself in as a
favor to his new wife, Blanche, was living. Within weeks,
however, Clyde was paroled, as his mother had been
working on an early release since his incarceration.

With the help of his family, Clyde tried to do good - even
held a job- but with his prison record, he remained a
constant target for the cops. Also, the experience in a
hardened prison like Eastham had changed Clyde so much
that he couldn't stand doing honest work. He decided to
make crime his full-time occupation. He brought together
several of his prison associates and West Dallas friends-
Ralph Fults, Joe Palmer, Raymond Hamilton, W.D. Jones - and
together, with Bonnie, they formed the Barrow Gang. Several
others joined in and dropped out as time went on
(most notably Henry Methvin, whose father would help the
Texas Rangers  track Bonnie & Clyde). The gang had really
only one goal in mind: to stage a raid on the despised Eastham
Prison Farm.

Bonnie became Clyde's constant companion, although she never really participated in the crimes. She lived with him in
hideouts and later, after Clyde was wanted for murder, they lived in various stolen cars, constantly on the run. Bonnie
wrote poetry to keep herself busy.

Family Life?
In 1933, Bonnie, Clyde, and W.D. Jones tried to set up housekeeping in Joplin, Missouri when Clyde's brother Buck and
his wife Blanche came to visit. Buck had just been pardoned by the governor, and although Blanche was reluctant to
visit the outlaws, she believed that she could help them go straight. However, Buck joined the gang instead, robbing
banks and stores in the surrounding area. When the police caught up with them, a wild shootout ensued. The gang fled
relatively unharmed, but two officers died. The lawmen found several vital pieces of evidence in the apartment, among
them the famous photo of Bonnie smoking a cigar, gun in hand. She later told a kidnapped police officer that the picture
had been taken as a joke.

That same year, as he drove another stolen car at break-neck speed across the Texas panhandle, Clyde didn't notice
that a bridge over the Red River was out. The car plunged into a ditch. Bonnie suffered severe burns to her legs and
sides. Devoted Clyde and Blanche took very good care of her, bandaging her legs and allowing her to rest at the Red
Crown Tourist Camp in Platte City, Missouri. However, local law enforcement became suspicious of the group and
quickly identified them as the Barrow Gang.

A disastrous confrontation left the outlaws badly wounded, but they did escape. Buck had been shot in the head,
Blanche's eyes had been struck by flying glass, and Bonnie's burnt legs continued to cause her immense pain. Clyde
drove for almost two days straight trying to find a good hideout before settling on Dexfield Park in Iowa. When a farmer
notified the police about suspicious activity at the campsite, another gun battle took place. Although Bonnie & Clyde
escaped, Buck and Blanche were caught. Buck died days later, and Blanche received a prison term because she
refused to rat out her kin. W.D. Jones quickly fled from the gang, wanting no more of the lifestyle.

Even with all the turmoil in their young lives, Bonnie & Clyde took grave risks to visit their families as often as they could,
usually meeting in out-of-the-way locations. They met in Deep East Texas, in Commerce, in secluded areas in West
Dallas. During one clandestine meeting in Irving, Texas, they narrowly avoided an ambush - they were only wounded in
the knees.

Sucess, and Death
Their plan to raid the prison farm was accomplished on January 16, 1934. During the siege, in which mounted guard
Major Crowson was killed, Clyde freed his friends Raymond Hamilton, Joe Palmer and Henry Methvin. Raymond and
Clyde became bitter enemies, however, when Raymond hid some cash after a bank robbery. Both went their separate
ways - Raymond later dying in the electric chair.

The raid on the prison farm, coupled with the killing of two police officers in Grapevine on Easter Sunday, 1934, sealed
the couple's fates. Although Henry Methvin was a murderer, his father arranged for leniency with the courts if he could
deliver Bonnie & Clyde to Texas Ranger Frank Hamer and his posse, who had been summoned by the governor of Texas
to bring down the outlaws.

On May 23, 1934, as Bonnie and Clyde drove down a dusty road outside of Gibsland, Louisiana, the laws ambushed
them in a volley of gun fire that shot  Bonnie & Clyde to pieces.

The loud claps of gunfire awakened this sleepy area of lumberjacks and villages. Hundreds of people came out to see
what had happened, and when the crowds realized that Bonnie and Clyde had been killed, they went a little frantic. The
newspapers had made the couple out to be larger than life, but in death, they looked tiny and shattered.

The death scene became a media circus, with souvenir hunters vying for pieces of the dead couple - including body
parts (one misguided soul even tried to cut off Clyde's trigger finger). The "death car", a tan 1934 Ford, still held the pair
as they were wheeled into town of Arcadia for the coroner to examine the bodies. Onlookers climbed on top of each
other to watch the examination.

