Bonnie and Clyde: Difference between revisions

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==Beginnings==

===Bonnie Parker===

[[Enlarge]]'''Bonnie Parker''' with 1932 [[Ford Model B (1932)|Ford V-8 B-400]] convertible sedan. Captured Joplin film.'''Bonnie Elizabeth Parker''' was born in Rowena, Texas, the second of three children. Her father, Charles Parker, a bricklayer, died when Bonnie was four. Her mother, Emma Krause, moved with the children to her parents' home in Cement City, an industrial suburb of Dallas, where she found work as a garment sewer.~~[8] Parker~~ was one of the best students in her high school, winning top prizes in spelling, writing and public speaking.~~[9] As~~ an adult, her fondness for writing found expression in poems such as "The Story of Suicide Sal"~~[10] and~~ "The Trail's End" (known since as "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde"~~[11]~~).

[[Enlarge]]'''Bonnie Parker''' with 1932 [[Ford Model B (1932)|Ford V-8 B-400]] convertible sedan. Captured Joplin film.'''Bonnie Elizabeth Parker''' was born in Rowena, Texas, the second of three children. Her father, Charles Parker, a bricklayer, died when Bonnie was four. Her mother, Emma Krause, moved with the children to her parents' home in Cement City, an industrial suburb of Dallas, where she found work as a garment sewer. Parker was one of the best students in her high school, winning top prizes in spelling, writing and public speaking. As an adult, her fondness for writing found expression in poems such as "The Story of Suicide Sal" and "The Trail's End" (known since as "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde").

Parker did not date until she was in her second year of high school, but in that year she fell in love with a classmate, Roy Thornton, whose good looks and smart clothes caught her schoolgirl's eye. The two quit school and were married on September 25, 1926, six days before Parker's sixteenth birthday. Their marriage, marked by his frequent absences and brushes with the law, was short-lived, and after January 1929 their paths never crossed again. But they were never divorced, and Parker was wearing Thornton's wedding ring when she died.~~[15] Thornton~~ was in prison in 1934 when he learned of his wife's ambush; his reaction was, "I'm glad they went out like they did. It's much better than being caught."~~[13]~~

Parker did not date until she was in her second year of high school, but in that year she fell in love with a classmate, Roy Thornton, whose good looks and smart clothes caught her schoolgirl's eye. The two quit school and were married on September 25, 1926, six days before Parker's sixteenth birthday. Their marriage, marked by his frequent absences and brushes with the law, was short-lived, and after January 1929 their paths never crossed again. But they were never divorced, and Parker was wearing Thornton's wedding ring when she died. Thornton was in prison in 1934 when he learned of his wife's ambush; his reaction was, "I'm glad they went out like they did. It's much better than being caught."

In 1929, between the breakdown of her marriage and her first meeting with Clyde Barrow in January 1930, Parker lived with her mother and worked as a waitress in Dallas; one of her regular customers in the café was postal worker Ted Hinton, who would join the Dallas Sheriff's Department in 1932, and as a posse member would participate in her ambush in 1934.~~[16] In~~ the diary she kept briefly early in 1929, she wrote of her desperate loneliness, her impatience with life in provincial Dallas, and her love of a newfangled technology — [[Talking pictures|talking pictures]].~~[17]~~

In 1929, between the breakdown of her marriage and her first meeting with Clyde Barrow in January 1930, Parker lived with her mother and worked as a waitress in Dallas; one of her regular customers in the café was postal worker Ted Hinton, who would join the Dallas Sheriff's Department in 1932, and as a posse member would participate in her ambush in 1934. In the diary she kept briefly early in 1929, she wrote of her desperate loneliness, her impatience with life in provincial Dallas, and her love of a newfangled technology — [[Talking pictures|talking pictures]].

===Clyde Barrow===

[[Enlarge]]'''Clyde Barrow''' in 1926, aged 16'''Clyde Chestnut Barrow'''~~[18] was~~ born in Ellis County, Texas, near [[Telico, Texas|Telico]], a town just south of [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]].~~[19] He~~ was the fifth of seven children, from a desperately poor farming family that emigrated, piecemeal, to Dallas in the early 1920s as part of a wave of resettlement from the impoverished nearby farms to the impoverished urban slum known as West Dallas. It was a place of flimsy shanties and tent cities, piles of garbage and teeming open sewers, swarming insects and rampaging epidemics. The Barrows had neither shanty nor tent: they spent their first months living under their wagon. When father Henry had earned enough money to buy a tent, it was a major step up for the family.~~[20]~~

[[Enlarge]]'''Clyde Barrow''' in 1926, aged 16'''Clyde Chestnut Barrow''' was born in Ellis County, Texas, near [[Telico, Texas|Telico]], a town just south of [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]]. He was the fifth of seven children, from a desperately poor farming family that emigrated, piecemeal, to Dallas in the early 1920s as part of a wave of resettlement from the impoverished nearby farms to the impoverished urban slum known as West Dallas. It was a place of flimsy shanties and tent cities, piles of garbage and teeming open sewers, swarming insects and rampaging epidemics. The Barrows had neither shanty nor tent: they spent their first months living under their wagon. When father Henry had earned enough money to buy a tent, it was a major step up for the family.

Clyde was first arrested in late 1926, after running when police confronted him over a rental car he had failed to return on time. His second arrest, with brother [[Buck Barrow|Marvin "Buck" Barrow]], came soon after, this time for possession of stolen goods ([[Turkey (bird)|turkeys]]). Despite having legitimate jobs during the period 1927 through 1929, he also cracked safes, robbed stores, and stole cars. After sequential arrests in 1928 and 1929, his luck ran out and he was sent to [[Eastham Prison Farm|Eastham Prison Farm]] in April, 1930. While in prison, he was sexually assaulted repeatedly for over a year by a dominant inmate, whose skull he eventually fractured with a length of pipe.~~[21] It~~ was Clyde Barrow's first killing.

Clyde was first arrested in late 1926, after running when police confronted him over a rental car he had failed to return on time. His second arrest, with brother [[Buck Barrow|Marvin "Buck" Barrow]], came soon after, this time for possession of stolen goods ([[Turkey (bird)|turkeys]]). Despite having legitimate jobs during the period 1927 through 1929, he also cracked safes, robbed stores, and stole cars. After sequential arrests in 1928 and 1929, his luck ran out and he was sent to [[Eastham Prison Farm|Eastham Prison Farm]] in April, 1930. While in prison, he was sexually assaulted repeatedly for over a year by a dominant inmate, whose skull he eventually fractured with a length of pipe. It was Clyde Barrow's first killing.

Paroled in February 1932, Barrow emerged from Eastham a hardened and bitter criminal. His sister Nell remembered a conversation with sister Marie about the new parolee: "There's a new air about him—a funny sort of something I can't put my finger on.... I'm afraid he's not going to go straight."~~[22] Marie~~ was blunter: "Something awful sure must have happened to him in prison, because he wasn't the same person when he got out."~~[23] Associate~~ Ralph Fults was there, inside "The Walls" with Barrow, and said he watched him "change from a schoolboy to a rattlesnake."~~[24]~~

Paroled in February 1932, Barrow emerged from Eastham a hardened and bitter criminal. His sister Nell remembered a conversation with sister Marie about the new parolee: "There's a new air about him—a funny sort of something I can't put my finger on.... I'm afraid he's not going to go straight." Marie was blunter: "Something awful sure must have happened to him in prison, because he wasn't the same person when he got out." Associate Ralph Fults was there, inside "The Walls" with Barrow, and said he watched him "change from a schoolboy to a rattlesnake."

