Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are the most famous gangster couple in history. Between 1932 and 1934, at the height of the Great Depression, they went from petty thieves to world famous bank robbers and murderers. Despite romanticizing their image, the couple have committed at least 13 murders, including two police officers, as well as a series of robberies and kidnappings. How did it happen that they embarked on such a dangerous path?
Who is Bonnie Parker
Bonnie or Bonnie Elizabeth Parker was born on October 1, 1910 in Rowena, Texas. She had an older brother and a younger sister. When Bonnie was only four years old, her father passed away, and her mother moved with her children to her parents in a suburb of Dallas. The girl went to a local school and did well in her studies, especially with an interest in poetry and literature. Petite, graceful and attractive Bonnie dreamed of becoming an actress. In her youth, nothing foreshadowed her criminal future.
While in high school, she began dating a classmate named Roy Thornton. In September 1926, shortly before her sixteenth birthday, they got married. As a sign of their love, the girl got a tattoo with their names on her right thigh. However, this marriage could not be called happy: Thornton did not hesitate to use physical violence against his young wife. Their union fell apart, although they never officially divorced. In 1929, Roy was sentenced to five years in prison for robbery, and Bonnie moved in with her grandmother. They never saw each other again.
Who is Clyde Barrow
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Clyde was born on March 24, 1909 in Teliko, Texas. He was the fifth of seven children in a low-income, but very friendly family. The family farm was devastated by a drought and they had to move to Dallas. Clyde was a shy and unassuming boy. He attended school until the age of 16 and cherished the dream of becoming a musician, so he learned to play the guitar and saxophone.
However, under the influence of his older brother Buck, Clyde soon embarked on a criminal path. It all started with petty theft, then he began to steal cars and finally came to armed robberies. In 1929, when he was 20 years old, Clyde was already hiding from the law and was wanted for several robberies.
Acquaintance
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow met for the first time in January 1930. She was 19 years old, and he was 20. The girl worked as a waitress, and they met through a mutual friend. Clyde, who at that time was wanted by the authorities, took an oath to himself that he would never return to prison. The young people quickly became friends. They spent a lot of time together, and a mutual affection began to grow between them, which soon developed into a romantic relationship. The idyll was broken just weeks later when Clyde was arrested and charged with several car theft charges.
As soon as the young man found himself in prison, his thoughts immediately turned to escape. By this time, she and Bonnie were already in love with each other. The girl shared her feelings with her mother, but faced horror and disgust on her part. However, Bonnie was determined to help the man she called her soul mate. Soon after his arrest, the girl managed to transfer a loaded pistol for him to prison.
The hardships of imprisonment
On March 11, 1930, Clyde used a weapon given by his girlfriend to escape from prison with his fellow inmates. However, just a week later, they were caught again. The young man was sentenced to 14 years of hard labor and transferred to Eastham Prison, where he was repeatedly sexually abused by another inmate. During Clyde's time behind bars, he and Bonnie maintained a stormy and passionate correspondence, discussing plans for his escape. It was in Eastham prison that he committed his first murder.
In February 1932, Clyde was released from prison when his mother managed to persuade the judges in his pardon case. However, the young man, not knowing about the imminent release, made a desperate attempt to soften the harsh prison regime for himself and, allegedly, as a result of an accident, cut off his big toe. This led to his subsequent limp.
Reunion
Despite the fact that two years had passed since Clyde's imprisonment, he and Bonnie remained true to their feelings. The couple reunited and Clyde began committing crimes again with a group of accomplices. They robbed banks and small private businesses.
Bonnie joined the gang in April but was caught in a failed robbery attempt and spent two months in jail. While awaiting trial, she whiled away the time, writing poetry, most of which were about her relationship with Clyde. Among her poems there is one that seems to have anticipated her future fate. There are lines: “One day they will fall together and be buried side by side. Few will grieve for them, least of all - the law."
Bonnie knew that the path she had chosen would lead to death. But the romantic halo of the criminal apparently liked her more than the boring life and work of a waitress.
Life of crime
Bonnie was released after trial in June. There was not enough evidence against her, and after her statement that Clyde Barrow's gang had abducted her forcibly, the girl was released. She immediately reunited with Clyde, and the couple continued their crimes, but with a different group. Their activities spanned several states. By 1933, gang members were wanted for several murders, including government officials. The couple collaborated with Clyde's brother Buck and his wife Blanche.
In April of this year, when the gang fled their apartment in Missouri, a film of photographs was found there, which instantly went to press.
In June, Bonnie was seriously injured in a road accident when the girl's leg was severely burned by battery acid. Because of this, she was later practically unable to walk.
Despite the government's best efforts to grab the criminals, the couple successfully escaped the hands of the police for two years. This elusiveness made them the most famous gangsters in America.
Death of criminals
After a gang member named Henry Methvin killed a police officer in Oklahoma, the hunt reignited. On the morning of May 23, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde were finally caught. They were ambushed by the police on a highway in Louisiana. By the way, the ambush was initiated by the father of Henry Methvin, who hoped by this to earn leniency for his son. In the shootout, Clyde and Bonnie were killed by a hail of bullets, each of them hit by fifty rounds.
By the time of their death, the criminal couple was so famous that souvenir lovers who visited the place of death left there with scraps of their hair, pieces of clothing and even … Clyde's ear. The bodies of the perpetrators were transported to Dallas. Despite their desire to be buried side by side, they were buried in different cemeteries. Thousands of people attended their funeral.
Heritage
Despite their violent crimes and unsightly details of their lives, Bonnie and Clyde are consistently romanticized in the entertainment media. Their story has formed the basis of films and musicals. Their vehicle, riddled with bullets, is on public display in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In early 2018, Netflix began filming a new work about the life of the famous criminal couple. Their story is told on behalf of one of the representatives of the law and order, called upon to put an end to their illegal activities. Actors to be cast include Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson and Katie Bates. How do you feel about the history of this famous couple?
Author: Maxim Ewald
