On this day, May 22, in 1934, law enforcement officials hid out to ambush popular outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.
The exploits of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker caught the American imagination during the Great Depression. The out-of-work and underemployed public romanticized the young lovers and their “Robin Hood” adventures, even though the Barrow Gang was responsible for the killing of nine police officers.
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Even advertisers took advantage of the couple’s appeal. When Clyde sent the Ford Motor Co. a letter praising its “dandy car,” the company used it in ads.
Bonnie, a high school honors student, penned poems that indicated the couple believed their deaths were inevitable.
A posse led by former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer tracked the couple to a home in Louisiana and waited for two days. Around 9 a.m. May 23, the lawmen heard Clyde’s stolen Ford V8 approaching.
Without a warning, the lawmen jumped from the bushes and opened fire, shooting off 130 rounds. Bonnie and Clyde were dead. He was 23, she was 24.
