Heels and Handguns

Bonnie and Clyde, the infamous pair who led the Barrow gang during the Great Depression era, are back in the news.  When their car was riddled with bullets and their crime spree ended by their death, a Colt .38 Revolver was found strapped to Bonnie’s thigh with medical tape.  Clyde had a Colt .45 pistol tucked into his waistband.  These guns are about to be auctioned at RR Auction in Amherst, N.H.

Out of all the hard-scrabble, two-bit criminals who choose crime as a profession, why did this pair rise to fame?  I think it comes down to one thing – there is something about a girl with a gun.

Without Bonnie, Clyde and his notorious band of criminals would have never entered the national consciousness.  They would have been dismissed as a group of robbers, who killed to get what they wanted.  Let’s face it – that is bad, evil, but there will always be a small percentage of folks that choose the dark side.  Once the nation saw sassy photos of Bonnie in playful poses with Clyde, the outlaw “romance” with the nation began.  Here we are, nearly 80 years after their death, and they are still interesting.  Countless “Bonnie and Clyde” movies and songs have become part of our pop-culture.

Other items to be auctioned:

• A gold pocket watch Clyde was wearing when he died
• A brown leatherette cosmetics case Bonnie was using to carry lipstick, Coty face powder and a powder puff.
• A letter that Clyde wrote to his brother, L.C. Barrow, on the back of a photo showing a house on a platform surrounded by water. He signed it “bud,” his code name when he was on the run.

It is interesting, there is very little to zero proof that Bonnie ever actually fired a shot against law enforcement, but without her we would not remember Clyde and his gang. Good or bad, never underestimate the power of a beautiful woman and a Colt .38 revolver.

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