Episode 22: Bonnie & Clyde, Part I
They don’t think they’re tough or desperate
They know the law always wins
They’ve been shot at before, but they do not ignore
That death is the wages of sin.
Some day they’ll go down together
And they’ll bury them side by side
To few it’ll be grief, to the law a relief
But it’s death for Bonnie and Clyde.
Excerpt of Bonnie Parker poem, The Story of Bonnie & Clyde
Bonnie & Clyde, Part I
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker
The funeral of Bonnie Parker
The exploits of two young Texans caught the attention of the country. For two years, law enforcement tried to capture them to no avail. It took an ambush on May 23, 1934 to stop Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, a pair that has since been romanticized despite the multiple murders they committed.
Who was Bonnie Elizabeth Parker? How did she meet Clyde and why did they create murder and mayhem across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, and Missouri? In Part I, Denise and Zelda take an in-depth look at Bonnie’s origins and her family’s deep Texan history as well as what happened to her family since that time.
Bonnie Parker leaning against a car with guns at her waist.
Clyde Barrow holding up Bonnie. Neither were very tall.
This one picture would lead to articles calling Bonnie a cigar-smoking woman.
Roy Thornton, Bonnie’s first and ONLY husband. They never divorced.
Bonnie with her younger sister, Billie Jean Parker Mace.
The funeral of Bonnie
Obituary for Bonnie and Clyde
Source: The Galveston Daily News, 27 May 1934
The grave of Bonnie Parker
Mugshot of Billie Jean Parker Mace
Emma Krause Parker with two friends or family members who are unknown.
Billie Jean Parker’s children with Fred Mace, little Mitzi Jacqueline Mace (1931-1933) and Fred Mace, Jr. (1929-1933)
Emma Krause Parker and daughter Billie Jean Mace after charges of murder against Jean were dropped.
Source: Fort Worth Star Telegram, 1 Jun 1934
Buster Parker holding his daughter Bonnie Ray Parker, who had her name changed to Rhea Leen Frasier as an older child.
In better times, Emma Krause with (from left) Billie Jean, Bonnie, and Buster
Bonnie and little sister Billie Jean
Edna was Bonnie’s half-first cousin