What year was Bonnie and Clyde? The story of Bonnie and Clyde. bullets from Mr. Hamer

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow —
famous American robbers active during the Great Depression. At various times, their gang included Buck Barrow, Clyde's older brother; Blanche Barrow, Buck's wife; Raymond Hamilton, W. D. Jones, Joe Palmer, Ralph Fults and Henry Methvin. Although they are now known for about twelve bank robberies, Barrow preferred to rob small stores and gas stations. The gang is believed to have killed at least nine police officers and several civilians. Bonnie and Clyde themselves are killed by Texas Rangers and Louisiana State Police. Their fame was cemented in American pop folklore by the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde.

Even during their lives, the image that the couple was given in the press was very different from their real life, especially in the case of Bonnie. Although she was present at more than a hundred crimes in two years, she was not the cartoonish, machine-gun-slinging killer she was portrayed in newspapers, newsreels and pulp detective stories of the time. W.D. Jones wasn't even sure he ever saw her shoot at the officers. Her reputation as the gangster's cigar-smoking mistress stemmed from a playful mugshot police found in the gang's abandoned Joplin hideout that was published in the press. Parker really smoked a lot, but not cigars, but Camel cigarettes.

Historian Jeff Gean believes that these photos gave rise to the legend of Bonnie and Clyde: “John Dillinger had the looks of a woman's favorite, handsome Floyd got the best nickname you can think of, and these photos created new criminal superstars under the most exciting brand name - illicit sex. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were wild and young and undoubtedly slept with each other. If it weren't for Bonnie, the media most likely would never have noticed Clyde. Bonnie's saucy photographs provided a sex appeal, a charm that allowed them to gain fame far greater than they deserved for the small thefts and unnecessary murders that made up their entire criminal career."

Bonnie Parker

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910 – May 23, 1934) was born in Rowena, Texas, the middle of three sisters. Her father, bricklayer Charles Parker, died when Bonnie was four. Her mother, Emma Crouse, moved with the children to her parents' home in Cement City, an industrial suburb of Dallas, where she worked as a seamstress. Her maternal great-grandfather, Frank Kraus, immigrated from Germany. Despite the fact that her family lived in poverty, Bonnie made progress in school - she was one of the best students in school, with a rich imagination, with a penchant for acting and improvisation. She loved to dress fashionably. Her writing abilities later found expression in poems such as "The Story of Suicidal Sal" and "The End of the Trail" (known as "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde"). At age 15, Bonnie met Roy Thornton. They dropped out of school together. On September 25, 1926, an attractive petite girl (she was 150 cm tall and weighed 44 kg) married him. In 1927, Bonnie got a job as a waitress at Marco's Cafe in East Dallas, but two years later the great economic depression began and the cafe closed.

The relationship between the spouses did not work out. A year after their marriage, the husband began to regularly disappear for long weeks, and already in January 1929 they separated. Shortly after the breakup (there was no official divorce, and Bonnie wore a wedding ring until her death), Thornton went to prison for five years. When he learned of Bonnie's death, he said, "I'm glad they had so much fun. It's much better than getting caught."

In 1929, after the end of her marriage but before meeting Clyde Barrow, Parker lived with her mother and worked as a waitress in Dallas. One of the cafe's regular customers, postal worker Ted Hinton, would take part in the ambush of Bonnie and Clyde in 1934. In her diary, which she kept in early 1929, she wrote about her loneliness and love for sound films.

Clyde Barrow

Clyde Chestnut Barrow (March 24, 1909 – May 23, 1934) was born in Ellis County, Texas, near Dallas, the fifth of seven children of Henry Basil Barrow (1874–1957) and Cumie T. Walker (1874–1943). His family were poor farmers. Clyde was first arrested in late 1926 when he failed to return a rental car on time. Soon he and his brother Marvin "Buck" Barrow were arrested again for stealing turkeys. Although he had a legitimate job, between 1927 and 1929 he cracked safes, robbed stores and stole cars. After several arrests in 1928 and 1929, he was sent to Eastham Penitentiary in Texas in April 1930. While serving his sentence, he beat to death another prisoner who repeatedly raped him. This was Clyde's first murder.

