Love stories are very different, and therefore you should not consider the pair of Romeo and Juliet sung by Shakespeare as a “reference” option. Cinema made Bonnie and Clyde, the famous couple of gangsters from the USA, world-famous.
But, as you know, cinema and life are often completely different. One of the most daring criminal gangs in America included about ten people, but almost all of them were caught or killed. It was these gangsters in love who became the legend of cinema who lasted the longest. Who were the famous criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Burrow? What was the ending of their love and crime story?
Good girl Bonnie Parker
The childhood years of Bonnie and Clyde are in many ways similar, and there is very little joy in them. So, Bonnie Parker was born into the family of a bricklayer in Texas. In 1914, when the girl was only 4 years old, her father died, leaving the family without a livelihood. A mother with three children had to move to a suburb of Dallas. It was there, in Cement City, that the girl went to school.
Unfortunately, the marriage was not happy. The young family constantly suffered financial difficulties. Bonnie was forced to work as a waitress, but after the closing of her cafe, the situation in the family became really disastrous. In addition, Roy himself did not seek to support his young wife. It was not uncommon for him to disappear for weeks at a time without telling Bonnie what he was doing. Divorce became inevitable, and shortly after breaking up with Bonnie, Roy ended up in jail.
Young criminal Clyde Barrow
Clyde Barrow was only a year older than Bonnie. He was born into a farmer’s family, becoming the fifth of seven children. His family was constantly on the verge of poverty, which became the reason for the social alienation of the boy. In 1926, the Treasure goes to jail for the first time. The reason was an overdue car rental. But even after his release, Barrow did not seek to return to a law-abiding lifestyle. He often participated in robberies of shops, car thefts. In 1930, as a repeat offender, he was sent to Eastham Prison in Texas. It was there that Clyde committed his first murder. The victim was another prisoner with whom the young man did not get along while serving his sentence.
In 1932, Clyde was released, but he was not just a man broken by imprisonment. No, as other jailers said, Clyde turned into a “rattlesnake”, a cruel and angry criminal. It was at this time that Clyde and Bonnie met. It is impossible to say for sure how the young people met – no evidence has been preserved. There are suggestions that they first saw each other at an evening with a mutual friend. They immediately liked each other. In my opinion, it was the attraction of two people who had similar tendencies. However, there is another version, as if Bonnie in love was ready for anything for Clyde, and therefore joined his gang.
A series of murders and robberies
The criminal gang, which previously specialized in bloodless robberies, turns into merciless killers. Clyde and his accomplices rob and kill without a twinge of conscience. However, the police are not idle. One by one, Barrow’s associates are arrested. An extremely valuable replacement for the “dropped out” is Bonnie.
Biographer John Chevy noted that it was Clyde who taught Bonnie to shoot, who, having felt her abilities, showed a true passion for firearms. Clyde himself will later learn from Bonnie to instantly grab the necessary pistol or machine gun and use them for their intended purpose. They traveled by car, carrying a real arsenal, consisting of different types of weapons and countless ammunition.
Historian John Chevy writes: “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 experienced earlier.”
Hunting Bonnie and Clyde
After a series of robberies, killings of civilians and sheriffs, Clyde decided to carry out a long-planned plan – an attack on Eastham prison, where he himself once served time. In 1934, such a daring plan was implemented, and the result of the attack was the release of several accomplices who were in prison as prisoners. This incident showed the Texas authorities that it is necessary to send all police forces to catch the criminal couple.
Chief in the Bonnie and Clyde case was Sheriff Frank A. Heimer, who became famous for the mass of spectacular arrests and the murder of criminals during detention. He practically turned into a shadow of the famous couple. When highway patrolmen were killed on the highway in April 1934, the Texas police announced a reward. Anyone who would provide the corpses of Bonnie and Clyde was guaranteed to pay a huge amount for those times – a thousand dollars. Please note: it was not the capture, but the destruction of criminals that was required.
Gangster death
May 23, 1934 was the last day in the life of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. A squad of four Texas Rangers gunned down their Ford on a country road. It was a masterfully crafted sheriff’s trap. Frank A. Heimer accurately calculated the route of movement of the gangsters. Clyde’s principle was to cross the borders of five states, which created a framework for the actions of local police. However, there was one positive trait in the character of the killer – consistency. It was she who killed the criminal couple, whose route the sheriff was able to figure out.
There was another notable feature in the shooting of Bonnie and Clyde’s car. Among the Rangers who ambushed was Thad Hinton, with whom Bonnie once had an affair. Later, he admitted to reporters that he was sorry for his ex-girlfriend, but from the very beginning it was clear that she would end badly.
The bullet-riddled bodies of Bonnie and Clyde were buried in different places, although during their lifetime they repeatedly stated that they wanted to rest nearby. The Parker family was against the fact that “their girl” was buried next to the criminal – even if he became her lover. This was the last time in Texas history that insurance was paid after the murder of criminals. In the future, a person who was considered guilty of an atrocity was deprived of insurance payments.
