Bonnie and Clyde – The Popular Couple Outlaws

 Bonnie and Clyde – The Popular Couple Outlaws

Robbery, murder, theft, kidnapping – it didn’t matter what crimes they did, they were one of the most popular couple outlaws in the century.

In today’s pop culture, many people idolize these couple even how bad their crimes were. There are countless movies that were based or inspired by the couple’s life as the gangster. Instead of viewing their crimes, it was more romanticizing the exploits that they had through the US.

 The Couple

By Photo by one of the Barrow gang - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs divisionunder the digital ID cph.3c34474.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3109596

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910 – May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut Barrow (March 24, 1909 – May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression, known for their bank robberies, although they preferred to rob small stores or rural gas stations. Their exploits captured the attention of the American press and its readership during what is occasionally referred to as the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934. They are believed to have murdered at least nine police officers and four civilians. A photo of Parker posing with a cigar came from an undeveloped roll of film that police found at an abandoned hideout, and the snapshot was published nationwide. Parker did smoke cigarettes, although she never smoked cigars. According to historian Jeff Guinn, the photos found at the hideout resulted in Parker's glamorization and the creation of myths about the gang. (Wikipedia)

One of the most iconic thing that Bonnie did was create a poem for them and Clyde. Two weeks before her death, Bonnie gave a prescient poem to her mother entitled “The Trail’s End” that finished with the verse:

 Some day they’ll go down together;

And they’ll bury them side by side,

To a few it’ll be grief—

To the law a relief—

But it’s death for Bonnie and Clyde.

 

The Crimes

By FBI - http://foia.fbi.gov/bonclyd/bonclyd1a, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8042455

Contrary to popular belief, their crimes were not composed of bank robberies. Actually, they did less bank robberies and most of it were actually theft on gas stations and other establishments. They did kill police officers during pursuit and involved a few civilians. The word was (not confirmed) that they do not really kill a person if they can avoid it. They were pursued by the police which eventually lead to their death.

Death

They were finally tracked by the posse that was tasked to catch them. They laid an ambush which killed the couple. In their official report, they stated they had persuaded Ivy Methvin to position his truck along the shoulder of the road that morning. They hoped Barrow would stop to speak with him, putting his vehicle close to the posse's position in the bushes. When Barrow fell into the trap, the lawmen opened fire while the vehicle was still moving. Oakley fired first, probably before any order to do so.Barrow was killed instantly by Oakley's head shot, and Hinton reported hearing Parker scream. The officers fired about 130 rounds, emptying their weapons into the car. Many of Bonnie and Clyde's wounds would have been fatal, yet the two had survived several bullet wounds over the years in their confrontations with the law.

Bonnie and Clyde wished to be buried side by side, but the Parker family would not allow it. Her mother wanted to grant her final wish to be brought home, but the mobs surrounding the Parker house made that impossible.

They may have been infamous criminals but there story captivated many  Americans. In popular culture, they are often portrayed in movies and music.

Bonnie and Clyde 

Source: Bonnie and Clyde - Wikipedia