In 1932 he was released early. He left prison an even more seasoned and cruel criminal. His sister Mary said, “Something terrible must have happened to him in prison, because he was never the same again.” Ralph Fults, who served time at the same time as Clyde, said he saw him go from a schoolboy to a rattlesnake.

First meeting

There are several versions of how Bonnie and Clyde first met. The most plausible one is that Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow met in January 1932 at a friend’s house.

They liked each other immediately; most historians believe that Bonnie joined Clyde because she was in love with him. She remained his faithful companion during his crime spree, and awaited the violent death which, in their opinion, was inevitable.

Joint crimes

1932: first robberies and murders

In February 1932, Clyde was released from prison, and he and Ralph Fults began robbing convenience stores and gas stations. Their goal was to accumulate enough money and weapons to stage a mass breakout from Eastham Prison. On April 19, Parker and Fults were arrested during a botched store robbery. household appliances. Bonnie was released a few months later, and Fults left the gang for good. On April 30, during a robbery of a store, the owner tried to resist the criminals, for which he was shot in the heart.

After this incident, the gang becomes more and more aggressive. On August 5, while Parker was visiting her mother, Hamilton and Clyde, while intoxicated, shot and killed the sheriff and his deputies at a bar in Stringtown, Oklahoma. The next murder occurred on October 11 in Sherman, Texas. The victim was store owner Howard Hall. The gang stole $28 in cash and some groceries from the store. Bonnie later declared that it was time to stop playing with toys and start doing serious things. And robberies, murders, car thefts began. As a result of all this, Hamilton was caught and sentenced to 60 years in prison.

“After Hamilton’s arrest, Bonnie learned to shoot,” writes biographer of the criminal couple, John Shevy, “showing a real passion for firearms. Their car turned into an excellent arsenal: several machine guns, rifles and hunting rifles, a dozen revolvers and pistols, thousands of cartridges. With Bonnie's help, Clyde masters the art of snatching a rifle from a pocket specially sewn along his leg in a matter of seconds. This kind of virtuosity is very entertaining for both. They develop their own elegant killing style. In all this, Bonnie is attracted primarily by the romantic-heroic side of the matter. She understands that she chose death. But this is more pleasant for her than the boredom she experienced earlier. The monotony of the measured life of those around her is over forever. She will be famous in her own way. At least they will talk about her.”

W. D. Jones had been a friend of the Barrow family since childhood. Although he was only 16 years old on Christmas Eve 1932, he convinced Bonnie and Clyde, who were leaving Dallas, to take him with them. The next day Jones committed his first murder. He and Clyde killed the owner of the car they were trying to steal. Less than two weeks later, on January 6, 1933, Barrow shot and killed another sheriff when he, Parker and Jones walked into a trap intended for another criminal.

1933

Foreman J.B. Koehler assumes that the suspicious company is bootleggers and decides to organize a raid. On April 13, 1933, at 4 p.m., two police cars approach Barrow's apartment. Clyde and Jones are standing on the porch when the first car pulls up. They immediately disappear into the garage, slamming the door behind them. A second police car is blocking the road, blocking the exit from the garage. Clyde and Jones shoot from the garage. This is a signal for those who are in the apartment. After the first shots, the police suffer losses: one is wounded, the other is killed. Koehler sends for reinforcements. Under the cover of Clyde and Buck's machine gun fire, Jones rushes towards the police car, which is still blocking the road. He is trying to release the handbrake when a bullet hits him in the head. Staggering, he returns to the house. Buck also tries to clear the passage and succeeds. He takes the police car off the brake and, using it as a shield, pushes it towards the highway and back into the house. The car leaves the garage and disappears.

When examining the apartment in which the Barrow gang lived, a large number of photographs of Bonnie and Clyde were found, as well as a poem by Bonnie. These photographs were the first reliable images of the criminals. Photos of the criminals are being sent to neighboring states.

Sixteen-year-old W. D. Jones committed two murders within the first two weeks of joining Clyde Barrow.

