Bonnie & Clyde: Ride and Die

Prelude

I have always been drawn to Bonnie Parker, in fact, I have often joked that I am her reincarnation, that I am paying in this life for her sins. Maybe. Or maybe it is the romanticized media views of who they were that have me drawn to her. However much I thought I knew about them prior to writing this proved to me that the world had tainted their story to match an agenda that suited them. I imagine I could research them for years and still not fully understand all that I need to understand about them. I assure you, even the best research in the world will not account for everything as only Bonnie and Clyde themselves would know the fullest of their story, however, I have given you a solid effort.

This is the true story of Bonnie and Clyde. Their lives and crimes have been romanticized for decades, even featured in movies and television shows. They depict Bonnie and Clyde as beautiful charismatic creatures that enjoyed the life of crime. They tell the tale that Bonnie and Clyde lived carefree and wild until they were murderously gun downed or in some cases, righteously gunned down depending on who is telling the story. But what really happened? How many of those stories are true? After a lot of research, this is the truth as I surmised from the information I gathered.

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In the beginning

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker was born in Rowena, Texas October 1, 1910, to Emma and Charles Parker. She was the middle child. She had an older brother and a younger sister. At the young age of four her father died, leaving mom no option but to move to the destitute area of Clement City, Texas to stay with her grandparents.

Bonnie was a very intelligent young lady, and well adjusted. In school, she received honors in all her schooling and she showed an interest in literature and poetry. She had aspirations of one day becoming an actress. In fact, she was obsessed with moving pictures and wanted to be a performer. Wanted to be “famous”. If only she could see how famous she actually became!

Bonnie was a normal child and did not act at all as one might expect of someone that may one day become a criminal. Though all that changed in her second year of high school, at the young age of just 15, Bonnie became involved with a schoolmate named Roy Thorton. Roy was a petty thief.

Bonnie Parker stood just under 5ft tall, with bright blue eyes and a model figure. She was beautiful. It's no wonder that Roy was attracted to her.

Bonnie was considered a wild woman, especially when she got a tattoo on the inside of her thigh celebrating her marriage to Roy. She had dropped out of school at 15 to marry Roy in September 1926 just days from 16 years old. However, Roy cheated on her and beat her if she asked questions. Roy would leave for days, and after a few times, he just didn't come back.

Bonnie was bored with life and at this point, all self-esteem was gone. She thought she was a has-been, spent, not worthy of love. But she still had those desires to have the thrill, the rich life that she watched from a distance. She still had an obsession with being a part of the “moving pictures”. She wanted the fast life, the life she saw in the movies.

It’s no wonder that Bonnie ran into the arms of the smooth-talking, thrill ride that was Clyde Barrow.

Clyde Chestnut Barrow was the 5th of seven children born on March 24, 1909, to Henry Basil Barrow and Cumie Talitha Walker in Telico, Texas. The family, while incredibly loving of each other, were also incredibly poor. They lost their farm due to drought and had to move to Dallas as part of a migration pattern of the great depression. They settled in the slum of West Dallas, a place where if you were lucky you might have a tent; the Barrows were not so lucky. They slept under their wagons on the ground, overseeing the wealthy for several months. Clyde was very small for his age, and most likely the victim of bigger boys bullying him in school. And before he turned to a life of crime, Clyde wanted to be a musician and he learned to play both the guitar and the saxophone. Clyde dropped out of school at 16.

He looked up to his big brother Buck and following his lead, entered into a life of crime. At first, it was only petty stealing, but before long, he had moved up to stealing cars, then to armed robbery. The first time he was arrested was at the age of 17, for not returning a rental car in time and running from the police who questioned him. After that, his brother Buck and he stole some turkeys and were caught. Though he did have legal work for a few years, his main job became cracking safes, robbing stores, and stealing cars.

By 1929, at the young age of 20, Clyde was a wanted fugitive.

Clyde met Bonnie through a mutual friend, Clarence Clay in January 1930. She was an out-of-work waitress at the time with a broken arm. They liked each other immediately and spent as much time together as possible for several weeks until their blossoming romance was put on hold when Clyde was arrested and convicted of auto theft. Clyde was just the thrill Bonnie was seeking. Bonnie was smitten and would do anything for him.

Brush with the law

In April of 1930, at the age of 21, Clyde was sent to the Eastham prison farm. He was heartbroken because he was truly in love with Bonnie and thought of ways to escape to get back to her. It didn't take long for Bonnie to enter into the life of crime influenced by her love for Clyde. Her first act of breaking the law was to smuggle a gun into the prison for her “soulmate”. He successfully escaped with a few inmates, only to get caught again and returned just a week later. He now received a sentence of 14 years of hard labor.

