May 23, 1934: Bonnie & Clyde ambushed

Let’s play some word association: if I say “outlaw pair”, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

I bet it’s the couple who met their end on this day in 1934,, when the notorious Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were ambushed by four Texas lawmen in Louisiana.

In early 1934, Clyde engineered a prison break for several members of the Barrow Gang. The escape, from the Eastham Unit in Texas, was an embarrassment for Texas authorities, and they redoubled their efforts to eliminate the crew. They hired a retired Texas Ranger, Frank Hamer, to lead the charge.

Hamer was known for his no-nonsense, Wild West manner – he had killed more than 50 outlaws – and his task was not to capture, but to kill the pair. (Two Rangers allegedly turned down the offer, citing their unwillingness to shoot a woman.)

Hamer eventually figured out the duo’s M.O.: they’d drive along state lines, taking advantage of laws against authorities crossing into another state. (The F.B.I. had not yet come into existence.) In May, he tracked them to rural Louisiana, home of the family of gang member Henry Methvin.

With the help of Methvin’s father, the “posse” camped out at a rendezvous point on a backwoods road. Arriving on May 21, they lay in wait – almost ready to give up on the morning of the 23rd when they heard Barrow’s car approach.

In all, they fired about 130 rounds; the coroner counted 17 entrance wounds on Clyde and 26 on Bonnie, any of which would have been fatal. Word quickly spread, and onlookers rushed out to the scene, trying to collect souvenirs, including one person who tried to cut off Clyde’s trigger finger.

For more on the ambush, visit Bonnie & Clyde’s Hideout.