On April 1, 1934 Clyde, Bonnie, and Henry Methvin were on the side of the intersection of Route 114 and Dove Road near Grapevine, Texas. Raymond Hamilton was with them when he and Methvin escaped Eastham Prison. Hamilton left the gang after he got into an argument with Clyde about the money Hamilton took from Lancaster Bank.
Bonnie and Clyde were asleep in the car while Methvin was outside the car, guarding it in case there was trouble. Two highway patrol officers named Edward Bryan Wheeler and H.D. Murphy were on their motorbikes when they saw the car on the side of the road. Thinking the driver needed help, they got off their bikes and went over to see what the problem was. Waking up, Bonnie saw the officers and woke Clyde. Upon seeing the officers, Clyde told Methvin, “Let’s take them,” meaning to take the officers alive. Thinking Clyde told him to kill them, Methvin shot and killed one of the officers. Knowing that the officer will return fire, Clyde shot him to avoid being fired at. Methvin finished the officer off and then they escaped.
A farmer named William Schieffer, who saw the murder take place, said that he saw Bonnie and Clyde shoot the officers. Newspaper writers embellished the story, adding details such as Bonnie laughing as one of the officer’s head “bounced like a rubber ball” as she shot him. Another report said that there was a cigar “with tiny little teeth marks” implying that it belonged to Bonnie. When Murphy’s wife-to-be arrived at his funeral in her wedding dress, the press went nuts. After hearing multiple eye-witness reports about the event, it became discredited. When news reached his ears about the incident, boss of the highway patrol officers L.G. Phares placed a $1,000 reward for the death of the murderers. Then a $500 reward was placed up by “Ma” Ferguson for the killers. It was the first time Bonnie had a Bounty on her head.
Bonnie and Clyde:1930s 