In his post-Eastham career, he focused on smaller jobs, robbing grocery stores and gas stations, at a rate far outpacing the mere ten to fifteen bank robberies attributed to him and the Barrow Gang. Barrow's favored weapon was the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (called a BAR). According to John Neal Phillips, Barrow's goal in life was not to gain fame or fortune from robbing banks, but to seek revenge against the Texas prison system for the abuses he suffered while serving time.~~[25]~~

In his post-Eastham career, he focused on smaller jobs, robbing grocery stores and gas stations, at a rate far outpacing the mere ten to fifteen bank robberies attributed to him and the Barrow Gang. Barrow's favored weapon was the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (called a BAR). According to John Neal Phillips, Barrow's goal in life was not to gain fame or fortune from robbing banks, but to seek revenge against the Texas prison system for the abuses he suffered while serving time.

===First meeting===

There are several versions of the story describing Bonnie and Clyde's first meeting, but the most credible version indicates that Bonnie Parker met Clyde Barrow in January 1930 at a friend's house. Parker was out of work and was staying in West Dallas to assist a girlfriend with a broken arm. Barrow dropped by the girl's house while Parker was supposedly in the kitchen making hot chocolate.~~[26]~~

There are several versions of the story describing Bonnie and Clyde's first meeting, but the most credible version indicates that Bonnie Parker met Clyde Barrow in January 1930 at a friend's house. Parker was out of work and was staying in West Dallas to assist a girlfriend with a broken arm. Barrow dropped by the girl's house while Parker was supposedly in the kitchen making hot chocolate.

When they met, both were smitten immediately; most historians believe Parker joined Barrow because she was in love. She remained a loyal companion to him as they carried out their crime spree and awaited the violent deaths they viewed as inevitable.~~[27]~~

When they met, both were smitten immediately; most historians believe Parker joined Barrow because she was in love. She remained a loyal companion to him as they carried out their crime spree and awaited the violent deaths they viewed as inevitable.

==The spree==

===1932: Early jobs, early murders===

[[Enlarge]]'''Instant Legend:''' Bonnie clowns with cigar and is branded forever as "cigar smoking gun moll" after cops find Joplin filmAfter Barrow was released from prison in February 1932, he and Ralph Fults assembled a rotating core group of associates and began a series of small robberies, primarily of stores and gas stations; their goal was to collect enough money and firepower to launch a raid of liberation against [[Eastham prison|Eastham prison]].~~[25] On~~ April 19, Bonnie Parker and Fults were captured in a failed hardware store burglary in Kaufman, Texas, and subsequently jailed.~~[28] On~~ April 30, Barrow was the wheelman in a robbery in Hillsboro, Texas, during which the store's owner, J. N. Bucher, was shot and killed.~~[29] When~~ shown mugshots, the victim's wife identified Barrow as one of the shooters, even though he had stayed outside in the car;~~[30] it~~ was his first murder accusation. Meanwhile, Parker remained in jail until June 17, writing poetry to while away the time.~~[31]~~ When the Kaufman County grand jury convened, it declined to indict her, and she was released.~~[32] Within~~ a few weeks, she reunited with Barrow.

[[Enlarge]]'''Instant Legend:''' Bonnie clowns with cigar and is branded forever as "cigar smoking gun moll" after cops find Joplin filmAfter Barrow was released from prison in February 1932, he and Ralph Fults assembled a rotating core group of associates and began a series of small robberies, primarily of stores and gas stations; their goal was to collect enough money and firepower to launch a raid of liberation against [[Eastham prison|Eastham prison]]. On April 19, Bonnie Parker and Fults were captured in a failed hardware store burglary in Kaufman, Texas, and subsequently jailed. On April 30, Barrow was the wheelman in a robbery in Hillsboro, Texas, during which the store's owner, J. N. Bucher, was shot and killed. When shown mugshots, the victim's wife identified Barrow as one of the shooters, even though he had stayed outside in the car; it was his first murder accusation. Meanwhile, Parker remained in jail until June 17, writing poetry to while away the time.When the Kaufman County grand jury convened, it declined to indict her, and she was released. Within a few weeks, she reunited with Barrow.

On August 5, while Parker was visiting her mother in Dallas, Barrow, Hamilton and Ross ~~Dyer[33] were~~ drinking alcohol at a country dance in Stringtown, Oklahoma, when Sheriff C.G. Maxwell and his deputy, Eugene C. Moore, approached them in the parking lot. Barrow and Hamilton opened fire, killing the deputy and gravely wounding the sheriff;~~[34][35] it~~ was the first killing of a lawman by Barrow and his gang, a total eventually amounting to nine officers killed. Another civilian was added to the list on October 11, when storekeeper Howard Hall was killed during a robbery of his store in Sherman, Texas. The take: twenty-eight dollars and some groceries.~~[36]~~

On August 5, while Parker was visiting her mother in Dallas, Barrow, Hamilton and Ross Dyer were drinking alcohol at a country dance in Stringtown, Oklahoma, when Sheriff C.G. Maxwell and his deputy, Eugene C. Moore, approached them in the parking lot. Barrow and Hamilton opened fire, killing the deputy and gravely wounding the sheriff; it was the first killing of a lawman by Barrow and his gang, a total eventually amounting to nine officers killed. Another civilian was added to the list on October 11, when storekeeper Howard Hall was killed during a robbery of his store in Sherman, Texas. The take: twenty-eight dollars and some groceries.

W. D. Jones had been a friend of the Barrow family since childhood, and though he was only 16 years old on Christmas Eve 1932, he persuaded Barrow to let him join up with the pair and ride out of Dallas with them that night.~~[37] The~~ very next day, Jones was initiated into homicide when he and Barrow killed Doyle Johnson, a young family man, in the process of stealing his car in Temple, Texas.~~[38] Less~~ than two weeks later, on January 6, 1933, Barrow killed Tarrant County Deputy Sheriff Malcolm Davis when he, Parker and Jones wandered into a police trap set for another criminal.~~[39] The~~ total murdered by the gang since April was now five.

W. D. Jones had been a friend of the Barrow family since childhood, and though he was only 16 years old on Christmas Eve 1932, he persuaded Barrow to let him join up with the pair and ride out of Dallas with them that night. The very next day, Jones was initiated into homicide when he and Barrow killed Doyle Johnson, a young family man, in the process of stealing his car in Temple, Texas. Less than two weeks later, on January 6, 1933, Barrow killed Tarrant County Deputy Sheriff Malcolm Davis when he, Parker and Jones wandered into a police trap set for another criminal. The total murdered by the gang since April was now five.

===1933: Buck joins the gang===

[[Enlarge]]'''Life changed for the gang''' after they shot their way out of Joplin hideout; photos and Bonnie's poem hit papers nationwide.On March 22, 1933, Buck Barrow was granted a full pardon and released from prison. Within days, he and his wife, [[Blanche Barrow|Blanche]], had set up housekeeping with Clyde Barrow, Parker and Jones in a temporary hideout in Joplin, Missouri. According to family sources,~~[40] Buck~~ and Blanche were there merely to visit, in an attempt to persuade Clyde to surrender to law enforcement. As was common with Bonnie and Clyde, their next brush with the law arose from their generally suspicious—and conspicuous—behavior, not because their identities had been discovered. Beer had just been relegalized after Prohibition, and the group ran loud, hops-fueled card games late into the nights in the quiet neighborhood. "We bought a case of beer a day," Blanche would later recall.<~~sup class~~="~~reference" id="cite_ref~~-40">~~[41]~~</~~sup~~> The menfolk came and went noisily at all hours, and once, a [[M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle|BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle)]] discharged in the apartment while Clyde was cleaning it;~~[42] the~~ short burst didn't bring any neighbors directly to the house, but at least one registered suspicions with the Joplin Police Department.