Over the next three months, they traveled from Texas as far north as Minnesota. In May they attempted to rob a bank in Luserne, Indiana and robbed a bank in Okabina, Minnesota. Previously, in a carjacking involving Dillard Darby, they kidnapped him and Sophia Stone in Ruston, Louisiana. This was one of five kidnappings they committed between 1932 and 1934. In addition to Dillard and Sophia, they kidnapped Joe Jones on August 14, 1932, Officer Thomas Purcell in January 1933, Sheriff George Corry and Police Chief Paul Hardy on June 10, 1933, and Percy Boyd on April 6, 1934. They usually released their victims far from home. Sometimes they gave them money so they could come back.

Although the photographs in the newspapers created an image of a beautiful and romantic life for Bonnie and Clyde, however, according to Blanche, they were in despair. In her book, she wrote that when they left Joplin, all her hopes and dreams were destroyed. Fame added to their problems. More hotels and restaurants were not a viable option. They slept in the forest near a fire and washed in cold rivers. Quarrels began among the two couples and Jones' fifth wheel. Jones was so uncomfortable being in this company that he used a car stolen from Darby to get away from them. He returned on June 8.

On June 10, Parker, Barrow and Jones were hit car accident“Clyde didn’t notice the sign about bridge repairs, and the car flew into the ravine. Bonnie suffered third degree burns to her right leg. The reason is not known for certain - either the car caught fire due to a gasoline leak, or acid from Parker got on her leg. car battery. Towards the end of her life, Bonnie had difficulty walking - she either hopped on her good leg or was carried by Clyde. They received first aid from a family of local farmers. After meeting up with Buck and Blanche, they traveled to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where they tended to Bonnie's wounds. A little later, Clyde killed city marshal Henry Humphrey in Alma, Arkansas. Because of this, they had to flee again, despite Bonnie's deplorable condition.

On June 18, 1933, they checked into the Red Crown Motel in Arkansas. It consisted of only two rooms connected by garages. The gang rented both. They immediately attracted undue attention. The owner noticed that Blanche had registered three people when he saw five get out of the car. He also found it suspicious that Clyde drove into the garage in reverse, “gangster style,” to make it easier to escape. Blanche bought food and drinks for five people. She was wearing trousers, which was unusual for women of that time and place. They covered the windows of their room with newspapers. All this was enough for the owner to tell Captain William Baxter about the suspicious company. When Clyde and Jones went to the nearest town to get food and medicine for Bonnie, the pharmacist called Sheriff Holt Coffey, who put the cabins under surveillance. At 11 p.m., the sheriff and a group of armed officers attacked the motel; They managed to escape, but Jones was wounded in the head, and Blanche was practically blinded by shrapnel.

Five days later, the gang stopped at an abandoned amusement park near Dexter, Iowa. Buck's injury was so severe that Bonnie and Clyde even dug a grave for him. Locals They noticed bloody bandages and realized that the vacationers were Barrow's gang. Soon they were again under fire in the presence of more than a hundred spectators. Bonnie, Clyde and Jones escaped. Buck was shot again, this time in the back, and he and his wife were arrested. Buck died five days later in the hospital due to complications from surgery.

Parker, Barrow and Jones spent the next six weeks far from their usual places and tried to remain inconspicuous, committing only petty robberies in order to get money for everyday needs. On August 20, they robbed an ammunition store in Platteville, Illinois. They replenished their arsenal with Browning machine guns, pistols and a large amount of ammunition.

In early September, they ventured back to Dallas to see family, and then stopped in Houston, where Jones' mother had moved. There he was arrested.

On November 22, Parker and Barrow were nearly arrested again in the now abandoned town of Sowers, Texas, while attempting to see their family again. Dallas Sheriff Smut Schmid and two of his subordinates ambushed them. Clyde sensed a trap and drove past the car in which his family was sitting. Then the sheriff and his deputies opened fire. No family members were injured. Bonnie and Clyde fled the city that same night.

1934

On January 16, 1934, Clyde finally carried out his long-planned plan to raid Eastham Prison. As a result, Raymond Hamilton, Henry Methvin and a number of other criminals escaped from there. The public was outraged, the Texas prison system received much criticism, and Clyde finally fulfilled what Phillips called his life's passion: he took revenge on the Texas Department of Corrections.

During a prison break, Joe Palmer shot and killed Officer Joe Crowson. This incident forced Texas and federal authorities authorities are throwing all their efforts into catching Bonnie and Clyde.

