2. This may have occurred on the Hoover-Ridgely Road (today Highway B) as Clyde Barrow drove toward the old covered bridge across the Little Platte River. The car was spotted there traveling north at a high rate of speed on three tires and a nearly bare rim. The following day bloody clothes, discarded bandages, and a mutilated tire were found next to a creek near Lutes Cemetery Road (now called Old River Road) on the north side of the Little Platte River. Kimsey, letters to Phillips, October 25, 2002, May 7, 2003.
3. Indeed they did! In the course of the night the fugitives made at least five stops within miles of the Red Crown Tavern, four in the vicinity of Hoover and Kerrville near the confluence of the Little Platte and Platte Rivers, and one stop on the north bank of the Little Platte near Lutes Cemetery. After backing out of the garage, Clyde Barrow cut the wheels of the bullet-riddled V-8 hard to the north and sped overland a short distance to old Highway 71, plowing through several stalks of drought-withered corn in a dusty cultivated field adjacent to the cabins. Crawford, letter to Phillips with hand-drawn map, December 21, 1982; Searles, letter to Phillips with hand-drawn map, April 21, 1983; Vivien Smitson quoted in Williams, “The Day Bonnie and Clyde Shot It Out with the Law.” Clyde Barrow initially headed northwest on old Highway 71, driving past what was then called Cockriel Road (now North Winan Road), and then turning due north on the gravel road known in those days as Farmer’s Lane (since eliminated south of Highway 92 and now called Bethel Road north of Highway 92). Taulbee, e-mail to Phillips, December 2, 2002; the names “Farmer’s Lane” and “Cockriel Road” come from the memory of Crawford, letter to Phillips, December 21, 1982. It was apparently on Farmer’s Lane that Clyde Barrow first stopped, pulling off the road to examine Buck and fix the flat tire. It was probably here that Barrow discovered that Blanche was wounded. Also, this was near the home of farmer Cleve Burrell from whom two men, probably Clyde Barrow and W. D. Jones, borrowed a pump and a jack. The Landmark, July 28, 1933. The fugitives then continued north on Farmer’s Lane (Bethel Road) until they reached Interurban Road. There they turned right and traveled southeast for an eighth of a mile before stopping again. Clyde Barrow appeared at the front door of Tom and Winnie Chinn’s house on Interurban, saying he’d had an automobile accident and needed bandages. Winnie Chinn gave Barrow some old sheets. After leaving the Chinn house, Barrow continued southeast on Interurban until reaching the village of Kerrville. George and Frances Baber, interview by LaVern Taulbee, quoted in e-mails to Phillips, December 2, 2002, January 15, 2003. Shortly afterward the car was spotted traveling north on the Hoover-Ridgeley Road (Highway “B” today) at a high rate of speed on three tires and a bare rim. The outlaws evidently crossed the Little Platte River near there via a covered bridge built in 1878 and known locally as “Noah’s Ark.” Once across the river they immediately turned left on what was then called Lutes Cemetery Road. They continued along the road as it ascended a hill and disappeared into a grove of trees. In the woods beside a creek on the property of Joe Miller the troupe again stopped, fixing the second flat tire and discarding more bloody bandages and clothes. Afterward Clyde Barrow drove further west along the Lutes Cemetery Road, apparently expecting to find the old Mellon Bridge across the Platte River. The bridge was either washed out or Barrow became uncharacteristically lost because at some point he turned around and backtracked to the covered bridge and crossed once again to the south side of the Little Platte River. In Kerrville the car turned south on Cockriel Road and pulled into a field across from a picturesque red-brick antebellum mansion known locally as “the Swaney Brick.” The two-story structure with its distinctive neoclassic porch and white window casings stands on a slight bluff on the east side of the road overlooking the spot across the way where Clyde Barrow stopped once again. The fugitives evidently spent most of the rest of the night there. Early on the morning of the twentieth they left the field and drove south to Hoover Road (Highway 92) and stopped somewhere near the hamlet of Hoover, discarding yet more bandages and clothes. It may have been in Hoover that they stopped for gas. Shortly thereafter they traveled north from Hoover on what today is called Highway B, back to the covered bridge. There they crossed again to the north side of the Little Platte River. But this time Barrow continued due north, passing through Ridgley then turning west on Mt. Zion Road. Residents there saw the car that morning racing toward the Platte River. In 1933 there was a bridge across the Platte River that took travelers on Mt. Zion Road through the river bottoms to Edgerton Junction on the west bank. From there, more than six hours after the gun battle, the fugitives turned north toward Iowa. Kimsey, letters and e-mails to Phillips, October 25, 2002, May 6, 2003, May 7, 2003; The Landmark, July 28, 1933; Taulbee e-mails to Phillips, December 2, 2002, January 15, 2003; Searles interview, April 20, 1983; Crawford interview, April 19, 1983; Searles letter to Phillips, April 21, 1983; Crawford, letter to Phillips December 21, 1982. Some have suggested the outlaws actually spent most of the night on the north side of the Little Platte River, rather than in the field across from the “Swaney Brick,” then traveled straight through Ridgely the next morning without first heading back south. Kimsey, letters and e-mails to Phillips, October 25, 2002, May 6, 2003, May 7, 2003. None of the three bridges mentioned above exist today. The Mellon Bridge, which was thought to have been washed out at the time, was never replaced and the Lutes Cemetery Road (Old River Road) ends near the east bank of the Platte River. The Mt. Zion Road Bridge washed out in the late 1930s and was never replaced. In 1965 a devastating flood destroyed the Little Platte River’s historic old covered bridge. A new, uncovered bridge stands near the old location.