[[Enlarge]]'''Life changed for the gang''' after they shot their way out of Joplin hideout; photos and Bonnie's poem hit papers nationwide.On March 22, 1933, Buck Barrow was granted a full pardon and released from prison. Within days, he and his wife, [[Blanche Barrow|Blanche]], had set up housekeeping with Clyde Barrow, Parker and Jones in a temporary hideout in Joplin, Missouri. According to family sources, Buck and Blanche were there merely to visit, in an attempt to persuade Clyde to surrender to law enforcement. As was common with Bonnie and Clyde, their next brush with the law arose from their generally suspicious—and conspicuous—behavior, not because their identities had been discovered. Beer had just been relegalized after Prohibition, and the group ran loud, hops-fueled card games late into the nights in the quiet neighborhood. "We bought a case of beer a day," Blanche would later recall. The menfolk came and went noisily at all hours, and once, a [[M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle|BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle)]] discharged in the apartment while Clyde was cleaning it; the short burst didn't bring any neighbors directly to the house, but at least one registered suspicions with the Joplin Police Department.

Unaware of what awaited them, local lawmen assembled only a two-car, five-man force on April 13 to confront the suspected [[Rum-running|bootleggers]] living in the rented apartment over a garage. Though taken by surprise, Clyde, noted for remaining cool under fire, was gaining far more experience in gun battles than most lawmen. He, Jones and Buck quickly killed Detective McGinnis and fatally wounded Constable ~~Harryman[43][44] before~~ bundling Parker into the car and escaping. They pulled Blanche in off the street, where she was pursuing her fleeing dog, Snow Ball.~~[45] The~~ surviving officers later testified that their side had fired only fourteen rounds in the conflict,~~[46] although~~ one of these hit Jones in the side, one struck Clyde and was deflected by his suitcoat button, and one grazed Buck after ricocheting off a wall. [[Enlarge]]'''Always proud of their arsenal,''' the gang "shot" it for a posterity they could not have imagined. The gangster is W. D. Jones.The group escaped the police at Joplin, but left most of their possessions at the rented apartment: Buck and Blanche's marriage license, Buck's parole papers (only three weeks old), a large arsenal—and a handwritten poem and camera with several rolls of exposed film.<~~sup class~~="~~reference" id="cite_ref~~-46">~~[47]~~</~~sup~~> The film was developed at ''The Joplin Globe'' and yielded many now-famous photos of Barrow, Parker and Jones clowning and pointing ordnance at one another.~~[48] When~~ the poem and the photos, including one featuring the poetess clenching a cigar in her teeth and a pistol in her fist, went out on the newly installed newswire, the obscure fivesome from Dallas became front page news across America as The Barrow Gang, fully illustrated and with the rhyming-couplet "Story of 'Suicide Sal'" as a seeming instant backstory.

Unaware of what awaited them, local lawmen assembled only a two-car, five-man force on April 13 to confront the suspected [[Rum-running|bootleggers]] living in the rented apartment over a garage. Though taken by surprise, Clyde, noted for remaining cool under fire, was gaining far more experience in gun battles than most lawmen. He, Jones and Buck quickly killed Detective McGinnis and fatally wounded Constable Harryman before bundling Parker into the car and escaping. They pulled Blanche in off the street, where she was pursuing her fleeing dog, Snow Ball. The surviving officers later testified that their side had fired only fourteen rounds in the conflict, although one of these hit Jones in the side, one struck Clyde and was deflected by his suitcoat button, and one grazed Buck after ricocheting off a wall. [[Enlarge]]'''Always proud of their arsenal,''' the gang "shot" it for a posterity they could not have imagined. The gangster is W. D. Jones.The group escaped the police at Joplin, but left most of their possessions at the rented apartment: Buck and Blanche's marriage license, Buck's parole papers (only three weeks old), a large arsenal—and a handwritten poem and camera with several rolls of exposed film. The film was developed at ''The Joplin Globe'' and yielded many now-famous photos of Barrow, Parker and Jones clowning and pointing ordnance at one another. When the poem and the photos, including one featuring the poetess clenching a cigar in her teeth and a pistol in her fist, went out on the newly installed newswire, the obscure fivesome from Dallas became front page news across America as The Barrow Gang, fully illustrated and with the rhyming-couplet "Story of 'Suicide Sal'" as a seeming instant backstory.

For the next three months, they ranged from Texas as far north as Minnesota. In May, they robbed banks in Lucerne, Indiana and Okabena, Minnesota.~~[49] Previously~~ they had kidnapped Dillard Darby and Sophia Stone at Ruston, Louisiana, in the course of stealing Darby's car; this was one of several incidents between 1932 and 1934 in which they kidnapped lawmen or robbery victims,~~[50] usually~~ releasing them far from home, sometimes with money to help them return.~~[4][51] Stories~~ of these encounters made headlines, but so too did the darker encounters. The Barrow Gang would not hesitate to shoot anyone, lawman or civilian, who got in their way. Other members of the Barrow Gang known or thought to have committed murders included Raymond Hamilton, W.D. Jones, Buck Barrow and Henry Methvin. Eventually, the cold-bloodedness of the killings would not only sour the public perception of the outlaws, but lead directly to their undoing.~~[52]~~

For the next three months, they ranged from Texas as far north as Minnesota. In May, they robbed banks in Lucerne, Indiana and Okabena, Minnesota. Previously they had kidnapped Dillard Darby and Sophia Stone at Ruston, Louisiana, in the course of stealing Darby's car; this was one of several incidents between 1932 and 1934 in which they kidnapped lawmen or robbery victims, usually releasing them far from home, sometimes with money to help them return. Stories of these encounters made headlines, but so too did the darker encounters. The Barrow Gang would not hesitate to shoot anyone, lawman or civilian, who got in their way. Other members of the Barrow Gang known or thought to have committed murders included Raymond Hamilton, W.D. Jones, Buck Barrow and Henry Methvin. Eventually, the cold-bloodedness of the killings would not only sour the public perception of the outlaws, but lead directly to their undoing.

While the photos in the papers might have suggested a glamorous lifestyle for the Barrow Gang, in reality they were desperate and discontented, as noted in the account of their life written by Blanche Barrow while she was in jail through the latter 1930s.~~[53] With~~ their new fame—some would say notoriety—came difficulty in the smallest tasks of everyday living. Restaurants and tourist courts became less and less of an option; cooking and bathing became campfire and cold-stream propositions.~~[54]~~ The unrelieved, round-the-clock proximity of life among two couples, plus a fifth-wheel, in one car gave rise to vicious bickering.~~[55][56]~~ So unpleasant did it become that W.D. Jones, who was the actual wheelman in the theft of Dillard Darby's car in late April, used that car to get himself separated from the others—and managed to stay separated throughout May and up until June 8.~~[57]~~

While the photos in the papers might have suggested a glamorous lifestyle for the Barrow Gang, in reality they were desperate and discontented, as noted in the account of their life written by Blanche Barrow while she was in jail through the latter 1930s. With their new fame—some would say notoriety—came difficulty in the smallest tasks of everyday living. Restaurants and tourist courts became less and less of an option; cooking and bathing became campfire and cold-stream propositions.The unrelieved, round-the-clock proximity of life among two couples, plus a fifth-wheel, in one car gave rise to vicious bickering.So unpleasant did it become that W.D. Jones, who was the actual wheelman in the theft of Dillard Darby's car in late April, used that car to get himself separated from the others—and managed to stay separated throughout May and up until June 8.

