Bonnie Parker &

Clyde Barrow
(The Barrow
Gang)
By: Jenny Natoli

Background On Bonnie Elizabeth

Parker
Bonnie Parker was born on October 1, 1910, in
Rowena, Texas
People she went to school with claimed she was
beautiful and a good student
lost her father at a young age and accompanied
her mother and two siblings to her grandparents'
house
By sixteen, Bonnie was married to an imprisoned
murderer and a high school dropout

Background on Clyde Chestnut

Barrow
Born on March 24, 1909 in Telico, Texas as the
sixth of eight children to Henry and Cummie
Barrow
People described him as an attractive man with
thick brown hair
Desired more out of life than the hand he had
been dealt
Clyde and his older brother, Ivan Barrow or
"Buck, dropped out of school and fell into trouble

Crimes Accused on
Committing
Clyde was arrested for burglary and was put in jail.
Clyde asked Bonnie to smuggle a gun into his cell, and
that is exactly what she did. This was her first criminal
act. With this gun Clyde robbed numerous stores in
Illinois in 1930 but was soon caught again and was
sentenced to 2 years
Clyde, Raymond Hamilton (murderer) and Frank Clause
formed a new gang to rob a convenient store but
something went wrong and it turned out to be a murder.
By accident, Raymond Hamilton pulled the trigger of his
gun pointing it at the clerk After this ordeal, Clyde knew
he could not turn himself in, so he decided to continue
with his criminal life. Bonnie joined up with Clyde in
Dallas where they committed more robberies

Most Recent Crime

On April 1, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde encountered
two young highway patrolmen near Grapevine,
Texas. Before the officers could draw their guns,
they were shot. On April 6, 1934, a constable at
Miami, Oklahoma was murdered by Bonnie and
Clyde, who also abducted a police chief, whom
they wounded.

Evidence
Body of Calvin Campbell found
in Oklahoma

Quotes
"No man but the undertaker will ever get me, if officers ever
cripple me to where I see they will take me alive, I'll take my
own life" CLYDE BARROW
"I was aiming at Clyde Barrow's head when I shot" DEPUTY
PRENTISS OAKLEY (speaking of ambush)
"I hate to bust the cap on a woman, especially when she was
sitting down, however if it wouldn't have been her, it would
have been us". FRANK A. HAMER (After slaying Bonnie in
ambush)
"It is much better that they were both killed, rather then to
have been taken alive" BLANCHE BARROW (On hearing of the
deaths of Clyde and Bonnie).

Sociological Theories
I believe innovation describes Bonnie and Clydes deviance.
I think this because they turned to organized crime in order
to get wealthy. Bonnie and Clyde created a gang to help
them with their crimes. The gang planned several robberies
and together the group accumulated a lot of money.
Bonnie and Clydes criminal behavior could also be
described as rebellion. I believe this because at the time of
their criminal streak, the depression was happening. They
went against what the government and society wanted. I
found it very bold and interesting that this couple rebelled
to this extremity. During the depression, many people went
broke because of government issues but Bonnie and Clyde
decided to get rich on their own. Although what they did
was illegal, many people at the time understood their
choices. It was one of the only ways of gaining wealth at the
time.

Simply Punished
I believe that Bonnie and Clyde should be
punished for their actions instead of being
rehabilitated. I think this because the couple was
fully aware of their actions. They planned each
crime and they even got more people to join in
their crime spree. The couple was terrified of their
consequences and did things in their power to not
get caught. This proves that the criminals were
completely in control of the choices they made,
and chose to commit the crimes. Those who
commit a crime should be punished.