Former Texas Ranger Captain Frank A. Hamer was hired to capture Bonnie and Clyde. Tall, strong, secretive and taciturn, he always “unquestioningly obeyed the law, or what he considered the law.” For twenty years he was feared and admired throughout the Lone Star State. He earned his reputation by making some spectacular arrests and shooting down many Texas criminals. He is credited with 53 murders; he himself was wounded 17 times.

Since February 10, he has become the shadow of Bonnie and Clyde. On April 1, 1934, Barrow and Methvin killed two highway patrolmen, H. D. Murphy and Edward Bryant Wheeler. This case was widely reported in the newspaper. True, then the newspapers erroneously wrote that Murphy killed Bonnie, in particular because a cigar butt with marks of tiny teeth that could only belong to Bonnie was allegedly found at the crime scene. Patrol Chief L. G. Fairs placed a $1,000 reward on the killers' bodies; not for their capture, but only for the corpses ..

Public hostility grew when, five days later, Barrow and Methvin killed 60-year-old constable and single father William "Cal" Campbell near Commerce, Oklahoma. That's when they kidnapped Commerce Police Chief Percy Boyd, crossed the Kansas border with him, and then released him with a clean shirt, a few dollars and a request from Bonnie to tell the world that she doesn't smoke cigars.

Death

Bonnie and Clyde's car. The shooting was so loud that Hamer's squad suffered from temporary deafness all day.

Barrow and Parker were ambushed and killed on May 23, 1934, on a rural road in Bienville, Louisiana. Their Ford V8 was ambushed by a squad of four Texas Rangers (Frank Hamer, B. M. "Manny" Gault, Bob Alcorn and Ted Hinton) and two Louisiana officers (Henderson Jordan and Prentiss Morle Oakley). 167 bullets pierced the car, of which more than 110 hit the bandits: Bonnie - about 60, Clyde - about 50.

Hamer was able to achieve this by studying the criminals' movement patterns. They constantly crossed the borders of the five midwestern states, taking advantage of the fact that officers from one state had no jurisdiction in another, and the FBI was not yet as influential as it is today. Barrow was a master of this technique, however, unlike John Dillinger, who was active throughout the Midwest, Clyde was more consistent in his movements, so that an experienced hunter like Hamer could map out their intended route.

Frank Hamer would later tell reporters: “It’s a shame I killed the girl. I liked her so much. We even had an affair... However, it was initially doomed to a sad outcome.”

Funeral

Bonnie and Clyde wanted to be buried together, but Bonnie's family wouldn't let that happen. Bonnie was originally buried in Fishtrap Cemetery in Dallas, but was moved to Crown Hill Memorial Park in 1945. More than twenty thousand people attended Bonnie's funeral. On her grave there is an inscription left by her mother:

"As all flowers become more fragrant from sunlight and dew, so does this old world made brighter by lives like yours."

Clyde was buried in Western Heights Cemetery in Dallas next to his brother Marvin.

Bonnie and Clyde's insurance benefits were paid in full. Since then, the benefit policy has changed: they are no longer paid if the insured dies as a result of a crime.

Further fates of the participants in the events

Immediately after shooting up Bonnie and Clyde's car, the squad began to examine their belongings; Of these, Hamer appropriated an “impressive” arsenal of stolen weapons and ammunition and a box of fishing tackle. Alcorn took Clyde's saxophone, but later, ashamed, returned it to the Barrow family. Other personal items, such as Bonnie's clothes, were also taken from the scene of death, and when the Parker family asked for them back, they were refused. These items were later sold as souvenirs. According to rumors, a suitcase filled with cash in the car was stolen by Sheriff Jordan. He also tried to keep the car itself, but the owner of the car, Ruth Warren, sued him. The court ordered Jordan to return the car to Mrs. Warren.

In February 1934, twenty people, family members and friends of Bonnie and Clyde, were arrested on charges of harboring and assisting criminals. All twenty were found guilty. Both mothers were sentenced to 30 days in prison; others received sentences ranging from an hour in jail for Clyde's teenage sister Mary Barrow to two years in prison for Raymond Hamilton's brother Floyd. Other defendants included Blanche Barrow, W. D. Jones, Henry Methvin, and Bonnie's sister Billie.

Blanche spent the rest of her 1930s in prison. When she was arrested, she weighed only 37 kg.