In hard labor, His life would forever change and he would get his first taste of blood after killing an inmate that had repeatedly raped him. He killed him with a lead pipe, crushing the man’s skull. Another man in prison, a lifer, took the blame for the killing. Clyde was never the same after that. Even his family took notice that he had hardened quite a bit.

As Clyde’s mother worked hard to get her baby boy free and was finally able to convince the judge to let him parole early, Clyde was on the inside plotting away to create a better environment in prison, thinking he was in for the long haul. So He had another inmate chop off two of his toes to avoid the hard labor. 6 days later he was released and maintained his limp for the rest of his life.

During the time of his stay in prison, he and Bonnie continued to write to each other, flaming their passions.

After Clyde was released, he did try to go straight and got a legal job, but the police hounded him so much that he ended up getting fired and gave up. He then formed a gang to resume his criminal activities.

He and his inmate Ralph Fults started robbing together. It was thought that he robbed to get revenge on the police for allowing his rapes in prison to continue, doing nothing to help him. He was gonna save up enough money to get the firepower he needed to go back to the prison to exact his revenge. He was robbing 10 times more than he did when he went in at small businesses and banks. Eventually, Bonnie joins him in the robberies. On April 19, 1932, after a failed robbery of a hardware store, Bonnie and Ralph were captured. Bonnie served a few months in jail but was released after the jury failed to indict her. Ralph was tried and convicted. He never came back to the gang afterward.

The heat is on as another robbery goes wrong and someone in the gang ends up killing a store owner. The wife was the witness and identifies Clyde Barrow. However, he was the getaway driver and did not actually kill anyone. Clyde was starting to get a bad reputation and was accused of things he didn’t actually do.

Though that didn’t make him innocent, he did open fire on a sheriff and deputy with his friend and fellow gang members Raymond Hamilton and Ross Dyer while drunk in Stringtown, Oklahoma. The deputy lived. The sheriff CG Maxwell was the first law enforcement officer that was murdered by Clyde. This one, Clyde actually did and eventually, they end up killing a total of 9.

Killing became easy for Clyde as he killed a family man for his car, and more police officers who had a trap set out for another criminal they were trying to catch and Clyde’s gang wandered in it instead.

More people including Buck joined the gang. Though the family stated that when Buck received his full pardon for his crimes, he and his wife Blanche tried to convince Clyde to give up and turn himself in. The gang stayed at Buck’s house to lay low. Ya, that didn’t happen. Instead, they all got drunk, loud and one of the guns even went off! Of course, this alarmed the neighbors who got suspicious and called it in, a shoot-out occurred, and this time Bonnie participated in the shooting! Bonnie did not kill anyone. However, during the shootout, two more officers were killed and four of the members of the gang got away. When the gang took off they left in such a hurry that Bonnie’s poems and several undeveloped camera rolls got left behind, containing multiple pictures of Bonnie and Clyde posing together. Pictures that the police gave to the public to aid in capturing them.

Now suddenly Buck and Blanche and WD Jones, (who was a 16-year-old lifelong friend that had joined the gang on Christmas day prior to the shoot-out), are being hunted by the police. Although at the time of the shoot out Blanche was looking after her dog and as they took off in the car, they stopped and snatched her and her dog off the road.

Bonnie and Clyde were now recognized everywhere and romanticized because they were good-looking, young, wild, and not only criminals but doing other things like unwed sex that caused teens and young adults to idolize them.

Now the stress was on... They were not able to stay very long anywhere because of being recognized, they didn't ever steal enough to get very far, and 5 people were squeezed in one car. Eventually, the fighting and stress were too much and Jones took off in the car. But came back a few months later.

Ride or Die

On June 10 Clyde had accidentally flipped the car with Bonnie and Jones inside. Bonnie sustained a nasty 3rd-degree burn on her leg. So severe that Jones stated he could see the bone in several places and they did not think she would live. While so close to death, the gang had to continue to keep moving, barely staying long in one place long enough to catch their breaths. Bonnie was in critical condition and couldn’t walk. She would either hop or Clyde carried her. Of course, that was when she wasn’t passed out from the high fever or the pain. She needed help! They got that help from a farm family nearby and by kidnapping two police officers. They then met up with Blanche and Buck where they hid for a bit to tend to Bonnie’s burns. While she was recovering they went to get some extra money they needed for supplies and food, but the robbery went bad and the town marshal Henry Humphry from Alma, Arkansas was killed. So now, in spite of Bonnie’s condition, they had to run.