On June 10, while driving with Jones and Parker near Wellington, Texas, Barrow missed warning signs at a bridge under construction and flipped their car into a ravine.<~~sup class~~="~~reference" id="cite_ref~~-~~riding_3~~-2">~~[4]~~</~~sup~~> Sources disagree on whether there was an actual gasoline ~~fire[58] or~~ that Parker was doused with acid from the car's battery under the floorboards.~~[59] What~~ is certain is that she sustained horrific [[Burn|third degree burns]] to her right leg. The burn was so severe, the muscles contracted and caused the leg to "draw up";~~[60]~~ near the end of her life, Parker could hardly walk and would either hop on her good leg or be carried by Clyde. After getting help from a nearby farm family and kidnapping two local lawmen,<~~sup class~~="~~reference" id="cite_ref~~-60">~~[61]~~</~~sup~~> the three outlaws rendezvoused with Blanche and Buck Barrow again and they hid out in a tourist court near [[Ft. Smith, Arkansas|Ft. Smith, Arkansas]], nursing Parker's grievous burns. Then Buck and Jones bungled a local robbery and killed Town Marshal Henry D. Humphrey in Alma, Arkansas.~~[62]~~ With the renewed pursuit from the law, they had to flee again, despite the grave condition of Bonnie Parker.~~[63]~~

On June 10, while driving with Jones and Parker near Wellington, Texas, Barrow missed warning signs at a bridge under construction and flipped their car into a ravine. Sources disagree on whether there was an actual gasoline fire or that Parker was doused with acid from the car's battery under the floorboards. What is certain is that she sustained horrific [[Burn|third degree burns]] to her right leg. The burn was so severe, the muscles contracted and caused the leg to "draw up";near the end of her life, Parker could hardly walk and would either hop on her good leg or be carried by Clyde. After getting help from a nearby farm family and kidnapping two local lawmen, the three outlaws rendezvoused with Blanche and Buck Barrow again and they hid out in a tourist court near [[Ft. Smith, Arkansas|Ft. Smith, Arkansas]], nursing Parker's grievous burns. Then Buck and Jones bungled a local robbery and killed Town Marshal Henry D. Humphrey in Alma, Arkansas.With the renewed pursuit from the law, they had to flee again, despite the grave condition of Bonnie Parker.

===1933: Platte City and Dexfield Park===

[[Enlarge]]'''Two-unit Red Crown Tourist Court''', where outlaws' conspicuous behavior drew the police, a gunfight, and a mortal head wound for Buck Barrow.On July 18, 1933, the gang checked into the Red Crown Tourist Court~~[64] south~~ of Platte City, Missouri (now within the city limits of Kansas City, Missouri across [[I-29|I-29]] from Kansas City International Airport). The Red Crown Court was just two brick cabins joined by garages and the gang rented both.~~[64] To~~ the south stood the Red Crown Tavern, a popular restaurant and a favorite watering hole for Missouri Highway Patrolmen. Once again, the gang seemed to go out of their way to draw attention to themselves:~~[65] owner~~ Neal Houser became interested in the group immediately when Blanche Barrow registered the party as three guests, and Houser, out his rear window, could see ''five'' people exiting their car—which the driver backed into the garage, "gangster style," for a quick getaway.<~~sup class="reference" id~~="~~cite_ref~~-~~Guinn~~.~~2C_p_211_65~~-0">~~[66]~~</~~sup~~> Blanche paid the lodging tab with coins rather than paper money, and did the same thing again later when she purchased five dinners and five beers for, presumably, three guests.~~[67] The~~ next day, Houser noticed that his guests had taped newspapers over the windows of their cabin, and Blanche once again paid in silver for five meals. Even Blanche's outfit—saucy, tight ''jodhpurs'' riding breeches[68]—attracted undue attention: they were just not the kind of thing the upright women of Platte City would ever wear, and were the first thing mentioned by eyewitnesses reminiscing even forty years later.~~[66] It~~ was all too much for Houser, who brought the conspicuous group to the attention of his restaurant patron, Captain William Baxter of the Highway Patrol.[64]

[[Enlarge]]'''Two-unit Red Crown Tourist Court''', where outlaws' conspicuous behavior drew the police, a gunfight, and a mortal head wound for Buck Barrow.On July 18, 1933, the gang checked into the Red Crown Tourist Court south of Platte City, Missouri (now within the city limits of Kansas City, Missouri across [[I-29|I-29]] from Kansas City International Airport). The Red Crown Court was just two brick cabins joined by garages and the gang rented both. To the south stood the Red Crown Tavern, a popular restaurant and a favorite watering hole for Missouri Highway Patrolmen. Once again, the gang seemed to go out of their way to draw attention to themselves: owner Neal Houser became interested in the group immediately when Blanche Barrow registered the party as three guests, and Houser, out his rear window, could see ''five'' people exiting their car—which the driver backed into the garage, "gangster style," for a quick getaway. Blanche paid the lodging tab with coins rather than paper money, and did the same thing again later when she purchased five dinners and five beers for, presumably, three guests. The next day, Houser noticed that his guests had taped newspapers over the windows of their cabin, and Blanche once again paid in silver for five meals. Even Blanche's outfit—saucy, tight ''jodhpurs'' riding breeches[68]—attracted undue attention: they were just not the kind of thing the upright women of Platte City would ever wear, and were the first thing mentioned by eyewitnesses reminiscing even forty years later. It was all too much for Houser, who brought the conspicuous group to the attention of his restaurant patron, Captain William Baxter of the Highway Patrol.[64]

When Clyde and Jones went into town[69] to purchase bandages, crackers, cheese, and atropine sulfate to treat Bonnie's leg,[70] the druggist contacted Sheriff Holt Coffey, who put the cabins under watch. Coffey had been alerted by Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas to be on the lookout for strangers seeking such supplies. The sheriff contacted Captain Baxter, who called for reinforcements from [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] including an [[Armored car (military)|armored car]].[64] At 11 p.m. that night, Sheriff Coffey led a group of officers armed with [[Thompson submachine gun|Thompson submachine guns]] toward the cabins.[71] But in a pitched gunfight at considerable distances, the submachine guns proved no match for Clyde Barrow's preferred [[M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle|Browning Automatic Rifles]], stolen July 7 from the National Guard [[Armory (military)|armory]] at Enid, Oklahoma.[72] The Barrows laid down withering fire and made their escape when a bullet short-circuited the horn on the armored car[73] and the lawmen mistook it for a cease-fire signal. They did not pursue the retreating Barrow automobile.[64] [[Enlarge]]'''With husband Buck mortally wounded nearby,''' Blanche Barrow is captured by posse at Dexfield Park, IA[[Enlarge]]'''Jones upon capture:''' his "confession" set legal balls rolling against former mentorsAlthough the gang evaded law enforcement once again, Buck Barrow had sustained a horrific wound in the side of the head and Blanche Barrow was nearly blinded from glass fragments in both her eyes.[64][74] Their prospects for holding out against the ensuing manhunt dwindled.