Blanche Barrow was left blind in her left eye by shrapnel. Following her arrest in Dexfield Park, she was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, but was released on good behavior in 1939. She left her criminal past behind and returned to Dallas, where she cared for her disabled father. In 1940, she married Eddie Frazier; She also worked as a taxi dispatcher and beautician. They lived amicably with her husband until his death in 1969. She died in 1988 at the age of 77.

Raymond Hamilton and Joe Palmer were caught and charged with murder. They were executed by electric chair on the same day: May 10, 1935.

W. D. Jones initially found work in Houston, but was soon discovered and arrested. He gave testimony that shed light on sex life gangs. This caused a wave of rumors about Clyde's uncertain sexuality. Jones was charged with the murder of Doyle Johnson and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was killed in 1974 by George Arthur Jones, the jealous boyfriend of the woman he was trying to help. George Jones later killed himself with the same shotgun he used to shoot W.D. Jones.

Henry Methvin was charged with the murder of Constable Campbell in Commerce. He was released early in 1942. In 1948, he was killed by a train. It is believed that he fell asleep on the tracks while intoxicated. Bonnie Parker's husband Roy Thornton was killed by guards during the 1937 Eastham Prison escape

Who are these Bonnie and Clyde, about whom Alexander Vasiliev will write piercing words: “We are lying on the clouds, and a river runs below, our bullets have been returned to us in full”?

In "dry" historical information states: “Bonnie and Clyde were American criminals active during the Great Depression. In the period from 1932 to 1934. killed 12 people.”

But still, who are they? Ruthless killers, intoxicated by limitless power over human lives, people fighting the system, or romantics with with pure hearts? It is very difficult to answer this question, since both are controversial characters, but the story of their affection for each other deserves attention.

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (1910-1934) was born into a poor family of a bricklayer from Rowena. As a child, the girl was an excellent student, had a passion for poetry, was a born actress and, despite the poverty of her family, was known as a famous fashionista.

Everything happened quickly in her life: at the age of 16 she hurried to get married, at 17 she got a job as a waitress, and 3 years later she divorced her legal husband. It was she who became the ideological center in the future criminal duo.

Clyde Chesnut Barrow (1909-1934) was born, like Bonnie, into a poor family. But he could not boast of either good studies or exemplary behavior. He was arrested for the first time for car theft at the age of 17. Some time later, Clyde stole the turkeys and was arrested a second time.

After that, he never returned from the criminal road: he began robbing stores, breaking into safes and stealing cars. It is quite logical that after some time the robber ended up in prison, where he committed a more terrible crime: he killed one of the prisoners.

There are many versions of how such different, but at the same time so strikingly similar to each other, people met. According to one of them, this happened in a restaurant where the girl worked as a waitress. However, the most plausible version indicates that Bonnie and Clyde met at the house of Bonnie's friend in 1932.

Although modern man perceives the story of Bonnie and Clyde as a story of absolute and crazy love, in fact, it is not truly established whether they were lovers. There are facts according to which Clyde was a homosexual.

But between these people there was a strong affection and even devotion to each other. Most historians are confident that Bonnie was always Clyde's faithful assistant because she was sincerely in love with him.

A series of robberies and murders

Soon after the first meeting of Bonnie and Clyde, America was shaken by a whole series of terrible and seemingly completely senseless crimes. The couple imagined that they were real fighters for justice. After robbing a warehouse in Texas, they stocked up well firearms. Then they began to travel along the endless roads of America and rob roadside eateries, aimlessly killing people they encountered.

Bonnie and Clyde killed not only witnesses to crimes, but also police officers caught at the wrong time. It seemed that the criminals were waiting for a fatal ending, were internally prepared for it, and had absolutely nothing to lose. Having shot at a policeman who wanted to check their documents, they could no longer stop.

The young people led the free life of vagabonds, sleeping in cars and on the street, drinking alcohol and wasting the stolen money. But their loot was extremely small: by killing the owner of a small grocery store and taking the money from the cash register, Bonnie and Clyde enriched themselves by exactly $28. They valued a person's life at $28.

At the same time, they were terribly fond of weapons (their car resembled a weapons arsenal) and fashionable cars. A special passion of criminals is photography. There are many photographs of Bonnie and Clyde taken practically at crime scenes.