4. Nearly every other source, from Fortune to Hinton and beyond, has the Barrow gang far away from Platte City by morning. “By daylight Clyde had covered hundreds of miles.” Fortune, Fugitives, 188. “After the incident at the Cleve Burrell farm . . . they took up their drive again until they had crossed into Iowa.” Hinton, Ambush, 68. “Clyde Barrow headed north during the early hours of July 20 and crossed into Iowa.” Treherne, Strange History of Bonnie and Clyde, 133. “Meanwhile, Clyde continued to race through the night without stopping for sleep or food. By morning, he had covered a great distance.” Milner, Lives and Times of Bonnie and Clyde, 92.
5. The gas station could have been in Hoover, Ridgely, or Edgerton Junction, although the former is closest to Kansas City. Nevertheless, despite Blanche’s concern, no reports of the incident appeared in either the Platte City newspaper or the Kansas City Star. By then there was already a substantial amount of finger-pointing among lawmen over the escape of the Barrow brothers. One paper laid blame for the outcome of the gunfight on the Kansas City officers, stating, “We must all confess it looks strange that four people [only Kermit Crawford ever thought there was a fifth person] surrounded in cabins by thirteen officers could get away.” The Landmark, July 28, 1933. The fact that the car and its bloodied cargo were able to so easily traverse back and forth for several hours within miles of the Red Crown Tavern was possible perhaps because the flight took place in what was then a very rural area. Most of the residents along the way were farmers without radios and those who owned radios were doing what their less-fortunate neighbors were doing that night, sitting outside on the porches of their farmhouses enjoying the evening air and spectacular full moon. Many, including young Ellis Kimsey, saw the car speeding past their homes but knew nothing of the drama behind the fleeing automobile. The earliest most of them heard of the shoot-out was the following afternoon when the Kansas City Star was delivered. Kimsey, letters and e-mails to Phillips, October 25, 2002, May 6 and 7, 2003; Williams, “The Day Bonnie and Clyde Shot It Out.”
6. This may have been when they stopped near Mt. Ayr, Iowa (some sources say Caledonia, Iowa), where a local man named Fred Marsh saw two men and “a red-headed woman” speeding north in a small car. Marsh then discovered the partially burned remnants of bloody clothing and bandages. Kansas City Star, July 21, 1933. Ringgold County Sheriff L. E. Thompson received a call that a suspicious
quartet, two men and two women, were parked near Caledonia. Thompson strongly suspected the presence of the Barrow brothers and was no doubt relieved when he learned they had moved on before his arrival. Thompson said, “the gang is one of the most desperate that has ever operated here.” Fort Dodge (Iowa) Messenger, July 21, 1933.
7. They had indeed left the medical kit, stolen earlier in the month from Doctor Fields in Enid, Oklahoma. Among the many other items found afterward in the cabins was the small chrome case containing a syringe, two needles, a vial labeled “atropine sulphate,” and a vial labeled “twenty hypodermic tablets morphine sulphate.” Williams, “The Day Bonnie and Clyde Shot It Out.”