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 ==Beginnings==
 ===Bonnie Parker===
-[[Enlarge]]'''Bonnie Parker''' with 1932 [[Ford Model B (1932)|Ford V-8 B-400]] convertible sedan. Captured Joplin film.'''Bonnie Elizabeth Parker''' was born in <u>Rowena, Texas</u>, the second of three children. Her father, Charles Parker, a bricklayer, died when Bonnie was four.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"><u> </u></span>Her mother, Emma Krause, moved with the children to her parents' home in Cement City, an industrial suburb of <u style="font-style:inherit;">Dallas</u>, where she found work as a garment sewer.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7"><u>[8]</u></sup> Parker was one of the best students in her high school, winning top prizes in spelling, writing and public speaking.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8"><u>[9]</u></sup> As an adult, her fondness for writing found expression in poems such as "The Story of Suicide Sal"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9"><u>[10]</u></sup> and "The Trail's End" (known since as "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10"><u>[11]</u></sup>).
+[[Enlarge]]'''Bonnie Parker''' with 1932 [[Ford Model B (1932)|Ford V-8 B-400]] convertible sedan. Captured Joplin film.'''Bonnie Elizabeth Parker''' was born in <u>Rowena, Texas</u>, the second of three children. Her father, Charles Parker, a bricklayer, died when Bonnie was four.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"><u> </u></span>Her mother, Emma Krause, moved with the children to her parents' home in Cement City, an industrial suburb of <u style="font-style:inherit;">Dallas</u>, where she found work as a garment sewer. Parker was one of the best students in her high school, winning top prizes in spelling, writing and public speaking. As an adult, her fondness for writing found expression in poems such as "The Story of Suicide Sal" and "The Trail's End" (known since as "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde").
-Parker did not date until she was in her second year of high school, but in that year she fell in love with a classmate, Roy Thornton, whose good looks and smart clothes caught her schoolgirl's eye. The two quit school and were married on September 25, 1926, six days before Parker's sixteenth birthday. Their marriage, marked by his frequent absences and brushes with the law, was short-lived, and after January 1929 their paths never crossed again. But they were never divorced, and Parker was wearing Thornton's wedding ring when she died.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14"><u>[15]</u></sup> Thornton was in prison in 1934 when he learned of his wife's ambush; his reaction was, "I'm glad they went out like they did. It's much better than being caught."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-roy_12-1"><u>[13]</u></sup>
+Parker did not date until she was in her second year of high school, but in that year she fell in love with a classmate, Roy Thornton, whose good looks and smart clothes caught her schoolgirl's eye. The two quit school and were married on September 25, 1926, six days before Parker's sixteenth birthday. Their marriage, marked by his frequent absences and brushes with the law, was short-lived, and after January 1929 their paths never crossed again. But they were never divorced, and Parker was wearing Thornton's wedding ring when she died. Thornton was in prison in 1934 when he learned of his wife's ambush; his reaction was, "I'm glad they went out like they did. It's much better than being caught."
-In 1929, between the breakdown of her marriage and her first meeting with Clyde Barrow in January 1930, Parker lived with her mother and worked as a waitress in Dallas; one of her regular customers in the café was postal worker <u>Ted Hinton</u>, who would join the Dallas Sheriff's Department in 1932, and as a posse member would participate in her ambush in 1934.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15"><u>[16]</u></sup> In the diary she kept briefly early in 1929, she wrote of her desperate loneliness, her impatience with life in provincial Dallas, and her love of a newfangled technology — [[Talking pictures|<u>talking pictures</u>]].<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16"><u>[17]</u></sup>
+In 1929, between the breakdown of her marriage and her first meeting with Clyde Barrow in January 1930, Parker lived with her mother and worked as a waitress in Dallas; one of her regular customers in the café was postal worker <u>Ted Hinton</u>, who would join the Dallas Sheriff's Department in 1932, and as a posse member would participate in her ambush in 1934. In the diary she kept briefly early in 1929, she wrote of her desperate loneliness, her impatience with life in provincial Dallas, and her love of a newfangled technology — [[Talking pictures|<u>talking pictures</u>]].
 ===Clyde Barrow===
-[[Enlarge]]'''Clyde Barrow''' in 1926, aged 16'''Clyde Chestnut Barrow'''<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-coroner_17-0"><u>[18]</u></sup> was born in <u>Ellis County, Texas</u>, near [[Telico, Texas|<u>Telico</u>]], a town just south of [[Dallas, Texas|<u>Dallas</u>]].<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18"><u>[19]</u></sup> He was the fifth of seven children, from a desperately poor farming family that emigrated, piecemeal, to Dallas in the early 1920s as part of a wave of resettlement from the impoverished nearby farms to the impoverished urban slum known as West Dallas. It was a place of flimsy shanties and tent cities, piles of garbage and teeming open sewers, swarming insects and rampaging epidemics. The Barrows had neither shanty nor tent: they spent their first months living under their wagon. When father Henry had earned enough money to buy a tent, it was a major step up for the family.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19"><u>[20]</u></sup>
+[[Enlarge]]'''Clyde Barrow''' in 1926, aged 16'''Clyde Chestnut Barrow''' was born in <u>Ellis County, Texas</u>, near [[Telico, Texas|<u>Telico</u>]], a town just south of [[Dallas, Texas|<u>Dallas</u>]]. He was the fifth of seven children, from a desperately poor farming family that emigrated, piecemeal, to Dallas in the early 1920s as part of a wave of resettlement from the impoverished nearby farms to the impoverished urban slum known as West Dallas. It was a place of flimsy shanties and tent cities, piles of garbage and teeming open sewers, swarming insects and rampaging epidemics. The Barrows had neither shanty nor tent: they spent their first months living under their wagon. When father Henry had earned enough money to buy a tent, it was a major step up for the family.
-Clyde was first arrested in late 1926, after running when police confronted him over a rental car he had failed to return on time. His second arrest, with brother [[Buck Barrow|<u>Marvin "Buck" Barrow</u>]], came soon after, this time for possession of stolen goods ([[Turkey (bird)|<u>turkeys</u>]]). Despite having legitimate jobs during the period 1927 through 1929, he also cracked safes, robbed stores, and stole cars. After sequential arrests in 1928 and 1929, his luck ran out and he was sent to [[Eastham Prison Farm|<u>Eastham Prison Farm</u>]] in April, 1930. While in prison, he was sexually assaulted repeatedly for over a year by a dominant inmate, whose skull he eventually fractured with a length of pipe.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20"><u>[21]</u></sup> It was Clyde Barrow's first killing.
+Clyde was first arrested in late 1926, after running when police confronted him over a rental car he had failed to return on time. His second arrest, with brother [[Buck Barrow|<u>Marvin "Buck" Barrow</u>]], came soon after, this time for possession of stolen goods ([[Turkey (bird)|<u>turkeys</u>]]). Despite having legitimate jobs during the period 1927 through 1929, he also cracked safes, robbed stores, and stole cars. After sequential arrests in 1928 and 1929, his luck ran out and he was sent to [[Eastham Prison Farm|<u>Eastham Prison Farm</u>]] in April, 1930. While in prison, he was sexually assaulted repeatedly for over a year by a dominant inmate, whose skull he eventually fractured with a length of pipe. It was Clyde Barrow's first killing.
-Paroled in February 1932, Barrow emerged from Eastham a hardened and bitter criminal. His sister Nell remembered a conversation with sister Marie about the new parolee: "There's a new air about him—a funny sort of something I can't put my finger on.... I'm afraid he's not going to go straight."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21"><u>[22]</u></sup> Marie was blunter: "Something awful sure must have happened to him in prison, because he wasn't the same person when he got out."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22"><u>[23]</u></sup> Associate <u>Ralph Fults</u> was there, inside "The Walls" with Barrow, and said he watched him "change from a schoolboy to a rattlesnake."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23"><u>[24]</u></sup>
+Paroled in February 1932, Barrow emerged from Eastham a hardened and bitter criminal. His sister Nell remembered a conversation with sister Marie about the new parolee: "There's a new air about him—a funny sort of something I can't put my finger on.... I'm afraid he's not going to go straight." Marie was blunter: "Something awful sure must have happened to him in prison, because he wasn't the same person when he got out." Associate <u>Ralph Fults</u> was there, inside "The Walls" with Barrow, and said he watched him "change from a schoolboy to a rattlesnake."
