Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow have been notorious for decades. During the Great Depression, they created trouble and developed a less-than-good reputation. They stuck together through thick and thin, robbing banks, filling stations, and alluding the police until one day, they were finally stopped for good.

Through it all, the Texas Rangers were on the lookout for the devious couple, along with other authorities across the United States. When it came to the beginning of the end, the Texas Rangers played a pivotal role in bringing the crime spree that Bonnie and Clyde had maintained for two years to a close.

The Beginning of the End

On May 23, 1934, in Louisiana, the crime spree that Bonnie and Clyde had started came to an end. At this point, they had committed numerous crimes.

Many of these crimes were committed by the Barrow Gang. In addition to robberies of various establishments, they had also kidnapped several victims and committed several murders. Due to the magnitude of their crimes and the fact they were committing them across the United States, several federal law enforcement agencies became involved, including the FBI and the Texas Rangers.

The Chase

The couple, known as Bonnie and Clyde, had been involved with a group of criminals known as the Barrow Gang and had been on the run for years. The two thought they had it made. However, they had been tracked by federal agents and the Texas Rangers the whole time. For all this time, they had been able to stay one step ahead of law enforcement until, finally, they were caught up with them.

Though numerous agents were involved in successfully tracking Bonnie and Clyde, one (former) Texas Ranger named Frank Hamer went above and beyond when it came to tracking down the duo. Hamer, along with another former Texas Ranger named Maney Gault, are mainly responsible for catching and killing the pair of criminals. Hamer and Gault were assigned through the Texas prison system. 

After almost two years of evading law enforcement, authorities were becoming desperate to capture Bonnie and Clyde. Since their crimes had spanned the United States, they wanted to be sure to catch them and put a stop to their thievery and violent crimes. The Texas prison system had hired Hamer and gave him the title Special Investigator.

Who was Frank Hamer? Let’s take a look at the man himself.

The Man Who Caught Bonnie and Clyde

We know that Frank Hamer was a former Texas Ranger who was later hired by the Texas prison system to track down Bonnie and Clyde. Hamer was 50 years old when he successfully tracked down the pair. Hamer was known for being resilient, a skilled investigator, and an accomplished marksman. Later on, he would be inducted into the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame.

Once Hamer was assigned the investigation, he began tracking the Barrow Gang’s movements. Since these criminals were highly active, it kept Hamer on his toes and provided him with a pattern of criminal behavior to follow closely. The gang began to move, spreading their crime spree across the country. Since their crimes crossed several state lines, it was only natural to place a law enforcement authority who had federal jurisdiction in the lead investigator role.

Though the gang and Bonnie and Clyde themselves were already getting noticed by the public, it was when the gang killed two Texas Highway Patrol Officers that they started receiving publicity. There was even an eyewitness account of the incident, and people were furious at the gang members. The witness stated Bonnie was the one who unloaded her firearm, killing one of the patrolmen. The witness stated that Bonnie seemed to enjoy the incident, which further angered the public.

This did not stop the criminals from further run-ins with law enforcement. After the tragic incident with the two highway patrolmen, they went on to kill a Constable in Oklahoma and kidnapped a Chief of Police. However, they did release him once they drove him into Kansas.

Endless Pursuit

It was not long after that Hamer began to narrow down his search for them, and he started to focus on Louisiana. Hamer began “getting to know” Bonnie and Clyde through their movements and patterns of behavior.

As mentioned, Hamer was known to be an excellent marksman, and his weapon of choice was a .35 Remington semiautomatic rifle. It had a 15-round magazine. The rifle was then modified to hold 20 rounds, which was at that time only acceptable for police to carry.

Since the public was just as fed up with the dynamic duo and the gang they were associated with, several states and other entities raised money for a reward for the capture of the criminals. The total amount was $26,000, which in today’s currency rate is just over $62,000. Each member of the group that caught and killed Bonnie and Clyde received $200 at the time, which was around $4,800. Allegedly, they were also allowed to take some of Bonnie and Clyde’s personal items.

Texas Rangers Enter the Chat

Hamer made a statement saying that normally, seeing a woman shot and killed in that manner would have disturbed him before. Still, because he knew Bonnie’s criminal activity and how many people she had hurt and killed, he did what he had to do.

The other man who assisted Hamer in tracking down Bonnie and Clyde was Maney Gault, a former Texas Ranger. Although these two led the investigation, they did have help from other law enforcement, including Ted Hinton and Smoot Schmid. Hamer and Gault had worked together before and were now working together again to catch some of the most notorious criminals of 1934. They worked countless hours tracking members of the Barrow gang, slept in their car, and drove probably around 500 miles per day. That is a long drive now, let alone in the early 1930s, and this was their trek every day until that fateful May day in 1934.

The Final Hours 

After a couple of years, two investigators were able to pinpoint the location of Bonnie and Clyde. Their most recent stop was in Louisiana. The former rangers were able to catch the two off guard. It was May 23, 1934. Once they caught up with them, they were joined by additional law enforcement as well. They caught up with them on Par Road in Gibsland, Louisiana. The pair had stopped for sandwiches at a cafe, drove a little further down the road, and were ambushed and killed. Bonnie Parker was 24 years old, and Clyde Barrow was 25.

The vehicle the pair were in at the time of the ambush was a four-door Ford and was a nice vehicle. By the time the gunfire had ceased, the car was riddled with bullet holes.

One of the fellow law enforcement officers present was Ted Hinton, a sheriff’s deputy in the Dallas area. Hinton gave a statement of what he observed happen during the ambush. He stated he saw Bonnie fall out of the open door and described her as beautiful and petite. Hinton also described the smell as bullets hit Bonnie, stating he smelled her perfume, gunpowder, and blood.

When it was all said and done, the Ford they were in was littered with bullets and bullet holes, the two were deceased, and the chase was over. Once authorities were able to look into the vehicle, they found about 12 firearms of all makes and calibers, as well as 100 20-round BAR magazines.

Little Known Facts

There are a few lesser-known facts that many people are unaware of about Bonnie and Clyde. One of them is that Bonnie and Clyde are not married to each other. When the pair met, Bonnie was already married at the young age of 19. However, her husband was in prison on a murder conviction. Not long after Bonnie and Clyde first got together, Clyde was sent to jail on a burglary charge but escaped using a firearm Bonnie smuggled into him. It seems that would be the beginning of their descent into a life of crime.

There is now a museum with several items that belonged to Bonnie and Clyde. These items include Bonnie’s hats, a purse, jewelry, as well as a pocket watch, a firearm, and other items that belonged to Clyde. The Ambush Museum, located in the building that was once a cafe where Bonnie and Clyde stopped right before the ambush, is housed in the building. It is said that Clyde ordered a fried Bologna sandwich, and Bonnie ordered a BLT.

Just about everyone has at least heard of Bonnie and Clyde and their role in American history. Although they were crafty crooks, the former Texas Ranger, Frank Hamer, with the help of Maney Gault and two Dallas sheriff’s deputies, was able to give the duo a run for their money.