They were brought back home where their funerals were attended by hundreds of curious Dallasites. Bonnie had
wanted to be buried next to Clyde but her mother refused. So she was laid to rest in the old Fishtrap Cemetery in West
Dallas (she was later moved to Crown Hill Memorial Park), and Clyde was buried next to his brother Buck in a cemetery
along Fort Worth Avenue. The run of the most  romantic and dangerous of outlaws in American history finally ended.
Bonnie and Clyde. Courtesy
Dallas Public Library, used with
permission.
Eastham Prison escape
plaque at the Huntsville
Prison Museum
The site of the former McLennan
County (Waco) jail, where Clyde
spent a few nights before
busting out with Bonnie's help
Go to Bonnie and Clyde
Haunts to view more
photos, and for a real
immersion in Bonnie and
Clyde folklore, visit the
Texas Hideout!
I also give three hour,
photo-intensive
presentations on
Bonnie and Clyde in
my Traveling History
series. By the Fall, I
will also launch the
Traveling History with
Bonnie and Clyde
guide book, complete
with photos,
itineraries, and a
more in-depth history
of the outlaws.

Come see what I have
to offer (including
personal tours guided
by yours truly), at my
Products Page !
What Happened to...?
The "Death Car" - The rightful owner, a woman from
Topeka, Kansas, collected the car in Louisiana a few
days after the ambush. She drove it home, no doubt
with the windows open because the interior hadn't
been cleaned after the shootout (can you even
imagine!) It sat in her driveway for several years before
she leased it to a traveling sideshow. The car was sold
numerous times before landing in the hands of the
Primm Valley Resort and  Casino in Primm, Nevada,
where it is now on display - complete with bullet holes,
blood and gore.

Henry Methvin -  Although his father helped him get a
lighter sentence in Texas, Oklahoma didn't honor the
plea bargain, since he was wanted in the murder of
Deputy Campbell in Commerce. He served for 10 years,
constantly fearing retaliation for his unwitting role in
delivering Bonnie & Clyde to authorities. He died in
Louisiana in 1949 when a train cut him in two.

W.D. Jones - He stayed in jail for a 15 years, although
he maintained that Bonnie & Clyde forced him to
participate in the gang.  He later lived in Houston,
granting an insightful interview with Playboy in 1968, a
year after the movie "Bonnie & Clyde" debuted. He was
found murdered in 1974.

Blanche Barrow - During her ten years in a Missouri
prison, she remained in contact with the Barrow family
and was considered a model prisoner. After her
release, she remarried and tried to forget her painful
past, although she did write a memoir about her life.
She died quietly and is buried in Dallas under her
married name.

Raymond Hamilton - The state of Texas dubbed him a
habitual criminal, sentencing him to over 200 years in
prison. He was convicted in the murder of prison guard
Major Crowson and died in 1935, a victim of Ol' Sparky.
He is buried in a Dallas cemetery.

Frank Hamer and Ted Hinton - After years working as a
Ranger and strike buster, Frank Hamer died in his
sleep in 1955. Ted Hinton wrote Ambush in the 1970s.  

What's also uncanny is that Ted Hinton was acquainted
with both Bonnie and Clyde. He flirted with Bonnie while
she worked in a cafe near the courthouse. A West
Dallas boy, Ted also knew Clyde from hanging out in
the neighborhood.
Tools of the Trade
The Barrow Gang was noted and feared for their arsenal of weapons. They
stole state of the art  guns, like the Browning Automatic Rifle (B.A.R.) and Colt
.45's, from National Guard Arsenals in Enid, Oklahoma and from the Red River
Army Depot near Texarkana, Texas. Clyde also devised his own weapon which
was called a "scattergun." He'd saw off the barrel of a B.A.R. and welded the
ammo clips. His weapons proved infinitely superior to the arms of the law
enforcement officers who only used pistols or, as was the case for rural
authorities, their own hunting rifles.

Clyde also favored Ford V8's as his getaway cars, because of their handling
and speed. He was a very skilled driver, often speeding in excess of 70 miles
an hour down dirt roads - and out of sight of sheriff deputies. Clyde allegedly
wrote a letter to the Ford Motor Company lauding their vehicles.
The Victims
Here's a run-down of the victims of the Barrow Gang. Although Clyde did not have a hand in killing all of these men, he was nonetheless there,
participating in some form or the other.

John Bucher (Hillsboro, TX, 1932).
Clyde maintained that Raymond Hamilton killed the shopkeeper.

Eugene Moore (Atoka, OK, 1932).
Moore was a police officer who wanted to see if the men in the car (Clyde and Raymond Hamilton) were drinking moonshine outside of a dance
hall.

Howard Hall (Sherman, TX, 1932).
Shopkeeper/butcher. This was Clyde's first direct, intentional murder (except for the killing of the Eastham Prison trustee.) Some historians
dispute that Clyde did this killing, though.

Doyle Johnson (Temple, TX, 1932).
Killed as he was trying to stop Clyde from stealing his car. W.D. Jones fired the fatal shot.

