[xtimberman]

This location is about a mile from my house. I'm betting that 99% of the folks living around here have no clue that this brutal killing of two Texas Highway Patrol officers occurred near their safe, quiet, suburban homes.

The event occurred on Easter Sunday 1934 and is well documented in print and by Hollywood. Two motorcycle officers received a report from a farmer that a wild, drunken party was going on where the Old Denton Road crossed Kirkwood Branch. A man and woman were drinking from a half-gallon jug and were making obscene gestures at anyone who passed by. As the lawmen approached the parked Ford, they were both struck in the faces with buckshot. Bonnie Parker used a 20ga. sawed-off double, and Clyde Barrow had a 16ga. pump repeater. Fingerprints on the jug ID'd both of them to the scene.

Here is the spot where the shooting took place - just beyond where the road narrows to two lanes:

Looking back in the direction that the officers approached from, you see a 6-lane freeway. Back then, there was only a Cotton Belt railroad spur along that route.

Officer Wheeler left a widow who was able to show up at the 1996 dedication ceremony of the monument - and graciously upstaged the mouthy, unapologetic relatives of Clyde Barrow. This is a brief story about the incident and the remainder her life:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/896385/posts

I recently saw another thread that mentioned a Bonnie and Clyde festival in Arcadia, La. I hope that they celebrate the fact that they got what was comin' to 'em!

xtm

 

[carl418_resigned]

Very, very interesting.. especially the additional link. Thanks for sharing!

 

[onenut58]

If you read back in history about Bonnie and Clyde past all the romanticised crap in the movies etc.They were both worthless carcasses occupying space on earth. Both were psycopaths and loved killing and followed no rules of life Clyde liked men as much as he liked Bonnie . Years ago I took a interest in all the old thirties era gangsters from stumbling on a book in the library.
So I did a lot of reading about them and recently the history channel has had a few good stories about some of them.But Holly Wood and real life history dont compliment each other about the old gangsters.The same goes for the old cowboy outlaw gangsters.
They all ended up getting what they deserved in the long run but a lot of inocent people were there victims before they finaly got them.

 

[xtimberman]

I probably need to point out that the monument was paid-for and installed with private funds - not by the State of Texas. A citizen who felt that it was important to erect that marker paid for it himself. It started a small movement and several other privately funded markers commemorating fallen Texas Highway Patrol (DPS) officers were erected around the state.

Clyde Barrow had plenty of relatives in the nearby community who hid him in their homes from time to time. Neighbors never reported seeing them until they did this dirty deed to a couple of well-liked local fellows. Afterwards, the town hardware store handed out rifles to those who didn't have one to try to help round 'em up. Nearly every deer rifle ever bought at that store lays claim to having been used to shoot at Bonnie and Clyde. :lol:

xtm

 

[Keith44Spl]

May those Officers Rest in Peace.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Barrow, Parker and the ones than ran with them were criminals of the lowest order.
If it had not been for that picture show, there wouldn't be three people that could recall their names...

Outlaws are just that, outlaws. IMHO

Su Amigo,
Dave

Just a side note: Frances Hamer was sometimes call the angel of death,
he may have avenged more than a few fellow officers deaths...

 

[xtimberman]

Dave,

Those of us down here in Texas and Louisiana are very familiar with Frank Hamer, but some of our northern buddies on this forum may not be. I really enjoyed your recent thread on one of our living Texas Rangers, and sometime I would like to be able to read a little about Capt. Hamer - as told by Capt. Dave!

I find F.H. particularly interesting since he was one of that group of Rangers who transitioned from his SAA "Old Lucky", to the DA .44 Triple Lock and the 1911.

Rules of engagement surely were different back then....

xtm

 

[Jamn 44]

Dave,

Those of us down here in Texas and Louisiana are very familiar with Frank Hamer, but some of our northern buddies on this forum may not be. I really enjoyed your recent thread on one of our living Texas Rangers, and sometime I would like to be able to read a little about Capt. Hamer - as told by Capt. Dave!

I find F.H. particularly interesting since he was one of that group of Rangers who transitioned from his SAA "Old Lucky", to the DA .44 Triple Lock and the 1911.

Rules of engagement surely were different back then....

xtm

There was a piece on the History channel about Hamer. I thought the one on Bill Tillman was interesting as he saw the old west outlaw type and his life was ended by organized crime when he was in his 70's. Hollywood has the reputation to distort the truth to get what they want.

 

[Keith44Spl]

Dave,

Those of us down here in Texas and Louisiana are very familiar with Frank Hamer, but some of our northern buddies on this forum may not be. I really enjoyed your recent thread on one of our living Texas Rangers, and sometime I would like to be able to read a little about Capt. Hamer - as told by Capt. Dave!

I find F.H. particularly interesting since he was one of that group of Rangers who transitioned from his SAA "Old Lucky", to the DA .44 Triple Lock and the 1911.