Gangster Style

Now the gang is on the run again, Bonnie is near death from infection but they cannot stop to really tend to her. They made it to a motel in Platte City, Missouri called Red Crown Tourist Court in July of 1933. The gang rented both of the brick cabins available and the crew seemed to go out of their way to draw attention to themselves. They registered as a party of three but clearly was 5, they pulled in “gangster style” which meant back into the garage for a quick getaway. The bill was paid by Blanche with coins instead of bills, and even the five dinners and beers she paid for were paid in coins. They taped newspapers over all the windows, and Blanche always wore riding breeches called jodhpur! Now today, that wouldn’t mean anything. In fact, you might have literally just thought to yourself, “so what?” But back then, her pants were so shocking they were remembered 40 years later! And her pants along with everything else were just too many things so the owner of the tavern, Neal Houser leaned over to the good Captain William Baxter, who happened to be a patron of the restaurant about the group. Hmm, I wonder, if Blanche wouldn’t have worn those pants if this story wouldn’t have had a different outcome?

Ok, so having no clue that the police are onto them, they bed down for another night and the following morning Clyde and Jones went to purchase some stuff to treat Bonnie and some snacks for the trip. The police had made some inquiries into these 5 peculiar people and the sheriff’s department had already been contacted by the police from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas so while at the store the pharmacists contacted sheriff Holt Coffey who then put the cabin under surveillance. Then the Captain was contacted who called for reinforcements from Kansas City, Missouri. Who brought an armored car! They were circling in quietly. At 11 pm that night they were ready and they approached the cabins with Thompson submachine guns. aka the Tommy gun!

However, the Tommy guns were no match to the guns Clyde had stolen on July 7 from a national guard armory in Enid, Ok (the browning automatic rifle) and the gang was able to escape after a bullet short-circuited the horn on the armored car and the police thought it was a signal to the ceasefire. And to not pursue. They watched as the Barrow car drove off. Bet they felt pretty dumb after they figured out what happened!

However, The Barrow Gang did not get away without more issues. Buck was shot in the forehead exposing his brain and Blanche was blinded by glass fragments in her eyes. Buck did not die right away and would sometimes talk and even eat, however, he had lost so much blood and was in and out of consciousness that the other members of the gang dug a grave for him at the abandoned amusement park called Dexfield park in Dexter, Iowa that they were camping out at on July 24. The locals in the area noticed all the blood-soaked bandages and spectators gathered. The police were called and they determined that it was the Barrow gang and surrounded the place with the help of the local residents. Another gunfight began. Only Bonnie, Clyde, and Jones escaped on foot. If you recall, Clyde was missing 2 toes and Bonnie had to be carried. Buck and Blanche were captured after Buck was shot again in the back. Buck died 5 days later after surgery was performed at King’s Daughters Hospital in Perry, Iowa. But man, ya kinda gotta give it to the guy, he sure did try to make it.

All that remains of the Barrow gang now is Bonnie, Clyde, and Jones. Seriously, the odds are not looking too great. Bonnie can barely walk if she can at all. She is still healing. Clyde, without his toes, struggles himself. They need to come up with a plan. They decided to steer clear of their usual stomping grounds for a while and recoup. Though they continued to rob to get what they needed. On August 20th, Jones and Clyde restocked their guns with three more BAR guns, a few handguns, and a ton of ammunition from a robbery they did of an armory in Plattville Illinois.

The gang began to really miss their families because they did not go that long without having contact with them. So they decided to risk it all to visit Dallas. Jones went his own way to see his family in Houston where his mom now lived. However, he was caught and arrested on November 16 without any shooting. He was snitched on by a friend of his in the area. He had been laying low there and doing odds and ends jobs for a while and this supposed friend snitched him out.

When Jones was arrested he told a tale that to this day was believed to have been coached by Bonnie and Clyde so that he would not face punishment since they really had nothing to lose at that point. It is believed that before they parted ways Clyde and Bonnie told Jones that if he got caught to blame the full affair on them. To say he was kidnapped and held at gunpoint, that he was chained up at night so he wouldn't escape. To tell them that most of the time he would faint from fear and be unconscious during the gun battles just fearing for his life and unable to get away. They even worked out the story of his escape for him. Telling him to tell the authorities that Clyde had given him money to fill the tank and he had driven ahead to find a secluded place to change cars when he was out of Clyde’s eyesight he took off and went home… And that is the story he told. Did anyone believe him? Well...

