Bonnie & Clyde HISTORIC INVESTIGATION – BY HARRY THOMSON

Historical Investigation Question:

What did police/authorities do to ultimately put an end to the infamous crime duo that is Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie Elizabeth Cooper

- Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910 – May 23, 1934) born in Rowena, Texas.- Bonnie attended the local schools there and was a bright student who showed a keen interest in poetry and literature, earning honours in her studies.- During her youth there were no sings of the criminal path that follows.

Clyde Chestnut Barrow

- Clyde Chestnut Barrow (March 24, 1909 – May 23, 1934) was born into a poor farming family in Ellis County, Texas a town just southeast of Dallas. He was the fifth of seven children.

How They Met

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow met on January 5th 1930 at Clarence Clays house (Mutual Friend). Parker was out of work and was staying in West Dallas to assist a female friend with a broken arm. Barrow dropped by the girl's house while Parker was 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.

Who was in the ‘Gang’

Throughout the 2 year crime spree, a gang had been formed between;

- The gang included Clyde's older brother Buck Barrow and his wife Blanche, Raymond Hamilton, W. D. Jones, Joe Palmer, Ralph Fults, and Henry Methvin.

- Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the "Public Enemy Era," between 1931 and 1935.

First Crimes

Clyde Barrow and Ralph Fults assembled a gang. They began a series of small robberies, mainly of stores and gas stations, their goal was to collect enough money and firepower to launch a raid of liberation against Eastham Prison.

On April 30, Barrow was the driver in a robbery in Hillsbrow Texas during which the store's owner, J.N. Bucher, was shot and killed. 

What they did, how they did it

For the next two years, Bonnie and Clyde drove and robbed across five states: Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana, and New Mexico. They usually stayed close to the border to aid their getaway, using the fact that police at that time could not cross state borders to follow a criminal.

To help them avoid capture, Clyde would change cars frequently (by stealing a new one) and changed license plates even more frequently. Clyde also studied maps and had an uncanny knowledge of every back road. This aided them numerous times when escaping from a close encounter with the law.

What the Police do to catch Bonnie and Clyde

The Texas Department of Corrections contacted former Texas Ranger Captain Frank A. Hamer, and persuaded him to hunt down the Barrow Gang. Although retired, Hamer had retained his commission, which had not yet expired. He accepted the assignment as a Texas highway patrol officer, secondarily assigned to the prison system as a special investigator, and given the specific task of taking Bonnie, Clyde and the Barrow Gang.

The death of Bonnie and Clyde

May 23rd 1934, wanted outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were shot by a posse of four Texas officers Frank Hamer, B.M. "Manny" Gault, Bob Alcorn, Ted Hinton and two Louisiana officers, as they attempt to escape apprehension in a stolen 1934 Ford Deluxe near Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

Answer

Bibliography - Source 1: Website name: History.com. Date accessed 20/7/16 Author: (unknown)

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- Source 2: Website name: About.com Date accessed 20/7/16 Author: website link: http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/a/bonnieandclyde.htm

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