Rules of engagement surely were different back then....

xtm

Well here ya go, My favorite story on Captain Hamer...

Originally posted by Keith44Spl:
A short story on Capt. Frank Hamer.

Borger, at the junction of State highways 136, 152, and 207, in south central Hutchinson County, was established by and named for A. P. (Ace) Borger, who was reputed throughout Oklahoma and Texas to be a shrewd town promoter. In March 1926, after the discovery of oil in the vicinity, Borger and his partner, attorney John R. Miller, purchased a 240-acre townsite near the Canadian River in the southern part of the county. Within ninety days of its founding, sensational advertising and the lure of "black gold" brought over 45,000 men and women to the new boomtown.

Within a matter of months, oilmen, prospectors, roughnecks, panhandlers, fortune seekers, card sharks, bootleggers, prostitutes, and dope peddlers descended on Borger. "Booger Town," as it was nicknamed, became a refuge for criminals and fugitives from the law. Before long the town government was firmly in the hands of an organized crime syndicate led by Mayor Miller's shady associate, "Two-Gun Dick" Herwig. The center of this vice was Dixon (now Tenth) Street, notorious for its brothels, dance halls, gambling dens, slot machines, and speakeasies.

Acting on petitions and investigative reports, in the spring of 1927 Governor Daniel J. Moody sent a detachment of Texas Rangers under captains Francis Augustus Hamer and Thomas R. Hickman to remedy the situation.

A favorite story of mine is the one that's often told on Capt.Hamer. While intrained to Borger, a young newspaper man was on board with this contingency of Rangers. While the newspaper hack was taking a nap, Hamer slipped a small .25 caliber automatic from the young man's vest pocket. After awaking he discovered his pistol missing, at great amusement to the Rangers. Upon returning the small handgun, Capt. Hamer remarked,'If I ever got shot with one of those and found out about it I'd be mad. If I'm going to the hub of hell, I'd carry a .45.'

Although the rangers proved a stabilizing force and compelled many undesirables to leave town, Borger's wave of crime and violence continued intermittently into the 1930s and climaxed with the murder of District Attorney John A. Holmes by an unknown assassin on September 18, 1929. This episode prompted Moody to impose martial law for a month and send state troops to help local authorities rid the town of the lawless element.

Times are a changin', but sometimes the old school ways still work pretty good like one time I...Well that's a tale for another time...

Su Amigo,
Dave

 

[xtimberman]

Thanks Dave!

Another great story where the truth is just as interesting as fiction!

xtm

 

[Keith44Spl]

Thanks Dave!

Another great story where the truth is just as interesting as fiction! xtm

************************************************************************************************************************************

XTM, not a Hamer story, but one of those 'It happened to Me' tales;

Several years ago, I recieved a call from a Sheriff to assist in the investigation of a double murder that accrued in his county. As I recall the two victims were lured to a remote location and shot to death, their bodies and vehicle burned.
A small amount of fiscal evidence was recovered at the scene, a single cartridge case and some personal effects of the victims.
Several agencies were involved and the investigation went forward at a rapid pace.
Two suspects were indicted, arrested and arraigned within a few months. A trial date was set.

I was subpoenaed by the DA to testify in regards to the ballistic evidence as it related to the medical examiners report on behalf of the State.

The defendants were represented by a high powered attorney, an older gentleman, known for being a tough defense lawyer. The trial lasted several weeks and I was the last witness for the prosecution. When called to the stand, I was wearing my usual attire; business suit and my 1930s Austin style holster and Ranger style gun belt with ivory stocked Colt Commander.

My testimony was factual and to the point, in spite of the defenses attempt to trip me up a few times. This old attorney really couldn’t get a handle on me.

Anyway, the punch line, during closing arguments the defense lawyer refers to me as the Lone Ranger that came riding in to save the day for the prosecution.

Needless to say I took some good natured ribbing by some of the state boys.
Sometime later the Judge tells me, “Dave, that’s probably the best compliment I’ve heard a defense attorney give an investigator. Oh by the way when you gonna trade me that Commander?”

Su Amigo,
Dave

 

[xtimberman]

Well good for you, Dave! You kept 'em behind bars where they belonged!

Giving testimony in a courtroom isn't as easy as they make it out to be on TV. You're stuck up there in a little box with no notes - having to recall everything from memory. Meanwhile, one fellow is trying to prompt your response and the other is trying to contradict you and trip you up to where you don't appear believable. All the while, everyone in the room is staring at you like you are an actor on stage - and that attention make you focus so much on yourself, your mind may not be 100% on the testimony, etc., etc.

Glad that you're an expert on the side of the Good Guys.

...and yep, that Commander and A.W. Brill-style holster set is some attention-getter. The Lone Ranger would've been well-armed with that rig. Since he could get at least two dozen shots from his pair of SAAs, I bet he could get an even 50 from a pair of those!

xtm