Malcolm Davis (Dallas, TX, 1933).
A sheriff's deputy, Davis and his companions were waiting on the outlaws at the home of Lillian McBride in West Dallas when Clyde shot him
pointblank.

Harry McGinis (Joplin, MO, 1933).
One of the two officers killed in the Joplin, MO garage apartment shootout.

Wes Harryman (Joplin, MO, 1933).
The other officer killed in the shootout.

Henry Humphrey (Alma, AK, 1933).
Killed by W.D. Jones and Buck Barrow.

Major Crowson (Huntsville, TX, 1934).
The mounted guard at Eastham Prison whose death spurred the governor to action.

E.B. Wheeler (Grapevine, TX, 1934).
One of the two officers killed on a country road on Easter Sunday.

H.D. Murphy (Grapevine, TX, 1934).
The other officer killed on Easter. It is debated whether Clyde or Henry Methvin instigated the shooting.

Cal Campbell (Commerce, OK, 1934).
A constable from Miami. Their last victim on their desperate run from the law.
Traveling History
The TEXAS RANGERS MUSEUM in Waco, Texas has several
artifacts from the Barrow Gang, mainly weapons and license
plates. Located right off I35.

The PRIMM RESORT & CASINO in Primm, Nevada, displays the
"Death Car." Located on I15 at the California/Nevada state line.
Call 705-386-7867 for more information.

Bonnie's grave was moved in 1945 to the CROWN HILL
cemetery in Central Dallas, on Webb Chapel Road. The grave is
southwest of the mausoleum, behind a high hedgerow. It can
be viewed daily while the sun's up.

Clyde's grave is located in the WESTERN HEIGHTS cemetery on
Fort Worth Drive in West Dallas. This is a small, intimate burial
ground with old German tombstones. Since vandals have
repeatedly stolen Clyde's marker, the cemetery can only be
entered with permission.

GIBSLAND and ARCADIA Louisiana host Bonnie & Clyde days in
May of every year, complete with reenactments. On the lonely
road where the outlaws breathed their last, a marker has been
erected to commemorate the event. Some people say the road
is haunted... Call the Chamber of Commerce at (318)263-9897
for more information.

The Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum in Gibsland, Louisiana,
is located in the old Cranston Cafe, where Bonnie and Clyde ate
their last meal.

The STAR SERVICE STATION (a.k.a. the Barrow gas station) is
still sitting on Singleton Boulevard in West Dallas. It's now a tire
repair shop.  The house that Henry Barrow attached is also
there.

The DALLAS HISTORICAL SOCIETY sponsors the very popular
"Bonnie & Clyde Tour," visiting their hideouts, houses, murder
sites, graves, and jails. This fun trip is narrated by John Neal
Phillips, who wrote the authoritative book, "Running with
Bonnie and Clyde." See dallashistory.org for details.

EASTHAM PRISON FARM still stands, although it is no longer
used - just a ghostly shell remains. Of course it's haunted! (You
had to ask?) The State of Texas- Department of Corrections
has created a great museum in Huntsville. You can visit the old
electric chair...just make sure not to sit down.  Located off I45,
exit 118. Call 936-295-2155 for more information or visit
txprisonmuseum.org.

The house that Bonnie and Clyde lived in for a few weeks in
JOPLIN, MISSOURI still stands on 34th Street. It has been
renovated, so there aren't any  bullet holes to see. It is now a
bed and breakfast! For reservations, go to the Joplin Hideout.
Floor of the now-gone Conger Furniture Store and Funeral parlor. After
the ambush, Bonnie and Clyde were taken here to visit the coroner.
LA 154, looking east of the ambush site. 70 years ago, the road was
not paved and had only one lane, with hardly any shoulder.
Romance, Crime,
and Lonely Roads
The door of the Kemp Calaboose, where Bonnie
and Ralph Fults spent the night after a botched
robbery. Clyde escaped from capture, Ralph was
sent back to Huntsville, and Bonnie was
transferred to the Kaufman County Jail, where
she stayed for six weeks until she was no-billed
by the Grand Jury. Although she felt that Clyde
had abandoned her, she nevertheless took up
with him again upon her release.
The cafe in Shreveport, where
Bonnie, Clyde, and Henry
Methvin lost track of each
other a few days before the
ambush, is now Pano's Diner
(breakfast and lunch only).
The truss bridge at Wellington, Texas,  was built in the 1930s. No
bridge existed when Clyde zoomed by, ignoring warning signs that the
bridge was out. He crashed the car, which severely injured Bonnie.
W.D. Jones was with them during this incident.
Click here to see more photos of Bonnie and Clyde's
Haunts! It's also a sneak-peak of the many places you can
visit when you take a tour with me, or during the Dallas
Historical Society's yearly tour.

The guidebook, Traveling History with Bonnie and Clyde,
features several road trips that you can take at your own
leisure to learn more about the outlaws! The book will be
available by Fall 2008.