Many of them were purely staged: rifles on display, careless movements, cool cars, cigars... The guys loved themselves and loved to seem stylish - however, what to expect from young thugs who were not even 26 years old.

Tragic ending

On Bonnie's grave there is an inscription written by her mother: “Just as flowers become more fragrant under the rays of the sun and the freshness of the dew, so the world becomes brighter thanks to people like you.”

This criminal spirit could not continue indefinitely. The FBI joined in the pursuit of the criminals, and patrol chief L. Fairs offered a $1,000 reward for the corpses of Bonnie and Clyde.

The father of one of the gang members gave the police not only the location of the killers, but also the keys to the house where they were hiding. The couple fell into this ambush on May 23, 1934. When their Ford (stolen, of course) was spotted, the police fired 167 bullets into the car.

The criminals did not even have time to fire a single shot - their bodies were practically torn apart by bullets. Bonnie was hit by 60 bullets and Clyde by about 50.

Immediately after the death of the young people, all the items from the car were sold as souvenirs for a lot of money. And the bodies themselves were put on public display in the morgue for $1 per person. The gun Bonnie posed with in the famous photo was sold at auction for $210,000.

Half a century later, the story of American robbers continues to interest people. The details of the crimes they committed were erased, the aimless cruelty and senseless robberies were forgotten. The relationship between Bonnie and Clyde turned into a romantic story of devoted love.

Their names became household names; based on those events of the 30s, songs were recorded and both documentaries and art films, among which the most significant is the 1967 film of the same name.

A memorial was erected at the site of the death of Bonnie and Clyde, which became a place of pilgrimage for fans of the lifestyle of these criminals.

Despite the fact that the young people wanted to be buried together, their graves are in different cemeteries.

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 the romanticization of their image, the couple committed at least 13 murders, including two police murders, as well as a series of robberies and kidnappings. How did it happen that they took such a dangerous path?

Who is Bonnie Parker

Bonnie or Bonnie Elizabeth Parker was born 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 the suburbs of Dallas. The girl went to a local school and made progress in her studies, being especially interested in poetry and literature. Petite, graceful and attractive, Bonnie dreamed of becoming an actress. In her youth, nothing foreshadowed her criminal future.

While studying at high school, she began dating a classmate named Roy Thornton. In September 1926, shortly before her sixteenth birthday, they married. As a sign of their love, the girl got a tattoo of 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 disintegrated, 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

Clyde was born on March 24, 1909 in Telico, Texas. He was the fifth of seven children in a low-income but very friendly family. The family farm was destroyed by drought and they had to move to Dallas. Clyde was a modest 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 started stealing cars and finally reached armed robberies. In 1929, when he was 20 years old, Clyde was already on the run from the law and 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 was wanted by authorities at the time, vowed to himself that he would never return to prison. The young people quickly became friends. They spent a lot of time together, and mutual affection began to grow between them, which soon developed into romantic relationship. The idyll was shattered within a few weeks when Clyde was arrested and charged with several car thefts.

As soon as the young man found himself in prison, his thoughts immediately turned to escape. By this point, he and Bonnie were already in love with each other. The girl shared her feelings with her mother, but was faced with horror and disgust on her part. However, Bonnie was determined to help the man she called her soulmate. Shortly after his arrest, the girl managed to deliver a loaded pistol to the prison for him.

The hardships of imprisonment

On March 11, 1930, Clyde used a gun given by his girlfriend to escape from prison along with his fellow inmates. However, just a week later they were caught again. Young man sentenced to 14 years' hard labor and transferred to Eastham Prison, where he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by another prisoner. During Clyde's time behind bars, he and Bonnie maintained a heated 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 after his mother managed to persuade the judges in his case to grant him a pardon. However, the young man, not knowing about his 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 thumb on the foot. This led to his subsequent lameness.

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.

In April, Bonnie joined the gang, but was caught in a botched robbery attempt and spent two months in prison. While awaiting trial, she passed the time by writing poetry, most of which focused on her relationship with Clyde. Among her poems there is one that seems to foreshadow her future fate. There are the lines: “One day they will fall together and be buried side by side. Few will mourn for them, least of all the law.”

