May 23 - This Day In History: Police Kill Famous Outlaws Bonnie and Clyde

History.com ^ | May 23, 2007 | History.com

[DogByte6RER]

Too bad we can't bring back those "good ole days" and just shoot these carjackers and criminals fleeing the law in stolen vehicles.

Nowadays, fleeing from the cops in a stolen car will guarantee a thug his 15 minutes of fame on the 6:00 evening news.

I remember once reading that the Texas and Louisiana officers took out Bonnie and Clyde with Tommy guns. That must have been a hoot!

[DogByte6RER]

[DogByte6RER]

[DogByte6RER]

[Borges]

[rhombus]

They set up a trap for them using someone they knew. Then teh cops filled the car and them with an immense amount of lead.

It was interesting how Bonnie and Clyde were made into folk heroes in the sixties by a hit song and a movie. Even then...what was Hollywood thinking?

[cajungirl]

my mom saw Bonnie and Clydes’s bodies. ANd she was shocked to discover Bonnie was not wearing underpants!

[Clemenza]

The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde (Merle Haggard)

Bonnie was a waitress in a small cafe
Clyde Barrow was the rounder that took her away
They both robbed and killed until both of them died
So goes the Legend of Bonnie and Clyde.

The poems that she wrote of the life that they led
Told of the lawmen left dying or dead
Some say that Clyde made her life a shame
But the legend made Bonnie the head of the game.

The rampage grew wilder with each passing day
The odds growing smaller with each get-a-way
With the end growing closer the harder they fought
With blood on their hands they were bound to get caught.

They drove back from town on one bright summer day
When a man they befriended stepped out in the way
With no thought of dyin’ they pulled to the side
But death lay there waiting for Bonnie and Clyde.

Two years or runnin’ was ended that day
For robbin’ and killin’ they both had to pay
But we’ll always remember how they lived and died
So goes the Legend of Bonnie and Clyde.

[Borges]

Outlaws like Jesse James and various gangsters like Al apone had been folk heroes much earlier.

[nomorelurker]

self ping

[headstamp]

Who did the 60’s song?

[KeyLargo]

Where is the death car now? I saw the car on display a few years ago at Primm. Primm Valley Resort & Casino in Primm, Nevada. The car was originally obtained by the owners of Whiskey Pete's in 1988 for $250,000. The infamous "Death Car" was an attraction in their lobby, along with other Bonnie & Clyde relics, including the bulletriddled shirt worn by Clyde Barrow on the day that he was killed. Website: http://texashideout.tripod.com/warrencar.html

[Dumpster Baby]

I bet that was LOUD, for a little while....

[Clemenza]

The only 60s song I know of about B&C was the one by Merle Haggard that I posted.

Interestingly enough, Merle bore a slight resemblence to Warren Beatty back in the 1960s, when both the song was recorded and the movie made:

[Borges]

Interestingly enough, Merle bore a slight resemblence to Warren Beatty back in the 1960s, when both the song was recorded and the movie made:

They were born a week apart in 1937!

[Atlas Sneezed]

And just a little more than a month later, the National Firearms Act of 1934 (which effectively banned machine guns by adding a $200 transfer) was enacted.

Coincidence?

[DogByte6RER]

Just wondering...

Do you know if the officers used Tommy guns to take out Bonnie and Clyde?

I vaguely remember reading this some tine back, or maybe it was some other infamous outlaw from the Depression era.

[mombonn]

It was interesting how Bonnie and Clyde were made into folk heroes in the sixties . . .

I was going to post a similar comment. I remember going to see it, and felt sorry for them in spite of knowing what they had done.

what was Hollywood thinking?

Some things never change. What evil have they not glorified?

[headstamp]

I once saw and old Auto-Ordnance Tommy Gun magazine ad from I’m guessing the 1920’s. It depicted a dirt farmer with a Thompson for “varmint control” on the farm. Really cool looking ad. LOL

[Borges]

Do you think gagnster movies from the 1930s glorified crime?