Who were Bonnie and Clyde? Here’s a look at the notorious criminals
Explore the infamous crime spree of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, their nationwide fame, and their eventual ambush and death in 1934. Their story remains etched in American history as a thrilling saga of crime and love.
“I know it was parked here,” I told Laureen.
“How can you lose a car?” she asked.
I didn’t know, but I knew who would: the friendly bartender across the room.
No, I had not misplaced my vehicle after consuming an alcoholic beverage. We were looking for the bullet-riddled Bonnie & Clyde V8 Ford that we had last seen at Whiskey Pete’s in Primm, Nevada.
The petty thieves and murderers from the Midwest met their fateful end on May 23, 1934, while driving a stolen Ford down a country road. Police officers were waiting for the duo and greeted them with a volley of lead. They didn’t want to take any chances, because the pair were wanted for the cold-blooded murders of at least 13 people and countless robberies.
No, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker met their end when at least 112 bullets were fired at them.
“You want to know where the car is?” Frank, the bartender, asked me. It was nine in the morning and even though we had stopped at the casino, it was too early for me to go to the bar. We just needed a little information and the smiling man was ready to give it to us.
I nodded. “You have all the answers and even know the question before it is even asked.”
Laureen, my wonderful wife, just shook her head. I’ve noticed that she’s been doing this a lot lately when I talk.
“They took it across the highway to Buffalo Bill’s,” he told us. He also told us that the car might be haunted. “I’ve never seen anything scary, but a friend of mine who works late at night once said he saw a shadowy figure in ’30s clothing standing next to the rear bumper. When he went over, no one was there.”
And off we went to look at the car and find out if Clyde Barrow was walking around wondering why his shirt had so many holes in it.
“Bonnie had just washed it in the old laundry room and I could swear it had no holes in it when she had me put it on,” his ghost might wonder.
It should be noted that I am not a fan of the killers who were so famously shot while driving their stolen car – quite the opposite. These killers are unfortunately a piece of American culture during the Great Depression. Unemployment was over 25 percent, food lines were the norm in major cities, people left their homes in the East and headed West in hopes of finding work, and there were people like Bonnie and Clyde who stole and killed, sometimes just for fun.
It was also the era of gangsters like Pretty Boy Floyd, Machine Gun Kelly, John Dillinger, Toots Galore and many others.
“I wonder why they moved it?” Laureen asked as we returned to our unscathed car in the parking lot of Whiskey Pete’s.
“Maybe it just appeared there,” I replied. “Like magic…or worse.”
It turns out that after the death of the killer duo, a lot of shot-up “Bonnie and Clyde Death Cars” were making the rounds in the United States. People would put down a nickel and then have the opportunity to loudly count the number of bullet holes that had pierced the metal of the V8.
“I counted 50, Mommy,” little Richtie may have told his mom.
“The man said there were over a hundred,” Mom might have replied. “Count them again.”
But the one now in Buffalo Bill’s is the original. For nearly 30 years after the murders, the Ford was on display at county fairs, amusement parks, state fairs and other public places where people could catch a glimpse of Bonnie and Clyde’s final seat.
When the car appeared in Las Vegas in the 1970s, people could sit in the front seat and take a photo for a dollar.
“Smile, handsome,” the photographer might say to a paying customer. “Don’t pay attention to the blood stains.”
Over the next few decades, the Death Car was moved from various locations until it finally stopped at Whiskey Pete’s. Most recently, it was moved to a gangster-themed wing at Buffalo Bill’s.
As we strolled through the rather eclectic interior of Buffalo Bill’s Casino, it was easy to find.
“There it is,” I said, as I could see from a short distance the bullet-riddled remains of the V8, the car of death – so they say – surrounded by tall, thick Plexiglas.
Inside the case are two dolls that resemble the two dolls that met their untimely end in the car. Did I mention that I’m not a fan of Bonnie and Clyde?
The location of the car is quite unique and the lighting is a little dim, perhaps to represent a darkness around the car and the people killed inside. But it had a suspenseful effect, whether intended or not.
Near the vehicle is a large kiosk containing photographs of the aftermath of the shooting, as well as newspaper articles from the time and other artifacts, including personal items belonging to the couple during their lifetime.
Dating back to the time of her death is the bloodstained, bullet-riddled shirt that Clyde was wearing when he was killed at the wheel.
One sadly disturbing artifact is a newspaper clipping that states that over 20,000 people attended Bonnie’s funeral and over 15,000 attended Clyde’s funeral. From the articles on display, it is clear that many people in the country believed the pair to have been a Robin Hood couple rather than the simple gangsters they were.
There is no evidence that they distributed their stolen loot to the poor of the time.
There is also a place where you can sit for a few minutes and watch a short video of the couple 24 hours a day, for those who want to remember Bonnie and Clyde and their life story.
We skipped the screening.
A little further along, we found the black bulletproof 1931 Lincoln limousine that once belonged to New York gangster Dutch Schultz and was stolen by Al Capone after Schultz’s assassination in 1935. Later, rumors spread that the car was used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt after it was confiscated by the federal government and Capone was sent to Alcatraz.
A little-known fact: Dutch Schultz was murdered while using a urinal at an upscale restaurant in Newark, New Jersey. The urinal is not on display at Buffalo Bill’s.
After writing a column about the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, I thought it would be interesting to see such a vehicle in Primm, Nevada. There is a lot of history and violence associated with both cars on display, but it is also another piece of American culture. It is not the best part of United States history, but there is good and bad in all countries – and we need to be able to see it and perhaps learn from it.
Visitors took selfies, group photos and simply enjoyed the scene with two vehicles that have already been seen and portrayed in docudramas and Hollywood films.
Speaking of Hollywood: The 1967 film “Bonnie and Clyde” starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway was a box office hit.
As we left Buffalo Bill’s, I took a walk around the couple’s car and wondered how many lives these two ruthless killers had changed for the worse.
Too many, I thought.
John can be contacted at: [email protected]
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