Here is the thing. Political careers are tricky and sneaky businesses. Now Dallas, Texas had in their possession one of the notorious Barrow gang members and that was good for the political career of sheriff Schmid. Sheriff Schmid didn’t care if the story was true or not. This is politics. Though he did keep Jones a secret for nearly 2 weeks. Possibly hoping to get the full package before debuting his lucky grab. Maybe thinking Clyde and Bonnie would come to try to rescue him. However, the Sheriff grew tired of waiting for them to come to him. So on November 22, the Sheriff with his deputies Caster, Hinton, and Alcorn attempted to ambush Bonnie and Clyde in Sowers, Texas. But it was a horrible miscalculation and they messed it up so badly that they were taunted even by the press that published front-page news titles “Sheriff escapes from Clyde Barrow” which was a huge blow to the man's ego. So to save face, the sheriff put Jones on display. The sheriff had obviously brutalized Jones and threatened him and whatever the sheriff threatened him with was pretty messed up because he was noticeably shaking in fear and confessed that he witnessed Clyde shooting Deputy Davis in Dallas. The Sheriff wanted Jones to stay in his possession so when he got wind that the Arkansas prison wanted to expedite him for crimes committed in Arkansas, the sheriff convinced Jones to take the rap for accessory to the murder of the deputy so he would stay where he was, which was fine for Jones who said later in an interview with playboy in 1968 that had he gone to Arkansas prison .. he would have been among the skeletons they dug up there. He said, “Clyde did it, but I was glad to take the rap.”

He was in prison when Bonnie and Clyde died and he stated he was relieved it was over for them because it was such hell for them. The media romanticized a situation that was really pure hell on the inside.

He was murdered in 1974, having never lived down his gangster days, and due to a gunshot wound in the chest, he became addicted to painkillers and alcohol. He went with a female friend to another friend’s house where the woman thought she was gonna stay, something happened and he was gunned down in the altercation. Apparently, the man that shot him told the police that he knew of Jones' reputation (the Barrow gang) and was afraid of him, so he shot him. Three times with a 12 gauge shotgun close range.

The Narrow Escape

Ok back to Bonnie and Clyde: As stated before Sheriff Smoot Schmid, Deputy Bob Alcorn, and Deputy Ted Hinton were gonna capture and arrest Bonnie and Clyde on November 22 and lay in wait for them near Sowers, Texas. However, Clyde caught on that it was a trap as he drove up and continued to drive past his family’s house. The cops decided to stand up and fire upon them with Tommy guns and bar guns. The family thankfully was not hit even though they ended up in the crossfires but both Bonnie and Clyde were hit in the legs. They narrowly escaped that night. About a week later a Dallas jury put a murder indictment on Bonnie and Clyde for the murder of Deputy Malcome Davis from January, 11 months earlier. It would be Bonnie’s first murder warrant.

The Eastham Breakout

January 16, 1934, when Clyde planned and led the escape of Henry Methvin, Raymond Hamilton, and multiple others in what was called “The Eastham breakout”. It was the ultimate revenge on the Texas Department of corrections because this escape and raid caused a lot of negative publicity for them. During the escape the prison guard Major Joe Crowson was shot and died a few days later. This charge was added to Bonnie and Clyde’s offenses even though it was Joe Palmer that actually shot him. Because of this incident, the full power of both the Texas and Federal governments was made available for the hunt to capture Bonnie and Clyde. Prison Chief Lee Simmons promised dying Joe Crowson that those involved in the escape will be hunted down and shot. He kept his promise. All of them were, except Methvin whose life was preserved for his act of betrayal against Bonnie and Clyde. A deal he made to be spared.

Constant Sorrow

The Texas police contacted a retired ranger named Captain Frank Hamer to hunt down the gang. He was a force to be reckoned with; 53 kills and 17 wounded under his belt and he took on the task of hunting down Bonnie and Clyde. Staying just a town behind them, he became their constant shadow until the end. They could not rest.

In April 1934 an eyewitness claimed that she saw Clyde and Methvin kill highway patrolmen Edward Bryant Wheeler and HD Murphy at an intersection of route 114 and Dove rd near Grapevine, Texas (now called Southlake). It got widespread coverage before it was DISCREDITED. Methvin admitted firing the first shot assuming that Clyde wanted them dead but Clyde and Bonnie did not and in fact, Bonnie had attempted to save them, not to finish them off as the eye witness tried to say. Bonnie had been asleep when the shooting started and Clyde only shot after being shot at.

Now because of the lies of the eyewitnesses whose story gradually grew, and other exaggerated stories and lies, the gang lost the public's sympathy. As you may recall, prior to this, they were becoming celebrities, especially Bonnie and Clyde, and they were romanced all over the nation. Then...

