Wharton's Bonnie & Clyde connection showcased in 1932 warrant

WHARTON, Texas – The infamous rampage of Bonnie and Clyde has again grabbed the nation’s attention with the release of a film that follows the journey of two Texas lawmen who hunted down the Great Depression-era criminal couple.

“The Highwaymen,” which stars Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, a Texas native, was recently released on Netflix. The movie tells the story of Frank Hamer and Maney Gault – the two former Texas Rangers who were charged with bringing the crime wave carried out by Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow to an end.

In this image posted on social media June 10, 2014, by the Texas Rangers, Maney Gault (left) holds the guns used by Bonnie and Clyde as Frank Hamer (right) looks down at the ground.

Between 1931 and 1934, Bonnie and Clyde are believed to have killed at least nine police officers as well as several civilians and robbed more than a dozen banks, gas stations and stores.

One of the robberies happened in the Southeast Texas town of Wharton, about 60 miles southwest of Houston. A warrant detailing the allegations against Barrow was posted on the Wharton Police Department’s Facebook page Wednesday.

“A man who fits the description of Clyde Champion Barrow … is wanted for the robbery of the Piggly Wiggly store with firearms,” the warrant dated Oct. 13, 1932, reads. “This was a daylight robbery and every clue points to Barrow as the man who did this job.”

 

 

The warrant goes on to details that Barrow, Parker and their alleged accomplice, Raymond Hamilton, are also wanted in Wharton on a charge of assault to murder. In the social media post, police said that murder charge most likely stemmed from a shootout at a bridge that spans the Colorado River.

“This man is very dangerous and extreme care should be taken when arresting him,” the warrant reads.

Bonnie and Clyde were killed May 23, 1934, in Louisiana by a posse of officers led by Hamer and Gault.