Bonnie and Clyde

Lore & Background

Bonnie Parker was born in Rowena, Texas, the second of three children. Her father died when she was four, and her mother moved the family to Cement City, an industrial suburb in West Dallas. Parker wrote poems such as 'The Story of Suicide Sal' and 'The Trail's End' (also known as 'The Story of Bonnie and Clyde'). After leaving Thornton, she worked as a waitress in Dallas. Clyde Barrow was born into a poor farming family in Telico, Texas, near Dallas. Barrow was arrested soon after and sentenced to two years for auto theft and burglary. While awaiting transfer, he escaped from the McLennan County jail using a gun Parker smuggled in. Recaptured, he was sent to Huntsville State Prison and later to Eastham Prison Farm, where he was sexually assaulted and killed his tormentor, Ed Crowder, with a pipe. After his release, Barrow robbed grocery stores and gas stations at a rate far outpacing the ten or so bank robberies attributed to him. His favorite weapon was the M1918 Browning automatic rifle. According to John Neal Phillips, Barrow's goal was revenge against the Texas prison system for abuses he sustained.

Reader's Guide

Bonnie and Clyde became symbols of the 'public enemy era,' a period when the American press and public were captivated by high-profile outlaws. Despite their reputation for bank robberies, they preferred robbing small stores or rural gas stations. The couple's legacy remains a mix of historical fact and romanticized fiction, illustrating the enduring American fascination with outlaw figures during economic hardship.

Did You Know?

• Bonnie Parker was still wearing the wedding ring from her husband Roy Thornton when she died; Thornton was in prison and commented, 'I'm glad they jumped out like they did. It's much better than being caught.'
• Barrow's first murder was of Ed Crowder, a fellow inmate at Eastham Prison Farm, whom he killed with a pipe after being sexually assaulted.