The Grapevine Killings

Four newspapers all report similar accounts of lies. These papers did not do any real investigative work, instead, they fed off each other and ate up the lies told by the ‘eye witness’ and a nearby farmer that claimed Bonnie laughed as Murphy's head ‘bounced like a rubber ball’ as she shot him. The stories even told of a cigar butt that had Bonnie’s teeth marks in it. To make matters worse, the fiance of Murphy wore her wedding gown to his funeral that was covered by the same newspapers. The ‘eye witness’ was soon discredited but the damage was done. Even a cartoon drawing was put in the paper with an electric chair that had a ‘Reserved for Clyde and Bonnie’ on it. The negative publicity caused the authorities to put a reward for the dead bodies of the Grapevine slayers, adding an extra $500 for Bonnie’s head since it was believed she shot Murphy.

April 6, 1934, 5 days later, the public’s opinion of them soured even more as they got the news that Clyde and Henry had gunned down a 60 yr old constable named William Campbell. It had been raining and the area was drenched causing a lot of mud in which the Ford that Henry, Bonnie, and Clyde were driving was stuck in the mud. Now it is not determined why Henry and Clyde attempted to flag down a passerby by gunpoint unless they had gotten desperate because no one would stop for them. But this driver didn’t stop either, in fact, he sped up and headed straight to the authorities, who of course came to arrest them. They exchanged gunfire and William was killed instantly with a shot in the heart. Percy got a headshot and surrendered. They then took Percy hostage so that they could get past the Kansas border. Forcing a truck driver to pull their car out of the mud. William was the 13th and last victim of the Barrow gang according to the official count. Percy was later released to go home, about nine miles from Fort Scott. He was provided money to get home, a clean shirt, and instructions to tell the world that Bonnie did not smoke cigars.

Percy identified Bonnie and Clyde but did not learn Henry’s name so the arrest warrants for Campbell’s murder were made out for Bonnie, Clyde, and John Doe.

The End for Bonnie and Clyde

On May 23, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde were gunned down by Texas officers Frank Hamer, Bob Alcorn, Ted Hinton, BM Maney Gaut, and Louisiana officers Henderson Jordan, and Prentiss Morel Oakley. Hamer led the group. On Feb 12, he began tracking them. He studied their movements and patterns and realized their connection with family. He realized they used the state line rule to their advantage. But Clyde was consistent in his patterns, always checking back in with their families. Hamer realized they were due to see Henry’s family in Louisiana. On May 21st, a group of 4 posse members from Texas learned that Bonnie and Clyde were going to the parish that evening with Henry. In case they were separated, Clyde said they would meet up at Henry’s parent’s place. They did get separated. It is believed Henry got caught and the police used him to have his family help them. By threatening convincingly on what they would do to Henry if his father didn't help. And an ambush was set up.

The group was in place and waited almost a full day. They were just about to give up when Bonnie and Clyde finally rolled up in their stolen Ford v8. The plan was for them to stop and talk to Henry’s father to put them in the lane closer to the ambush. Oakley fired first, most likely before receiving the order, and killed Clyde with a headshot instantly. At the sight of her soulmate now dead next to her Bonnie began screaming and crying as they continued to fire the guns and eventually turned the guns onto her, satisfied that he was dead. They had fired a total of 130 shots into the car, while the guns that Bonnie and Clyde possessed laid in the backseat never even picked up.

The Haunting

If you were to venture into Whiskey Pete’s Casino in Primm, Nevada, you would see Clyde’s final stolen car, full of bullet holes. They also have on display his bullet-holed, bloodstained shirt. They say if you are close to the Ford, you might get a creepy uneasy feeling. Though, let’s be honest, how can you look upon a car full of bullet holes, knowing someone was killed in this vehicle without feeling a bit uneasy? Is that really any proof of an entity, or maybe just proof you have a soul. However, it is said that several people have seen strange anomalies in photos they took of the car. Hmmm, entity, or photographer error? Guess, you will just have to go check it out for yourself and be sure to clean your lens!

Another place that claims to have been haunted by Bonnie and Clyde is the hotel that they stayed several nights in during their crime spree. Baker Hotel which is in Mineral Wells, Texas has had claims of feeling the presence of the lovebirds in the Brazos Room, and the Ballroom. Are they coming by to visit, to re-experience the fond memories they must have had there? Or are they attached to the objects the hotel keeps that belonged to them? A poem that Bonnie wrote for Clyde, the 38-revolver that belonged to Bonnie among other treasures.

The Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum has been frequented by paranormal groups regularly as there are claims that this place is another place Bonnie and Clyde’s ghosts have been thought to visit. Have you ever been to these places? What was your experience? Do you think any of these places are really haunted by Bonnie and Clyde?