8. The date was Thursday, July 20, 1933. Actually, the camp was just outside of Dexfield Park, on private property that was being used by the federal Works Progress Administration, one of many agencies established by President Franklin Roosevelt to combat the Great Depression by supplying jobs to the unemployed—in this case, loggers to cut timber. Feller interview, May 5, 1983; Blohm interview, May 5, 1983. Dexfield Park had once been a very popular amusement park located just off of what was then called White Pole Auto Road, between the towns of Dexter and Redfield, not far from Des Moines, Iowa. Operating from April 1915 to April 1933, the park had been equipped with a swimming pool, a dance hall, fairground, and a baseball field where games were held every weekend. There was a popular restaurant, a shooting gallery, and ball-throwing contests where men could win a box of cigars and women could win a box of candy. Apparently some very popular jazz bands played there as well, but by the time the Barrows arrived on July 20, 1933, it was abandoned and starting to look overgrown, a victim of the Great Depression. Weesner, History of Dexter, Iowa, 51; Blohm interview, May 5, 1983; Feller interview, May 5, 1983. For a full account of the Dexfield Park episode, see Phillips, Running with Bonnie and Clyde, 145–58.
9. Every day during their stay at Dexfield Park, Clyde drove to Dexter and bought provisions, including a daily block of ice from Blohm’s Grocery, Cafe, and Meat Market, founded in 1888. Blohm interview, May 5, 1983.
10. Barrow visited a number of businesses in Dexter, including Pohle Drug Store, Stanley Drug Store, and Blohm’s cafe and meat market. Parker always remained in the car. To the clerks at one of the drugstores, Barrow claimed he was a veterinarian. Blohm interview, May 5, 1983; Dexter (Iowa) Sentinel, July 25, 1933. Dexter, Iowa, was founded in 1868 and named after a popular nineteenth century racehorse. It was well known for the manufacture of a brand of hand-cranked washing machines marketed as “the Billy-Twister,” as well as hand-made cigars and a piece of farm equipment called the Dexter Hog Oiler. However, in 1933 as they rolled through Dexter’s streets, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker found a very tiny, very rural town that had only acquired electricity fourteen years earlier. It was the kind of place where everyone knew everyone else, and nearly everyone who saw the strangers was suspicious and fearful of them. Blohm interview, May 5, 1983; Weesner, History of Dexter, Iowa, 3, 30, 36, 50–51.
11. The town was Perry, Iowa, thirty-eight miles north of Dexter. There, a car belonging to Edward Stoner was stolen. Dexter (Iowa) Sentinel, July 25, 1933.
12. While the fugitives were away in Perry, a local man named Ed Penn discovered the Barrow camp while taking a Sunday walk along the narrow dirt access road called Lover’s Lane, near the southeast corner of Dexfield Park. Initially he thought nothing of the scene, then noticed what appeared to be bloody bandages. Penn notified the Dexter town marshal, John Love, who in turn notified the county sheriff and other authorities. Dexter (Iowa) Sentinel, July 25, 1933. Another source, however, states that a man named Henry Nye discovered the camp on his property, and that it was Nye who contacted the marshal. Hutzell and Rupp, “Bonnie and Clyde,” 38. Still another source mentions a man named William Brady. Dexter (Iowa) Sentinel, July 25, 1933.
13. The meals were purchased from Wilma Blohm at Blohm’s cafe and meat market. Barrow had done this every day since his arrival in the area. Blohm’s did not have facilities for take-out, so the first time Barrow ordered five dinners, Wilma Blohm suggested that she put everything in a large bowl. Thinking Barrow was an out-of-towner visiting someone locally, she believed china and silverware would not be needed. “Oh, no,” said Barrow. “I want china and silverware too!” Puzzled, but compliant, Blohm supplied everything Barrow requested. Each day, the china and silverware were returned by Barrow. “I never lost one piece of silverware,” Blohm later remarked. She also described Barrow as, “not overly friendly, but he was very quiet, very courteous, and very nice-looking!” Blohm interview, May 5, 1983.
14. Jones said he was the only one to sleep outside, on a car seat that had been pulled from the car. Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Jones, Voluntary Statement B-71, 15.
15. Initially, before she was able to apply bandages, Blanche was forced to put her finger in the wound to stop the bleeding. Marie Barrow interview, September 25, 1993; Cumie Barrow, unpublished manuscript.
16. Jones stated that Buck was never delirious at Dexfield Park. Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Jones, Voluntary Statement B-71, 15. It appears, however, he was not aware of this episode. He was busying himself with the wieners at the time and would soon be wounded and running for his life. Nevertheless, Buck was in such dire condition that Clyde was prepared to drive him all the way back to their mother in Texas. He and Buck had promised Cumie that if either brother was ever mortally wounded or killed, that the other one would bring him home to her, provided he was able to do so. Fortune, Fugitives, 191.
