Bonnie Parker Died A Married Woman, And It Has Nothing To Do With Clyde (What History Doesn’t Cover)
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Borrow, a pair of violent lovers, wreaked havoc on their victims and became perhaps one of the most widely known criminal couples of all time. During a two-year period, Bonnie and Clyde went on a legendary crime spree and oddly captured the attention and admiration of the American public.
Their crime spree occurred following the great depression, a time when the American public was at odds with the U.S. government. Let's take a look at the short-lived crime spree of the famous couple and look at some of the few rare pictures of the romanticized couple.
They Met By Happenstance
A mutual friend of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Borrow broke their arm in 1930. The couple both visited that mutual friend on the same day. The couple quickly hit it off
When the soon-to-be couple first met, Bonnie, only 19 years old at the time, was already married to another man. Bonnie's husband, however, was imprisoned for murder. Her husband's life of crime would soon mimic Bonnie's own life on the run from U.S. lawmakers. Clyde, in the meantime, was already a criminal living a life that involved constantly skirting law enforcement.
Clyde's Life Of Crime Started Small
While we know Clyde Borrow as a violent and ruthless criminal these days, his life of crime actually started with some very small infractions. Clyde's first brush with the law came when he failed to return a rental car on time, something that today would just result in additional fees.
Clyde's second clash with police occurred when he stole a turkey. It wouldn't be long before he moved onto more violent and lucrative forms of criminal activity.
Clyde Was Arrested After They Met
The new romance between Bonnie and Clyde would hit a snag just three months into their courtship. Clyde, a lifetime criminal, was caught by police following a series of robberies. Clyde would be sentenced and serve two years in prison.
In 1932, Clyde Borrow was released from prison. It would be the start of a crime spree that captivated the country. It would also be the first time that a now 22-year-old Bonnie was involved in any type of criminal activity. When Clyde was released from prison, it was Bonnie waiting outside the prison's gates to greet her lover.
The Start Of The 'Barrow Gang'
When Bonnie and Clyde started the "Barrow Gang" it was a small outfit that engaged in typical criminal activities around little towns located in north-central Texas.
The gang would steal weapons and then use them to rob gas stations, earning them some quick but mediocre cash. At one point, the gang tried to bust their fellow criminal friends out of prison. It was the start of a romanticized relationship that would captivate the country for two years.
Bonnie Is Arrested For Attempted Theft
The Barrow Gang was only engaging in typical gas station burglaries at first but that was enough to see Bonnie get arrested. She was caught while trying to steal weapons from a hardware store.
Because it was her first offense, Bonnie Parker was released from prison after only spending a few months behind bars. Almost the second she was released the couple began engaging in additional criminal activities that would earn them the attention of a captivated America.
The Gang's Criminal Activities Became More Violent
What started as an attempt to make some extra cash through typical gas station robberies soon turned more violent. It wasn't long before Bonnie, Clyde, and the rest of the Barrow Gang started attacking sheriffs and other officers of the law.
The gang engaged in murder and there was no turning back. They also started to expand their operation, moving from Texas to other outlying areas as their life on the lam started to become a larger part of their lives. They made it as far as Minnesota during their crime spree.
Family Eventually Joined In After Hearing About The Gang's Success
Clyde Borrow was not the only criminal-minded person in his family. As his gang of criminals continued to grow, his own family would get in on the action, hoping to reap the rewards from a life of crime.
Buck, Clyde's brother, along with Buck's wife, Blanche, soon joined the Barrow gang. Together, Bonnie and Clyde's gang, along with their family members, continued to take part in dangerous robberies and murder.
Fleeing Their Hideout In Missouri
This photo was confiscated by law enforcement who tracked down Bonnie and Clyde's hideout in Joplin, Missouri. The raid forced the notorious couple to flee their home in 1933, leaving behind most of their possessions.
Two rolls of film were confiscated during the raid, providing most of the only known photographs of the couple that still exist. Despite the raid, Bonnie and Clyde would continue to commit additional crimes for another year.
Photos Were Used To Alert The Public
The confiscation of photos from Bonnie and Clyde's hideout in Joplin, Missouri would be a crucial component in eventually bringing the couple to justice. Without a TV in every home, law enforcement needed a way to show the public what the couple looked like.
They took this photo and others from the collection they had retrieved and circulated the photos in newspapers across the country. The manhunt for the famous couple was starting to heat up.
Bonnie Was Romanticized For Her Ability To Run With The Boys
Perhaps one of the most iconic photos from the escapades of Bonnie and Clyde is this one featuring Bonnie with a cigar held firmly in her mouth. While she was a dangerous criminal, that's not how the media always portrayed her.
Perhaps as a sign of the times, Bonnie was romanticized as a tough southern woman who was capable of holding her own against some of the worst criminals in America.
