BONNIE AND CLYDE AMBUSH SITE
Located on Highway 517, approximately 8 miles south of Gibsland, Louisiana is the place where Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow met their deaths at approximately 9:15 a.m. on the morning of May 23, 1934. The ambush lasted only about 12 seconds, according to law enforcement officers involved.
The four foot-eleven inch tall, ninety pound outlaw, Bonnie Parker was born on October 1, 1910 in Rowena, Texas, the daughter of a bricklayer. As a little girl she was very bright and did quite well in school. Following her father's death in 1914, her mother moved the family to live with Bonnie's grandmother in Cement City, near Dallas. It was here that she would, in years to come, meet and marry Roy Thornton, when she was only sixteen years of age.
Shortly after getting married, Thornton was incarcerated for theft, leaving Bonnie alone. Out of desparation, she moved back in with her grandmother and took a job as a waitress at Marco's Cafe in Dallas. This was during the Depression and jobs were at a premium. Among all the forward acting men who came into Marco's was a police officer named Ted Hinton. He was always a gentleman, who spoke politely to her. They probably didn't even know each other's name, but in about five years, they would meet again, under very different circumstances that would enter them into the history books of criminology. In a later biography, Hinton stated that he had emotional attachments to Bonnie. She was described as beautiful, though most photos never did her justice.
Bonnie met Clyde Barrow at the home of a mutual friend. The friend had injured her leg when she slipped on ice, so Bonnie came over to help her with household chores. She was in the kitchen making hot chocolate when Clyde Barrow stopped in for a visit. Clyde asked who the person was in the kitchen. The friend explained that it was Bonnie Parker, a friend of her's. Clyde went in to introduce himself and it was love at first sight! They became very close during the next few months, seeing each other almost daily.
However, there was a big problem facing Clyde. He had a bad habit of boasting about crimes he'd committed. He and his accomplices had been robbing and terrorizing small shop owners in Waco and McClendon Counties. He was not yet aware that the law enforcement agencies in those counties were investigating the activities of one Clyde Chestnut Barrow!
Clyde became aware of men, strangers, asking a lot of questions about him around the area. He told Bonnie that he had to get away for a couple of months and that he would be in touch. While packing his things to leave, the police apprehended him. He was incarcerated in the Waco County Jail.
It was Bonnie, who smuggled in that .32 caliber pistol that Clyde used in a breakout. He and another cellmate named Frank Turner, broke out and headed north, knowing that anywhere around Dallas would be too hot for Clyde to be. They were captured in Ohio and returned to the Waco Jail.
With the jailbreak added to his record, Clyde was sentenced to fourteen years at hard labor to have been served at the dreaded Eastham Prison Farm #2 of the Texas Correctional System. While Clyde was serving time, Bonnie continued to work at Marco's and continued to correspond with Clyde.
On February 8, 1932, Governor Sterling pardoned Clyde as a result of his mother's pleading with the governor's office. Clyde returned to Dallas for a reunion with Bonnie.
Their first crime together was the night time robbery of a hardware store in Kaufman, Texas. Following this crime, the big spree began which made their names household words. As robbery gangs go, the Barrow Gang was not that successful. However, what kept them in the newspapers was the fact that they had killed many people, many were police officers.
After two years of operation, they were in need of a place to hide out. They were staying at the home of Ivy Methvin, near Sailes, Louisiana. Ivy was the father of a friend, Henry Methvin.
On May 22, 1934, Ivy Methvin conspired with law enforcement officers to set up an ambush. This was done in hopes of getting some leniency for his son. An agreement was reached.
On May 23, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde drove their stolen, tan 1934 Ford Sedan into Gibsland to have breakfast, which they did almost daily. While returning to Ivy's place, Clyde saw Ivy's truck parked by the road and stopped to offer assistance. At approximately 9:15 a.m., law enforcement officers, hidden in the brush across the road, opened fire. Clyde was hit immediately, his foot slipped off the clutch, causing the car to lurch into a ditch. Bonnie was heard to scream "like a panther" as the bullets began to strike. Among those lawmen firing was Ted Hinton.
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Story found at: jayssouth.com/louisiana/bonnie/index.html
Photo of Bonnie and Clyde, minutes after the ambush
Submitted and Edited by SDRoads
