Bonnie And Clyde Essay

With a total of thirteen murders and numerous armed burglaries and robberies, the notorious Bonnie and Clyde’s image as dangerous outlaws evolved into one of romance and a “Robin Hood” morality. This illusion does not dismiss the wrong doings the pair carried out over their eleven years of crime on the run. Over the course of a decade, they committed an astounding amount of crimes. The most surprising part is, the duo was able to survive on the run in their trusty car. However, their life on the run is not as glamorous as people presume. They often ate sardines from the can, bathed in rivers, and drove through the night, taking shifts sleeping and driving to avoid capture.

Clyde Barrow, born March 24, 1909 in Telico, Texas to a very poor farming family. Under the influence of his older brother, Clyde was inducted into a life of crime at an early age by beginning with thievery and gradually ascending to stealing automobiles, carrying out armed robberies, and eventually murder. Already by age 20, Clyde was a fugitive with an extensive list of robberies. He was then arrested for a long sentence, when his new lover, Bonnie Parker, smuggled him a gun to escape. Clyde first met Bonnie, who was 19 at the time they met, through a mutual friend, and he immediately fell madly in love

with her.
Bonnie Parker, who one would never imagine to turn to a life of crime, was Clyde’s faithful partner. Born in Rowena, Texas on October 1, 1910, Bonnie’s family was not one that could even imagine having a child, let alone Bonnie, become a fugitive. When she was young, Bonnie had developed keen interests in poetry and literature, and even earned honors in her studies. She was also exceptionally pretty, and had dreams of becoming an actress. However, Bonnie began to evolve into a rebellious teen when she became involved with a classmate of hers, Roy Thornton. Days before she turned sixteen, the couple was married and Bonnie got a tattoo on her thigh of their two names to celebrate their romance. However, Thornton turned out to be physically abusive, so the two fell apart but never got divorced. When she was 19 and working as a waitress, Bonnie met Clyde Barrow, who, as we know, would become her soulmate.
When Clyde was arrested for the first time during their relationship, Bonnie remained dedicated wholeheartedly to Clyde and proceeded to visit him everyday. At one point, she smuggled him a weapon he and some buddies could use to escape prison, but they were captured a week later. Clyde was then sentenced to fourteen years of hard labor, eventually being transferred to Eastham State Farm. Uncontent with his fourteen grueling years of labor ahead of him, Clyde’s big toe and part of another toe was cut off in an "accident,” but he he wasn’t aware that his mother already convinced his judge to grant him parole. All that Clyde got out of the lost toes was a permanent limp and driving in his socks as the only option. Bonnie also dealt with an injury that affected her mobility for the remainder of her life, which consisted of a badly burned leg from battery acid as a result of a severe car accident in 1933.The same year Bonnie was severely injured, the duo received national attention for the first time after photos of them were discovered at a crime scene.
Bonnie and Clyde’s crimes were not all carried out by themselves. They often teamed up with various accomplices for assistance in carrying out robberies and murders. Bonnie and Clyde joined forces with various co-conspirators to rob a string of banks and stores across five states–Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Mexico and Louisiana. Clyde also allegedly murdered a man at Hillsboro, Texas, and two police officers at Joplin, Missouri. Together they committed robberies at Lufkin and Dallas, Texas, murdered one sheriff and wounded another at Stringtown, Oklahoma, kidnaped a deputy at Carlsbad, New Mexico, and stole an automobile at Victoria, Texas. They also attempted to murder a deputy at Wharton, Texas, and actually committed murder and carried out a robbery in Abilene, Sherman, and Dallas, Texas.
Bonnie and Clyde eventually sought refuge at a former accomplice’s, Henry Methvin's, family farm in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, where they often visited briefly with family and friends.

But Texas Ranger Frank Hamer and his posse learned of the couple’s whereabouts, and Methvin's father betrayed the outlaws in exchange for amnesty for his son. Hamer and his agents then proceeded to set up a trap for when Bonnie and Clyde drove through to the family farm. Henry Methvin's father would lure them to slow their car, for he would appear to have broken down on the side of the highway. Once Bonnie and Clyde's car slowed down enough, the authorities would then open fire and shoot down the

criminals.
The plan worked, and the authorities unleashed over 150 bullets into the car and killed the couple within seconds. The crime scene was grueling, with Bonnie and Clyde’s bodies limp with multiple bullet wounds, and their car contained an abundance of bullet holes. Fans, admirers, and souvenir-seekers flocked to the scene to take a glimpse at the iconic and incredibly famous duo. Many there attempted to take locks of their hair, pieces of their clothing, and one even cut off and took one of Clyde's ears. Bonnie and Clyde’s dying wishes were to be buried together at the same time, but this wish was not granted. Their two funerals were held on separate days and in different funeral homes across town from one another, but each was attended by thousands of people.