-JT-'s Blog

   Bonnie Parker met Clyde Barrow in Texas in January, 1930. At the time, Bonnie was 19 and married to an imprisoned murderer; Clyde was unmarried. Soon after, he was arrested for burglary and sent to jail. He escaped, using a gun Bonnie had smuggled to him, was recaptured and sent back to prison. Clyde was paroled in February, 1932, rejoined Bonnie and resumed a life of crime.

   Between 1932 and 1934, there were several incidents in which the Barrow Gang kidnapped lawmen or robbery victims, usually releasing them far from home, sometimes with money to help them get back. Notoriously, the Barrow Gang  would not hesitate to shoot anybody, civilian or lawman,if they got in the way of their escape. Clyde was a probable shooter in approximately ten murders.

   Bonnie and Clyde were among the first celebrity criminals of the modern era, and their legend has proven durable. They appealed to the out of work and generally disenfranchised 33% of America shattered by the Depression, who saw the duo as a Robin Hood-like couple striking blows at an uncaring government.

   Despite the glamorous image often associated with the Barrow Gang, they were desperate and discontented. A recently published manuscript provides Blanche Barrow's account of life on the run. Clyde was a machine behind the wheel, driving dangerous roads and searching for places where they might sleep or have a meal without being discovered. One member was always assigned watch. Short tempers led to regular arguments. Even with thousands of dollars from a bank robbery, sleeping in a bed was a luxury for a member of the Barrow Gang. Sleeping peacefully was nearly impossible.

   In January, 1934, Clyde finally made his long awaited move against the Texas Dep't. of Corrections. In the famous "Eastham Breakout", Clyde's lifetime goal appeared to come true, when he masterminded the escape of  Henry Methvin, Raymond Hamilton, and several others. The Texas Dep't. of Corrections received national negative publicity over the jailbreak, and Clyde appeared to have achieved what was described as the burning passion in his life - revenge on the Texas Dep't. of corrections.

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      A pair of Philadelphia 20-somethings used high-tech identity theft methods to defraud businesses and neighbors of tens of thousands of dollars to support a jet-setter lifestyle that included travel to exotic international spots at the expense of their victims.

   Jocelyn Kirsch, a 22 year old Drexel University student, and Edward Anderton, a 25 year old University of Pennsylvania graduate who was recently fired from his job as a real estate analyst, were arrested Friday afternoon at their $3,000-a-month apartment in one of the city's most upscale neighborhoods.

   Kirsch and Anderton were arraigned on an array of charges, including identity theft, forgery and unlawful use of a computer.

   Police found $17,500 in cash, credit cards, fake driver's licenses and keys that could unlock mailboxes and doors to other units inside their apartment building. They also found a copy of the book "The Art of Cheating: A Nasty Little Book for Tricky Little Schemers and Their Hapless Victims".

   Another Drexel coed posted a comment in reaction to the Facebook group, saying, "and no one believed me when I said she was nuts AND bad news".

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     I'm not trying to drum up sympathy for the late Mr. Barrow and Ms. Parker. I also don't recommend their activities as a career move.

     But, comparing Kirsch and Anderdon to them is like calling "Bigfoot" - "Howard Hughes" on the basis that they were both popular, yet reclusive, 20th century mammals.

   Kirsch and Anderton's vacations are more interesting than they are.

    Bonnie and Clyde ?

    I don't think so.

    More like " Bony and Claude".

sources:

Wikipedia

abcnews.go.com

(uh - sorry, Fox, but I had to go where the story took me. )