Another Shoot-Em-Up

Tweet

Dang, but I’m seeing the shootouts on this trip, aren’t I? I’m hoping to see another one in a couple of days. Today, however, was my intended shootout. Let’s talk about Clyde Barrow and his “moll,” as one newspaper headline put it. First, let’s talk about the times. A lot of “gangsters” in that era were seen as “Robin Hood” type characters. To understand it, you have to remember this was in the throes of the Depression, when A LOT of people lost their life savings due to bank failures. The reason our savings accounts are insured today is because of what happened then. Anyway, because of that and the fact that the banks were foreclosing on mortgages left and right, a lot of people saw the banks as “the enemy.” Therefore, when the outlaws of the 30s rose to prominence, more than a few people saw them as “good guys,” merely doing to the banks what the banks had done to so many people. However, when a criminal or a gang got the reputation of being bloodthirsty murderers as Bonnie and Clyde did, the “appreciation” quickly faded. Barrow and his gang killed nine police officers during their criminal career that lasted just over two years. That’ll douse the embers of public opinion. I’m going on the assumption that most people know their story. On May 23, 1934 a posse lay in wait for them outside of the town of Gibsland, Louisiana on State Highway 154. An acquaintance of the duo was poised by the side of the road, hoping to attract Barrow’s attention. The man did. As Clyde slowed down, all hell broke loose from the lawmen. Reports indicate that over 120 bullets were fired into the car. How bad was the outcome? The undertaker said he couldn’t embalm the bodies because of all the bullet holes. That sounds gross (the Ambush Museum in town, speaking of grotesque, has two mannequins covered in red paint to depict the bodies of the outlaws), I’ll grant you. However, on the wall of the Ambush Museum is a plaque dedicated to the nine policemen who were killed — some for no reason whatsoever — by the Barrow gang. The posse made sure there wouldn’t be a tenth lawman shot by Bonnie or Clyde. It’s a fascinating part of American history. It’s also definitely not a pleasant part of American history. I’m glad I got to see exactly where it happened. The photo is the marker showing the spot where Bonnie and Clyde were killed. Those aren’t bullet holes on the marker, they’re places where souvenir hunters have chipped off pieces over the years.