Bonnie and Clyde. It’s a classic American tale that, unlike many of its predecessors, is completely true.
Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were two of America’s most notorious criminals. They traveled through the central United States, robbing and killing people during the Great Depression from 1931-1934.
The two criminals were ruthless and while they did have a few bank heists, they preferred smaller robberies of gas stations and small, rural stores. While Bonnie and Clyde became famous, they were part of an 8 man gang and together they wreaked havoc on the nation for almost 5 years.
While the two were never married, Barrow and Parker were a dedicated couple and the press was more than happy to embellish on their acts of daring. The press made Bonnie out to be a machine gun toting chain smoking murderess with a taste for blood and showboating. After the press referred to her in this way, she gave them what they wanted when she sent them the picture below.
In reality, witnesses said that she was often never involved in the actual shootouts and in fact Gang member W. D. Jones later testified he could not recall ever having seen her shoot at a law officer.
None of that mattered the day that they were gunned down by police in 1934 after Clyde helped a friend escape from jail and a police officer was gunned down. This attack garnered the full attention of the Texas and federal governments and the manhunt for Barrow and Parker was on. As the officer struggled for life, the Texas prison promised the public that the perpetrators would be hunted down and killed.
On May 23 at 9:15 a.m. the police units hid in the bushes after they were tipped off to where Bonnie and Clyde were going to be. A officer who had been planted in the road pretending to have a car breakdown forced Clyde into the lane closer to the hidden police posse. That’s all they needed; the lawmen opened fire, killing Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker while shooting a combined total of about 130 rounds. Barrow was killed instantly and soon the bullets killed a screaming Parker and with that, America’s most celebrated criminals run of destruction came to violent end.
The famous car, the 1934 Ford that Bonnie and Clyde were killed in became an instant celebrity of its own. The car was bought and sold many time to be featured in museums and as a tourist attraction. Today its resting place is in the casino Whiskey Pete’s in Primm Nevada.