By Brad Dison
The Bienville Parish Police Jury has replaced the marker which pays tribute to the law enforcement officers who ended the crime spree of infamous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde. During the night of April 3rd or morning of April 4th , 2023, a thief or thieves stole the plaque from its concrete stand at the ambush site. For 17 months, visitors to the site saw the original granite marker which says, “At this site, May 23, 1934, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were killed by enforcement officers.” To the right of the granite marker, they saw a concrete stand where another plaque had been mounted. The location of the stolen plaque remains a mystery. The replacement marker says, “On this site, May 23, 1934, at 9:15 a.m., the famous outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow met their demise at the hands of these dedicated law enforcement officials. Lest we forget these brave and vigilant conservators of the peace. Included on the
plaque is the famous photo of the ambush posse.
People have mixed opinions when it comes to the “ambush” or “trap” of Bonnie and Clyde. At 9:15 on the morning of May 23, 1934, a posse consisting of Bienville Parish Sheriff Henderson Jordan, his Chief Deputy Prentiss Oakley, former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and B.M. “Maney” Gault, and Dallas County Deputies Bob Alcorn and Ted Hinton killed Bonnie and Clyde in a hail of bullets on LA 154 near Sailes. It is now referred to as the ambush site. Bonnie and Clyde both had weapons on their laps. Some people argue the law enforcement officers did what they felt was necessary to end their crime spree while others contend that Bonnie and Clyde were “killed in cold blood” and “were never given a chance.”
Bonnie and Clyde made it clear that they would never be taken alive. It must be remembered that officers tried to arrest Clyde and his companions on multiple occasions and were answered with deadly gunfire.
- On August 5, 1932, deputies tried to arrest Clyde in Stringtown, Oklahoma. 30-year-old undersheriff Eugene C. Moore was shot and killed.
- On January 6, 1933, officers tried to arrest Clyde in Dallas. 51-year-old deputy Malcolm Davis was shot and killed.
- On April 13, 1933, officers tried to arrest Clyde in Joplin, Missouri. 53-year-old Detective Harry McGinnis and 42-year-old Constable Wesley “Wes” Harryman were shot and killed.
- On June 23, 1933, officers tried to arrest members of the gang in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 51-year-old Town Marshal Henry Dallas Humphrey was shot and killed.
- On April 6, 1934, officers tried to arrest Clyde and his companions. 60-year-old Constable Calvin “Cal” Campbell was shot and killed.
Several other officers were wounded during arrest attempts but survived. In total, the Barrow gang were responsible for the deaths of 12 men, 9 of which were lawmen. Other murders include:
- April 30, 1932, 61-year-old storeowner John Bucher killed in Hillsboro, Texas, during a robbery.
- October 11, 1932, 57-year-old butcher Howard Hall killed in Sherman, Texas, during a robbery.
- December 26, 1932, 27-year-old Doyle Johnson was shot when the gang tried to steal his car in Temple, Texas. He died the following day.
- January 16, 1934, 33-year-old prison guard Major Crowson shot and killed by the gang during a prison break at Eastham Prison near Huntsville, Texas.
- April 1, 1934, motorcycle patrolmen Ed Wheeler and H.D. Murphy were shot and killed near Grapevine, Texas, by the gang after they pulled their motorcycles over to see if they needed assistance.
At the 50th anniversary of the ambush, Arcadia Town Council member Charles Butler told a Shreveport Times reporter, “Bonnie and Clyde is the most famous thing that’s happened in Bienville Parish – not the most important, the most famous.” People come from all over the world to see the spot where Bonnie and Clyde’s crime spree ended. Thanks to the Bienville Parish Police Jury, visitors will get more of the story when they see the newly replaced historical marker.