-In his post-Eastham career, he focused on smaller jobs, robbing grocery stores and gas stations, at a rate far outpacing the mere ten to fifteen bank robberies attributed to him and the Barrow Gang. Barrow's favored weapon was the <u>M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle</u> (called a BAR). According to John Neal Phillips, Barrow's goal in life was not to gain fame or fortune from robbing banks, but to seek revenge against the <u>Texas</u> prison system for the abuses he suffered while serving time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-eastham_24-0"><u>[25]</u></sup>
+In his post-Eastham career, he focused on smaller jobs, robbing grocery stores and gas stations, at a rate far outpacing the mere ten to fifteen bank robberies attributed to him and the Barrow Gang. Barrow's favored weapon was the <u>M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle</u> (called a BAR). According to John Neal Phillips, Barrow's goal in life was not to gain fame or fortune from robbing banks, but to seek revenge against the <u>Texas</u> prison system for the abuses he suffered while serving time.
 ===First meeting===
-There are several versions of the story describing Bonnie and Clyde's first meeting, but the most credible version indicates that Bonnie Parker met Clyde Barrow in January 1930 at a friend's house. Parker was out of work and was staying in West Dallas to assist a girlfriend with a broken arm. Barrow dropped by the girl's house while Parker was supposedly in the kitchen making hot chocolate.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25"><u>[26]</u></sup>
+There are several versions of the story describing Bonnie and Clyde's first meeting, but the most credible version indicates that Bonnie Parker met Clyde Barrow in January 1930 at a friend's house. Parker was out of work and was staying in West Dallas to assist a girlfriend with a broken arm. Barrow dropped by the girl's house while Parker was supposedly in the kitchen making hot chocolate.
-When they met, both were smitten immediately; most historians believe Parker joined Barrow because she was in love. She remained a loyal companion to him as they carried out their crime spree and awaited the violent deaths they viewed as inevitable.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26"><u>[27]</u></sup>
+When they met, both were smitten immediately; most historians believe Parker joined Barrow because she was in love. She remained a loyal companion to him as they carried out their crime spree and awaited the violent deaths they viewed as inevitable.
 ==The spree==
 ===1932: Early jobs, early murders===
-[[Enlarge]]'''Instant Legend:''' Bonnie clowns with cigar and is branded forever as "cigar smoking gun moll" after cops find Joplin filmAfter Barrow was released from prison in February 1932, he and Ralph Fults assembled a rotating core group of associates and began a series of small robberies, primarily of stores and gas stations; their goal was to collect enough money and firepower to launch a raid of liberation against [[Eastham prison|<u>Eastham prison</u>]].<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-eastham_24-1"><u>[25]</u></sup> On April 19, Bonnie Parker and Fults were captured in a failed hardware store burglary in <u>Kaufman, Texas</u>, and subsequently jailed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27"><u>[28]</u></sup> On April 30, Barrow was the wheelman in a robbery in <u>Hillsboro, Texas</u>, during which the store's owner, J. N. Bucher, was shot and killed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28"><u>[29]</u></sup> When shown mugshots, the victim's wife identified Barrow as one of the shooters, even though he had stayed outside in the car;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29"><u>[30]</u></sup> it was his first murder accusation. Meanwhile, Parker remained in jail until June 17, writing poetry to while away the time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30"><u>[31]</u></sup> When the Kaufman County grand jury convened, it declined to indict her, and she was released.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31"><u>[32]</u></sup> Within a few weeks, she reunited with Barrow.
+[[Enlarge]]'''Instant Legend:''' Bonnie clowns with cigar and is branded forever as "cigar smoking gun moll" after cops find Joplin filmAfter Barrow was released from prison in February 1932, he and Ralph Fults assembled a rotating core group of associates and began a series of small robberies, primarily of stores and gas stations; their goal was to collect enough money and firepower to launch a raid of liberation against [[Eastham prison|<u>Eastham prison</u>]]. On April 19, Bonnie Parker and Fults were captured in a failed hardware store burglary in <u>Kaufman, Texas</u>, and subsequently jailed. On April 30, Barrow was the wheelman in a robbery in <u>Hillsboro, Texas</u>, during which the store's owner, J. N. Bucher, was shot and killed. When shown mugshots, the victim's wife identified Barrow as one of the shooters, even though he had stayed outside in the car; it was his first murder accusation. Meanwhile, Parker remained in jail until June 17, writing poetry to while away the time.When the Kaufman County grand jury convened, it declined to indict her, and she was released. Within a few weeks, she reunited with Barrow.
-On August 5, while Parker was visiting her mother in Dallas, Barrow, Hamilton and Ross Dyer<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32"><u>[33]</u></sup> were drinking alcohol at a country dance in <u>Stringtown, Oklahoma</u>, when Sheriff C.G. Maxwell and his deputy, Eugene C. Moore, approached them in the parking lot. Barrow and Hamilton opened fire, killing the deputy and gravely wounding the sheriff;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33"><u>[34]</u></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34"><u>[35]</u></sup> it was the first killing of a lawman by Barrow and his gang, a total eventually amounting to nine officers killed. Another civilian was added to the list on October 11, when storekeeper Howard Hall was killed during a robbery of his store in <u>Sherman, Texas</u>. The take: twenty-eight dollars and some groceries.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35"><u>[36]</u></sup>
+On August 5, while Parker was visiting her mother in Dallas, Barrow, Hamilton and Ross Dyer were drinking alcohol at a country dance in <u>Stringtown, Oklahoma</u>, when Sheriff C.G. Maxwell and his deputy, Eugene C. Moore, approached them in the parking lot. Barrow and Hamilton opened fire, killing the deputy and gravely wounding the sheriff; it was the first killing of a lawman by Barrow and his gang, a total eventually amounting to nine officers killed. Another civilian was added to the list on October 11, when storekeeper Howard Hall was killed during a robbery of his store in <u>Sherman, Texas</u>. The take: twenty-eight dollars and some groceries.
-<u>W. D. Jones</u> had been a friend of the Barrow family since childhood, and though he was only 16 years old on Christmas Eve 1932, he persuaded Barrow to let him join up with the pair and ride out of Dallas with them that night.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36"><u>[37]</u></sup> The very next day, Jones was initiated into homicide when he and Barrow killed Doyle Johnson, a young family man, in the process of stealing his car in <u>Temple, Texas</u>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37"><u>[38]</u></sup> Less than two weeks later, on January 6, 1933, Barrow killed Tarrant County Deputy Sheriff Malcolm Davis when he, Parker and Jones wandered into a police trap set for another criminal.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38"><u>[39]</u></sup> The total murdered by the gang since April was now five.
+<u>W. D. Jones</u> had been a friend of the Barrow family since childhood, and though he was only 16 years old on Christmas Eve 1932, he persuaded Barrow to let him join up with the pair and ride out of Dallas with them that night. The very next day, Jones was initiated into homicide when he and Barrow killed Doyle Johnson, a young family man, in the process of stealing his car in <u>Temple, Texas</u>. Less than two weeks later, on January 6, 1933, Barrow killed Tarrant County Deputy Sheriff Malcolm Davis when he, Parker and Jones wandered into a police trap set for another criminal. The total murdered by the gang since April was now five.
 ===1933: Buck joins the gang===
-[[Enlarge]]'''Life changed for the gang''' after they shot their way out of Joplin hideout; photos and Bonnie's poem hit papers nationwide.On March 22, 1933, Buck Barrow was granted a full pardon and released from prison. Within days, he and his wife, [[Blanche Barrow|<u>Blanche</u>]], had set up housekeeping with Clyde Barrow, Parker and Jones in a temporary hideout in <u>Joplin, Missouri</u>. According to family sources,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39"><u>[40]</u></sup> Buck and Blanche were there merely to visit, in an attempt to persuade Clyde to surrender to law enforcement. As was common with Bonnie and Clyde, their next brush with the law arose from their generally suspicious—and conspicuous—behavior, not because their identities had been discovered. Beer had just been relegalized after Prohibition, and the group ran loud, hops-fueled card games late into the nights in the quiet neighborhood. "We bought a case of beer a day," Blanche would later recall.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40"><u>[41]</u></sup> The menfolk came and went noisily at all hours, and once, a [[M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle|<u>BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle)</u>]] discharged in the apartment while Clyde was cleaning it;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41"><u>[42]</u></sup> the short burst didn't bring any neighbors directly to the house, but at least one registered suspicions with the <u>Joplin Police Department</u>.