Bonnie understood that the path she had chosen would lead to death. But she apparently liked the romantic aura of a criminal more than her boring life and work as a waitress.

Life of crime

Bonnie was released after trial in June. There was not enough evidence against her, and after she stated that Clyde Barrow's gang had forcibly abducted her, the girl was released. She was immediately reunited with Clyde, and the pair continued their crimes, but with a different group. Their activities spanned several states. By 1933, gang members were wanted for several murders, including by government officials. The couple collaborated with Clyde's brother Buck and his wife Blanche.

In April of this year, when the gang escaped from their apartment in Missouri, photographic film was discovered there with pictures that instantly went into print.

In June, Bonnie was seriously injured in a traffic accident when her leg was severely burned by battery acid. Because of this, she later practically could not walk.

Despite the government's best efforts to catch the criminals, the couple successfully eluded the police for two years. This elusiveness made them the most famous gangsters in America.

Death of criminals

After one of the gang members named Henry Methvin killed a police officer in Oklahoma, the hunt flared up with renewed vigor. On the morning of May 23, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde were finally caught. They were ambushed by police on a highway in Louisiana. By the way, the initiator of the ambush was Henry Methvin's father, who hoped to earn leniency for his son. In the shootout, Clyde and Bonnie died in a hail of bullets: fifty rounds hit each of their bodies.

By the time of their death, the criminal couple was so famous that souvenir lovers who visited the place of death left with scraps of their hair, pieces of clothing and even... Clyde’s ear. The bodies of the criminals 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 brutal crimes and the sordid details of their lives, Bonnie and Clyde are consistently romanticized in the entertainment media. Their story formed the basis of films and musicals. Their car, riddled with bullet holes, is on public display in Las Vegas, Nevada.

At the beginning of 2018, Netflix began filming a new work about the life of the famous criminal couple. Their story is told from the perspective of one of the representatives of law and order called upon to put an end to their illegal activities. Actors slated to take part include Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson and Kathy Bates. What do you think about the story of this famous couple?

Their names have long become household names, and their story formed the basis of many works of art in different genres. Are Bonnie and Clyde eternal lovers or just partners? What connected these two besides the recorded crimes? What is the story of Bonnie and Clyde about - endless cruelty or real feelings?

And how it all began...

It is known for certain from numerous sources that Clyde’s childhood and youth did not pass in the most favorable way. The family in which he grew up was dysfunctional - low level education, poverty on the verge of poverty, children left to their own devices. However, he had a number of talents and noble hobbies, played some well musical instruments, For example. However, the lack of self-confidence and desire to achieve something through legal methods played a cruel joke on him.

Of course, the story of Bonnie and Clyde would be incomplete without the main female role. She, Bonnie Elizabeth Parker, was a well-rounded person, an excellent student, and had an attractive appearance. At the age of 16 she married for love, and perhaps everything would have turned out differently if she had not met him. There are several versions of their acquaintance, among which one of the most popular is a chance meeting at the house of a mutual friend. Be that as it may, Clyde and Bonnie immediately fell in love with each other, and very soon she helps him escape from prison. However, Clyde still has to spend some time behind bars, but quickly enough he gains freedom, and from that moment they become inseparable.

Bonnie and Clyde: a true story of crime and love?

After reuniting with Bonnie, Clyde continues to make a living through criminal methods. But we should not forget that the criminal couple not only strived for an interesting and idle life, but also loved to dress well and brightly, and for all this the money obtained through petty thefts was absolutely not enough. They say that the first joint murder was spontaneous - the unfortunate store employee simply did not want to give the robbers the proceeds, for which he paid with his life. Later, they dealt with a police officer during a document check, and after this act there was really nothing to lose - if caught, they both faced life imprisonment. It is from this moment that the story of Bonnie and Clyde turns into a real gangster action movie. A little later, Bonnie will learn to shoot, and new people will join the gang.

Unhappy Ending

They managed to hide from the police and continue their crimes for so long more likely because of problems in the system of searching and capturing criminals. The story of Bonnie and Clyde ended in May 1934. The police managed to organize an ambush, and the criminals were killed on the spot. Bonnie was 24 and Clyde was 25. This development of events can be considered natural; it is obvious that the couple did not have a normal future. And yet, despite everything negative qualities these bloodthirsty killers who have brought grief to so many families, their devotion to each other is admirable.

