Bonnie and ClydeBy Casey Flaherty and Michael Bader

Bonnie was born in Rowena, Texas, October 1, 1910. Her father died when she was very young, forcing her mother to move Bonnie and her three brothers to their grandparents house in Dallas. Bonnie excelled in school, and was very artistic. It was in Dallas where Bonnie met Roy Thornton, her future husband. Their marriage did not last long, and they soon drifted apart.

Bonnie Parker

Clyde BarrowBorn in Ellis County, Texas on March 24, 1909 to an extremely impoverished family, Clyde spent much of his childhood sleeping under a wagon with his parents and seven siblings. Clyde’s first brush with the law happened when he was 14 when he failed to return a rental car on time and later for stealing food. Eventually all of his petty crimes built up and Clyde was sent to the Eastham Prison Farm where he beat another inmate to death after being sexually assaulted. Once his time in jail was done Clyde was a changed man. Described as changing from a “school boy to a rattle snake,” Clyde made it his goal in life to get back at the Texas Prison System.

Bonnie and Clyde met at the house of a mutual friend in 1930. Clyde slowly built his gang, which later became called “The Barrow Gang.” Besides Bonnie and Clyde themselves, members of the gang included:

● Ralph Fults, Clyde’s fellow inmate● Raymond Hamilton, an old friend of Clyde’s● Buck Barrow, Clyde’s brother● Blanche Barrow, Buck’s wife● W. D. Jones, another friend of Clyde’s● Henry Methvin and Joe Palmer, convicts who

were accidentally freed during a jailbreak

The Gang

In total, the gang killed 9 police officers and 5 civilians.

● Failed hardware store robbery in April 1932, Bonnie and Fults captured● Robbery of a store also in April, owner shot and killed● Killed a deputy and gravely wounded a sheriff in August● Store owner killed in a robbery in October; $28 and some groceries were

stolen● Killed two policemen in separate incidents, in January and April 1933● Robbed many banks from 1932 to 1934● Kidnapped robbery victims and released them far away, often with money

to help them return; gave the gang a positive public perceptions● Robbed two armories to restock their weapons and ammunition● After Buck and Blanche were killed and captured, respectively, the gang

stuck to smaller robberies in order to keep a low profile

Robberies and Murders

● On January 16, 1934, Clyde engineered a jailbreak at Eastham Prison, where Hamilton was being held

● Hamilton, as well as four other inmates, escaped in the confusion● Two of the escaped inmates, Henry Methvin and Joe Palmer, chose to join

the Barrow Gang● Fulfilled Clyde’s goal of getting revenge on the Texas Prison System,

which received bad publicity from the event● Joe Palmer shot and killed a guard during the escape; this act finally

convinced the Texas government to use all its power to capture or kill Bonnie and Clyde

Eastham Breakout

When all else failed, the Texas Prison System turnedto Frank Hamer to hunt down the outlaws. A retired Texas Ranger, Frank fought in over 100 gunfights, killed over fifty men, and survived 17 bullet wounds. After accepting the case, for a commision, Hamerfollowed the gang for four months while living in hiscar. On May 23, 1934, Hamer and five other officers ambushed and killed both Bonnie and Clyde on arural road in Louisiana.

Frank Hamer

● One of the first films of the “New American Cinema” era● Broke cinematic taboos, openly portrayed

sex and violence● Very historically inaccurate● Huge amounts of graphic violence,

blood, and murders● Sparked nationwide controversy over its

glorification of the outlaws and demonization of the police● Starred Warren Beatty as Clyde and Faye Dunaway as Bonnie

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Newsreel which included actual footage of the scene.

Death Video

"Barrow and Woman Are Slain by Police in Louisiana Trap." New York Times [New York] 23 May 1934. New York Times, 2010. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0523.html>.

Browder, Laura. "Bonnie and Clyde (Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow)." Encyclopedia of the Great Depression. Ed. Robert S. McElvaine. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. U.S. History in Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

"Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker." Image. Library of Congress. Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas.ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

Robertson, Thomas. "Bonnie and Clyde." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 1. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 316-317. U.S. History In Context. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

Roth, Mitchel. "Bonnie and Clyde." Violence in America. Vol. 1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999. Print.

Citations