+[[Enlarge]]'''Life changed for the gang''' after they shot their way out of Joplin hideout; photos and Bonnie's poem hit papers nationwide.On March 22, 1933, Buck Barrow was granted a full pardon and released from prison. Within days, he and his wife, [[Blanche Barrow|<u>Blanche</u>]], had set up housekeeping with Clyde Barrow, Parker and Jones in a temporary hideout in <u>Joplin, Missouri</u>. According to family sources, Buck and Blanche were there merely to visit, in an attempt to persuade Clyde to surrender to law enforcement. As was common with Bonnie and Clyde, their next brush with the law arose from their generally suspicious—and conspicuous—behavior, not because their identities had been discovered. Beer had just been relegalized after Prohibition, and the group ran loud, hops-fueled card games late into the nights in the quiet neighborhood. "We bought a case of beer a day," Blanche would later recall.<span style="font-size:11.199999809265137px;line-height:0px;"><u> </u></span>The menfolk came and went noisily at all hours, and once, a [[M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle|<u>BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle)</u>]] discharged in the apartment while Clyde was cleaning it; the short burst didn't bring any neighbors directly to the house, but at least one registered suspicions with the <u>Joplin Police Department</u>.
-Unaware of what awaited them, local lawmen assembled only a two-car, five-man force on April 13 to confront the suspected [[Rum-running|<u>bootleggers</u>]] living in the rented apartment over a garage. Though taken by surprise, Clyde, noted for remaining cool under fire, was gaining far more experience in gun battles than most lawmen. He, Jones and Buck quickly killed Detective McGinnis and fatally wounded Constable Harryman<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42"><u>[43]</u></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43"><u>[44]</u></sup> before bundling Parker into the car and escaping. They pulled Blanche in off the street, where she was pursuing her fleeing dog, Snow Ball.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44"><u>[45]</u></sup> The surviving officers later testified that their side had fired only fourteen rounds in the conflict,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45"><u>[46]</u></sup> although one of these hit Jones in the side, one struck Clyde and was deflected by his suitcoat button, and one grazed Buck after ricocheting off a wall. [[Enlarge]]'''Always proud of their arsenal,''' the gang "shot" it for a posterity they could not have imagined. The gangster is W. D. Jones.The group escaped the police at Joplin, but left most of their possessions at the rented apartment: Buck and Blanche's marriage license, Buck's parole papers (only three weeks old), a large arsenal—and a handwritten poem and camera with several rolls of exposed film.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46"><u>[47]</u></sup> The film was developed at ''<u>The Joplin Globe</u>'' and yielded many now-famous photos of Barrow, Parker and Jones clowning and pointing ordnance at one another.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47"><u>[48]</u></sup> When the poem and the photos, including one featuring the poetess clenching a cigar in her teeth and a pistol in her fist, went out on the newly installed newswire, the obscure fivesome from Dallas became front page news across America as The Barrow Gang, fully illustrated and with the rhyming-couplet "Story of 'Suicide Sal'" as a seeming instant backstory.
+Unaware of what awaited them, local lawmen assembled only a two-car, five-man force on April 13 to confront the suspected [[Rum-running|<u>bootleggers</u>]] living in the rented apartment over a garage. Though taken by surprise, Clyde, noted for remaining cool under fire, was gaining far more experience in gun battles than most lawmen. He, Jones and Buck quickly killed Detective McGinnis and fatally wounded Constable Harryman before bundling Parker into the car and escaping. They pulled Blanche in off the street, where she was pursuing her fleeing dog, Snow Ball. The surviving officers later testified that their side had fired only fourteen rounds in the conflict, although one of these hit Jones in the side, one struck Clyde and was deflected by his suitcoat button, and one grazed Buck after ricocheting off a wall. [[Enlarge]]'''Always proud of their arsenal,''' the gang "shot" it for a posterity they could not have imagined. The gangster is W. D. Jones.The group escaped the police at Joplin, but left most of their possessions at the rented apartment: Buck and Blanche's marriage license, Buck's parole papers (only three weeks old), a large arsenal—and a handwritten poem and camera with several rolls of exposed film.<span style="font-size:11.199999809265137px;line-height:0px;"><u> </u></span>The film was developed at ''<u>The Joplin Globe</u>'' and yielded many now-famous photos of Barrow, Parker and Jones clowning and pointing ordnance at one another. When the poem and the photos, including one featuring the poetess clenching a cigar in her teeth and a pistol in her fist, went out on the newly installed newswire, the obscure fivesome from Dallas became front page news across America as The Barrow Gang, fully illustrated and with the rhyming-couplet "Story of 'Suicide Sal'" as a seeming instant backstory.
-For the next three months, they ranged from Texas as far north as <u>Minnesota</u>. In May, they robbed banks in <u>Lucerne, Indiana</u> and <u>Okabena, Minnesota</u>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48"><u>[49]</u></sup> Previously they had kidnapped Dillard Darby and Sophia Stone at <u>Ruston, Louisiana</u>, in the course of stealing Darby's car; this was one of several incidents between 1932 and 1934 in which they kidnapped lawmen or robbery victims,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49"><u>[50]</u></sup> usually releasing them far from home, sometimes with money to help them return.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-riding_3-1"><u>[4]</u></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-dallasnews_50-0"><u>[51]</u></sup> Stories of these encounters made headlines, but so too did the darker encounters. The Barrow Gang would not hesitate to shoot anyone, lawman or civilian, who got in their way. Other members of the Barrow Gang known or thought to have committed murders included Raymond Hamilton, W.D. Jones, Buck Barrow and Henry Methvin. Eventually, the cold-bloodedness of the killings would not only sour the public perception of the outlaws, but lead directly to their undoing.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51"><u>[52]</u></sup>
+For the next three months, they ranged from Texas as far north as <u>Minnesota</u>. In May, they robbed banks in <u>Lucerne, Indiana</u> and <u>Okabena, Minnesota</u>. Previously they had kidnapped Dillard Darby and Sophia Stone at <u>Ruston, Louisiana</u>, in the course of stealing Darby's car; this was one of several incidents between 1932 and 1934 in which they kidnapped lawmen or robbery victims, usually releasing them far from home, sometimes with money to help them return. Stories of these encounters made headlines, but so too did the darker encounters. The Barrow Gang would not hesitate to shoot anyone, lawman or civilian, who got in their way. Other members of the Barrow Gang known or thought to have committed murders included Raymond Hamilton, W.D. Jones, Buck Barrow and Henry Methvin. Eventually, the cold-bloodedness of the killings would not only sour the public perception of the outlaws, but lead directly to their undoing.
-While the photos in the papers might have suggested a glamorous lifestyle for the Barrow Gang, in reality they were desperate and discontented, as noted in the account of their life written by Blanche Barrow while she was in jail through the latter 1930s.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-52"><u>[53]</u></sup> With their new fame—some would say notoriety—came difficulty in the smallest tasks of everyday living. Restaurants and tourist courts became less and less of an option; cooking and bathing became campfire and cold-stream propositions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53"><u>[54]</u></sup> The unrelieved, round-the-clock proximity of life among two couples, plus a fifth-wheel, in one car gave rise to vicious bickering.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-54"><u>[55]</u></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-55"><u>[56]</u></sup> So unpleasant did it become that W.D. Jones, who was the actual wheelman in the theft of Dillard Darby's car in late April, used that car to get himself separated from the others—and managed to stay separated throughout May and up until June 8.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-56"><u>[57]</u></sup>
+While the photos in the papers might have suggested a glamorous lifestyle for the Barrow Gang, in reality they were desperate and discontented, as noted in the account of their life written by Blanche Barrow while she was in jail through the latter 1930s. With their new fame—some would say notoriety—came difficulty in the smallest tasks of everyday living. Restaurants and tourist courts became less and less of an option; cooking and bathing became campfire and cold-stream propositions.The unrelieved, round-the-clock proximity of life among two couples, plus a fifth-wheel, in one car gave rise to vicious bickering.So unpleasant did it become that W.D. Jones, who was the actual wheelman in the theft of Dillard Darby's car in late April, used that car to get himself separated from the others—and managed to stay separated throughout May and up until June 8.