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 the romanticization of their image, the couple committed at least 13 murders, including two police murders, as well as a series of robberies and kidnappings. How did it happen that they took such a dangerous path?

Bonnie or Bonnie Elizabeth Parker was born 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 the suburbs of Dallas. The girl went to a local school and made progress in her studies, being especially interested 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 married. As a sign of their love, the girl got a tattoo of 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 disintegrated, 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

Clyde was born on March 24, 1909 in Telico, Texas. He was the fifth of seven children in a low-income but very friendly family. The family farm was destroyed by drought and they had to move to Dallas. Clyde was a modest 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 started stealing cars and finally reached armed robberies. In 1929, when he was 20 years old, Clyde was already on the run from the law and 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 was wanted by authorities at the time, vowed to himself that he would never return to prison. The young people quickly became friends. They spent a lot of time together, and mutual affection began to grow between them, which soon developed into a romantic relationship. The idyll was shattered within a few weeks when Clyde was arrested and charged with several car thefts.

As soon as the young man found himself in prison, his thoughts immediately turned to escape. By this point, he and Bonnie were already in love with each other. The girl shared her feelings with her mother, but was faced with horror and disgust on her part. However, Bonnie was determined to help the man she called her soulmate. Shortly after his arrest, the girl managed to deliver a loaded pistol to the prison for him.

The hardships of imprisonment

On March 11, 1930, Clyde used a gun given by his girlfriend to escape from prison along 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 assaulted by another prisoner. During Clyde's time behind bars, he and Bonnie maintained a heated 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 after his mother managed to persuade the judges in his case to grant him a pardon. However, the young man, not knowing about his imminent release, made a desperate attempt to soften the harsh prison regime for himself and allegedly cut off his big toe as a result of an accident. This led to his subsequent lameness.

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.

In April, Bonnie joined the gang, but was caught in a botched robbery attempt and spent two months in prison. While awaiting trial, she passed the time by writing poetry, most of which focused on her relationship with Clyde. Among her poems there is one that seems to foreshadow her future fate. There are the lines: “One day they will fall together and be buried side by side. Few will mourn for them, least of all the law.”

Bonnie understood that the path she had chosen would lead to death. But she apparently liked the romantic aura of a criminal more than her boring life and work as a waitress.

Life of crime

Bonnie was released after trial in June. There was not enough evidence against her, and after she stated that Clyde Barrow's gang had forcibly abducted her, the girl was released. She was immediately reunited with Clyde, and the pair continued their crimes, but with a different group. Their activities spanned several states. By 1933, gang members were wanted for several murders, including by government officials. The couple collaborated with Clyde's brother Buck and his wife Blanche.

In April of this year, when the gang escaped from their apartment in Missouri, photographic film was discovered there with pictures that instantly went into print.

In June, Bonnie was seriously injured in a traffic accident when her leg was severely burned by battery acid. Because of this, she later practically could not walk.

Despite the government's best efforts to catch the criminals, the couple successfully eluded the police for two years. This elusiveness made them the most famous gangsters in America.

Death of criminals

After one of the gang members named Henry Methvin killed a police officer in Oklahoma, the hunt flared up with renewed vigor. On the morning of May 23, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde were finally caught. They were ambushed by police on a highway in Louisiana. By the way, the initiator of the ambush was Henry Methvin's father, who hoped to earn leniency for his son. In the shootout, Clyde and Bonnie died in a hail of bullets: fifty rounds hit each of their bodies.

By the time of their death, the criminal couple was so famous that souvenir lovers who visited the place of death left with scraps of their hair, pieces of clothing and even... Clyde’s ear. The bodies of the criminals 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 brutal crimes and the sordid details of their lives, Bonnie and Clyde are consistently romanticized in the entertainment media. Their story formed the basis of films and musicals. Their car, riddled with bullet holes, is on public display in Las Vegas, Nevada.

At the beginning of 2018, Netflix began filming a new work about the life of the famous criminal couple. Their story is told from the perspective of one of the law enforcement officials called upon to put an end to their illegal activities. Actors slated to take part include Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson and Kathy Bates. What do you think about the story of this famous couple?