Law Enforcement Scores A Big Victory
Now on the FBI's 'Most Wanted' list, the Barrow gang was nearing the end of its successful run as criminals. While they were hunkered down in Platte City, Missouri, Highway Patrol officers discovered the gang.
Officers, rolling up in an armored car, ambushed the gang, killing Buck and arresting Blanche. As they had done many times before, Bonnie and Clyde managed to escape during the ambush. Still, it was a big win that would foreshadow Bonnie and Clyde's eventual end.
A Police Death Changes The Public's Mind
On January 6, 1933, the Grapevine Home Bank was robbed by two of Clyde's gang members. Police quickly started an investigation and they were led to a Dallas home where Bonnie and Clyde were believed to be in hiding.
When Grapevine Sheriff Malcolm Davis arrived at the home, he was killed by Clyde Borrow. Local newspapers soon printed exaggerated reports of the couple reveling in the killing of the officer. As all four major Dallas newspapers printed stories full of false reports that were later discredited, those stories served to turn the public against Bonnie and Clyde.
Bonnie And Clyde Both Suffered Debilitating Injuries
Despite their outlaw reputation, Bonnie and Clyde were actually growing weak well before they met their last days on earth. Clyde, hoping to be transferred out of Eastham prison, had a fellow prisoner cut off several of his toes using an ax, which created a lasting impact on his ability to walk. It was a needless event since, unbeknownst to Clyde, he was set to be paroled six days later.
Bonnie suffered a leg injury in June 1933 when Clyde crashed their car, and battery acid poured all over her right leg. At least part of the acid ate down to her bone. Bonnie couldn't go to the hospital and never walked normally again.
They Had Fun Kidnapping People, Even Police Officers
It's believed that Clyde killed a total of 10 people. While later portrayed as completely ruthless, most of those killings occurred when someone tried to stop their escape following a robbery. Instead, the couple took joy in kidnapping people, driving around with them, and then releasing them.
The couple managed to capture a police officer who asked if there was anything the couple wanted the public to know once they released him. Bonnie told the officer she didn't really smoke cigars. On several occasions, the couple even gave their kidnapping victims money so they could get back home.
Their Crime Spree Comes To An End In Gruesome Fashion
After two years of non-stop crime, Bonnie and Clyde's criminal enterprise came crashing down on May 23, 1934. Police officers ambushed the famous couple as Clyde drove in a stolen Ford V8.
The police, taking no chances, completely emptied their ammunition into the vehicle. Both Bonnie and Clyde were pronounced dead. The ambush was the result of one police officer who had spent four months hunting down the criminal couple.
The Police Officer Who Brought Down Bonnie And Clyde
Texas police officer Frank Hamer was determined to be the man responsible for bringing down America's most well-known criminal couple. Starting on February 12, Hamer started following Bonnie and Clyde's every movement. He soon realized the couple was moving in a circular pattern throughout five Midwestern states.
Along with his fellow officers Alcorn and B.M. "Maney" Gault, and Louisiana officers Henderson Jordan and Prentiss Morel, Hamer set up the ambush that would end the couple's criminal run. He formed his posse (pictured) with the Midwestern officers because it was illegal to pursue criminals across state lines at the time.
Bonnie Parker's Funeral Was A Spectacle
Bonnie and Clyde told family members they wanted to be buried next to each other, a request Bonnie Parker's family would not allow. Bonnie's mothers asked that her daughter be brought home but a mob of people made that impossible.
When Parker was finally buried, nearly 20,000 people showed up for her final farewell, making it nearly impossible for her family to reach her gravesite. There are even rumors that Pretty Boy Floyd and John Dillinger sent the family cards offering their condolences.
The Barrow Brothers Share A Single Gravestone Marker
With his last wish unfulfilled, Clyde Barrow was buried in a private funeral on May 25, 1934. The famous outlaw was buried next to his brother, Marvin, at Western Heights Cemetary in Dallas, Texas.
The two brothers share a single granite marker that bears both of their names along with an epitaph that reads: "Gone but not forgotten." Thousands of people also attempted to attend the funeral in the hopes of getting one last glimpse at the slain outlaw.
The Couple Had Once Captured The Man Who Embalmed Them
Bonnie and Clyde, as previously noted, loved to kidnap people and then set them free after driving around with their victims. In 1933 the couple stole a new Ford and they were pursued by Dillard Darby and a female friend.
The couple eventually captured the couple and held them as hostages. Bonnie spoke with Darby and he claims she found it funny that he was a mortician. Bonnie even joked that maybe one day soon he would prepare the couple's bodies for burial. Her joke eventually became reality.
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway Revive The Couple's Outlaw Legacy
While the entire country seemed enthralled with Bonnie and Clyde's criminal escapades, after their death the famous couple all but disappeared from the public consciousness. In 1967 their famous exploits were thrust back into the spotlight.
That was the year that Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway portrayed the famous couple in the movie Bonnie and Clyde. The film would go on to receive critical acclaim and become an iconic Hollywood movie.