-On June 10, while driving with Jones and Parker near <u>Wellington, Texas</u>, Barrow missed warning signs at a bridge under construction and flipped their car into a ravine.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-riding_3-2"><u>[4]</u></sup> Sources disagree on whether there was an actual gasoline fire<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-57"><u>[58]</u></sup> or that Parker was doused with acid from the car's battery under the floorboards.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-58"><u>[59]</u></sup> What is certain is that she sustained horrific [[Burn|<u>third degree burns</u>]] to her right leg. The burn was so severe, the muscles contracted and caused the leg to "draw up";<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-59"><u>[60]</u></sup> near the end of her life, Parker could hardly walk and would either hop on her good leg or be carried by Clyde. After getting help from a nearby farm family and kidnapping two local lawmen,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-60"><u>[61]</u></sup> the three outlaws rendezvoused with Blanche and Buck Barrow again and they hid out in a tourist court near [[Ft. Smith, Arkansas|<u>Ft. Smith, Arkansas</u>]], nursing Parker's grievous burns. Then Buck and Jones bungled a local robbery and killed Town <u>Marshal</u> Henry D. Humphrey in <u>Alma, Arkansas</u>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-61"><u>[62]</u></sup> With the renewed pursuit from the law, they had to flee again, despite the grave condition of Bonnie Parker.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-62"><u>[63]</u></sup>
+On June 10, while driving with Jones and Parker near <u>Wellington, Texas</u>, Barrow missed warning signs at a bridge under construction and flipped their car into a ravine.<span style="font-size:11.199999809265137px;line-height:0px;"><u> </u></span>Sources disagree on whether there was an actual gasoline fire or that Parker was doused with acid from the car's battery under the floorboards. What is certain is that she sustained horrific [[Burn|<u>third degree burns</u>]] to her right leg. The burn was so severe, the muscles contracted and caused the leg to "draw up";near the end of her life, Parker could hardly walk and would either hop on her good leg or be carried by Clyde. After getting help from a nearby farm family and kidnapping two local lawmen,<span style="font-size:11.199999809265137px;line-height:0px;"><u> </u></span>the three outlaws rendezvoused with Blanche and Buck Barrow again and they hid out in a tourist court near [[Ft. Smith, Arkansas|<u>Ft. Smith, Arkansas</u>]], nursing Parker's grievous burns. Then Buck and Jones bungled a local robbery and killed Town <u>Marshal</u> Henry D. Humphrey in <u>Alma, Arkansas</u>.With the renewed pursuit from the law, they had to flee again, despite the grave condition of Bonnie Parker.
 ===1933: Platte City and Dexfield Park===
-[[Enlarge]]'''Two-unit Red Crown Tourist Court''', where outlaws' conspicuous behavior drew the police, a gunfight, and a mortal head wound for Buck Barrow.On July 18, 1933, the gang checked into the <u>Red Crown Tourist Court</u><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-platte_63-0"><u>[64]</u></sup> south of <u>Platte City, Missouri</u> (now within the city limits of <u>Kansas City, Missouri</u> across [[I-29|<u>I-29</u>]] from <u>Kansas City International Airport</u>). The Red Crown Court was just two brick cabins joined by garages and the gang rented both.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-platte_63-1"><u>[64]</u></sup> To the south stood the Red Crown Tavern, a popular restaurant and a favorite watering hole for Missouri Highway Patrolmen. Once again, the gang seemed to go out of their way to draw attention to themselves:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-64"><u>[65]</u></sup> owner Neal Houser became interested in the group immediately when Blanche Barrow registered the party as three guests, and Houser, out his rear window, could see ''five'' people exiting their car—which the driver backed into the garage, "gangster style," for a quick getaway.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Guinn.2C_p_211_65-0"><u>[66]</u></sup> Blanche paid the lodging tab with coins rather than paper money, and did the same thing again later when she purchased five dinners and five beers for, presumably, three guests.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-66"><u>[67]</u></sup> The next day, Houser noticed that his guests had taped newspapers over the windows of their cabin, and Blanche once again paid in silver for five meals. Even Blanche's outfit—saucy, tight ''<u>jodhpurs</u>'' riding breeches<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67"><u>[68]</u></sup>—attracted undue attention: they were just not the kind of thing the upright women of Platte City would ever wear, and were the first thing mentioned by eyewitnesses reminiscing even forty years later.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Guinn.2C_p_211_65-1"><u>[66]</u></sup> It was all too much for Houser, who brought the conspicuous group to the attention of his restaurant patron, Captain William Baxter of the Highway Patrol.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-platte_63-2"><u>[64]</u></sup>
+[[Enlarge]]'''Two-unit Red Crown Tourist Court''', where outlaws' conspicuous behavior drew the police, a gunfight, and a mortal head wound for Buck Barrow.On July 18, 1933, the gang checked into the <u>Red Crown Tourist Court</u> south of <u>Platte City, Missouri</u> (now within the city limits of <u>Kansas City, Missouri</u> across [[I-29|<u>I-29</u>]] from <u>Kansas City International Airport</u>). The Red Crown Court was just two brick cabins joined by garages and the gang rented both. To the south stood the Red Crown Tavern, a popular restaurant and a favorite watering hole for Missouri Highway Patrolmen. Once again, the gang seemed to go out of their way to draw attention to themselves: owner Neal Houser became interested in the group immediately when Blanche Barrow registered the party as three guests, and Houser, out his rear window, could see ''five'' people exiting their car—which the driver backed into the garage, "gangster style," for a quick getaway.<span style="font-size:11.199999809265137px;line-height:0px;"><u> </u></span>Blanche paid the lodging tab with coins rather than paper money, and did the same thing again later when she purchased five dinners and five beers for, presumably, three guests. The next day, Houser noticed that his guests had taped newspapers over the windows of their cabin, and Blanche once again paid in silver for five meals. Even Blanche's outfit—saucy, tight ''<u>jodhpurs</u>'' riding breeches<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67"><u>[68]</u></sup>—attracted undue attention: they were just not the kind of thing the upright women of Platte City would ever wear, and were the first thing mentioned by eyewitnesses reminiscing even forty years later. It was all too much for Houser, who brought the conspicuous group to the attention of his restaurant patron, Captain William Baxter of the Highway Patrol.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-platte_63-2"><u>[64]</u></sup>
 When Clyde and Jones went into town<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-68"><u>[69]</u></sup> to purchase bandages, crackers, cheese, and <u>atropine</u> sulfate to treat Bonnie's leg,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-69"><u>[70]</u></sup> the druggist contacted Sheriff <u>Holt Coffey</u>, who put the cabins under watch. Coffey had been alerted by Oklahoma, Texas, and <u>Arkansas</u> to be on the lookout for strangers seeking such supplies. The sheriff contacted Captain Baxter, who called for reinforcements from [[Kansas City, Missouri|<u>Kansas City</u>]] including an [[Armored car (military)|<u>armored car</u>]].<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-platte_63-3"><u>[64]</u></sup> At 11 p.m. that night, Sheriff Coffey led a group of officers armed with [[Thompson submachine gun|<u>Thompson submachine guns</u>]] toward the cabins.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-redcrown_70-0"><u>[71]</u></sup> But in a pitched gunfight at considerable distances, the submachine guns proved no match for Clyde Barrow's preferred [[M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle|<u>Browning Automatic Rifles</u>]], stolen July 7 from the National Guard [[Armory (military)|<u>armory</u>]] at <u>Enid, Oklahoma</u>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-71"><u>[72]</u></sup> The Barrows laid down withering fire and made their escape when a bullet short-circuited the horn on the armored car<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-72"><u>[73]</u></sup> and the lawmen mistook it for a cease-fire signal. They did not pursue the retreating Barrow automobile.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-platte_63-4"><u>[64]</u></sup> [[Enlarge]]'''With husband Buck mortally wounded nearby,''' Blanche Barrow is captured by posse at Dexfield Park, IA[[Enlarge]]'''Jones upon capture:''' his "confession" set legal balls rolling against former mentorsAlthough the gang evaded law enforcement once again, Buck Barrow had sustained a horrific wound in the side of the head and Blanche Barrow was nearly blinded from glass fragments in both her eyes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-platte_63-5"><u>[64]</u></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-73"><u>[74]</u></sup> Their prospects for holding out against the ensuing manhunt dwindled.