17. The moment Clyde called out, the shooting started. Witnesses recalled that just before the gunfire erupted one of the lawmen announced himself, saying something to the effect, “This is the law, come out here,” and that this was followed immediately by someone in the camp shouting, “Get the hell out of here, you sons of bitches! We’ll kill you!” Des Moines Register, January 22, 1968.
Throughout the night of July 23–24, lawmen had been assembling in the vicinity of the camp. A number of armed men were involved, including Marshal Love, Sheriff Clint Knee of Adel, Deputies Evan Burger and Pat Chase, and several Des Moines police officers. Apparently, there were quite a few hard-drinking local sight-seers gathered in the woods as well, some accounts listing upwards of fifty people milling about. Piper, video interview, Remembering Bonnie and Clyde. Burger and a volunteer, E. A. Place, editor of the local paper, the Dexter Sentinel, were posted at the bridge across the South Raccoon River leading to the old park’s north entrance. Eight others were stationed along the wagon trail called Lover’s Lane, and a six-man squad lined up in a draw near the camp. The six men included Love, Knee, and two lawmen from Des Moines–Bill Arthur and C.C. “Rags” Riley. According to Love, it was Arthur and Riley that Clyde Barrow and W. D. Jones first saw approaching on the morning of July 24, 1933. The other four had spread out nearby. The time was 5:15 A.M. Dexter (Iowa) Sentinental, July 25, 1933; Feller interview, May 5, 1983; Des Moines Register, January 22, 1968. Throughout the night, the six men waiting in the draw heard many noises emanating from the camp, pounding and other such sounds. At 1 A.M. a car started, but no one drove away from the camp. Hutzell and Rupp, “Bonnie and Clyde,” p. 39. Jones stated that he worked that evening removing everything from the damaged Platte City car and transferring it to the freshly stolen car. Jones also removed ammunition from a great many pasteboard boxes and stored it in an old inner tube. He then put the ammunition-laden inner tube behind the seat of the new car and broke down all the boxes, presumably for disposal. This, he said, took quite a while. Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Jones, Voluntary Statement B-71, 15. It appears Clyde Barrow was preparing to take Buck home to West Dallas. Fortune, Fugitives, 190.
18. Jones stated that he did not have time to straighten up from the campfire before bullets started flying. Jones then jumped up and ran to the car where he was struck by a load of buckshot in the face and chest. Then two slugs hit him, one in the calf of the left leg, the other in the upper
right chest. Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Jones, voluntary statement B-71, 15–16.
19. Clyde Barrow was apparently struck three times that morning, including a ricocheting bullet which struck him in the head, temporarily stunning him. Jones, “Riding with Bonnie and Clyde,” 165. Clyde also took a slug in the leg and was struck in the arm and shoulder by a charge of buckshot after he got behind the wheel of one of the cars. Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Jones, Voluntary Statement B-71, 15. The shoulder wound would cause Barrow to drive over a stump left by the WPA timber cutters, disabling the car. Blanche Barrow interview, November 3, 1984. Bonnie Parker was shot twice in the abdomen. Feller interview, May 5, 1983.
20. The fire from the camp was substantial, but not deadly. C. C. “Rags” Riley was creased on the scalp, sustaining the only injury to any of the officers assembled in the posse. Dexter (Iowa) Sentinel, July 25, 1933. Some felt, probably correctly, that Barrow was shooting over the officers’ heads, hoping to scare them away. Chapler, letter to Sanborn, May 3, 1974. That tactic was often used by Barrow. He and Ralph Fults were notably shooting above the heads of their pursuers in Kaufman County, Texas on April 19, 1932. Legg, letter to Phillips, September 1, 1982. Evidence of the same is supported in the Dexfield Park incident by the fact that tree limbs as thick as two inches were found littering the position of the six men in the draw. Love described branches falling on him during the battle. Feller interview, May 5, 1983. Others, however, have said that topography played a part in the trajectory of the shots coming from the camp. The camp was located in a low spot below the access road called Lover’s Lane and the six lawmen were positioned across the road in a draw that was also below the road. The gunfire erupting from the camp was evidently aimed in such a way as to clear the grade of the road. In doing so, the shots sailed about ten feet over the officers’ heads. Still, the fire sent everyone, including spectator Kirt Piper, “to the ditches”. Piper, video interview, Remembering Bonnie and Clyde, 1994.
My Life with Bonnie and Clyde Page 35