Barrow gang Krag

[jon_norstog]

It's been a little slow on the Krag list ... here's something. This is a photo of W.D. Jones, Bonnie & Clyde's teenage accomplice, with some of their guns. Including a Krag carbine and a couple trench shotguns and maybe a couple Colt/S&W double action .45s.

barrow_gang_krag..jpg

The gang was known to take guns when they could and did hit a National Guard armory in Oklahoma.

jn

[SgtSki]

Nice set of wheels. Is that a Packard?

[psteinmayer]

Nope, it's a 32 Ford... Clyde's preferred mode of transportation. Clyde Barrow was known to have used a Krag, and this photo is pretty good evidence that they possessed at least one example. However, Clyde mostly preferred a BAR, and had numerous BARs at his disposal, mostly stolen from National Guard Armories. When Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed by Frank Hamer and his posse (also armed with BARs, among other shotguns and pistols), they discovered an arsenal of BARs and thousands of rounds of ammo in the car.

[JBinIll]

Of Hamer's ambush party only one man was armed with a BAR,Ted Hinton.He was stationed down the road in case the other 5 didn't get them stopped.The rest were armed with Remington Mod 11 shotguns,"Winchesters" i.e. Mod 92 or 94 lever actions,and it is thought Prentiss Oakley used a borrowed Remington Model 8 in .35 Remington.Hinton's BAR was reported as being borrowed from the Texas NG.

Bonnie and Clyde had a veritable arsenal in their car.The inventory list-

3 BARs Model 1918
Winchester Model 1887 10 gauge sawed off
Remington Model 11 20 gauge sawed off
1 M1903 Colt .32 Automatic
1 M1908 Colt .380 Automatic
1 Colt M1917 Revolvert
7 Colt M1911 Automatics
100 loaded BAR Magazines
3000 Rounds of misc. ammunition

The BARs and presumably the M1911s were stolen from the Beaumont Texas NG armory.There is an extant photograph of the car that shows 4 BARs one of which is presumed to be the one used by Hinton.Quite a load for that 34 Ford they were in.No Krag though in that picture.

Here's another shot of the Krag.

[kragluver]

I have read that some of those B&C pictures were taken at a gas station where Cooper St and I-20 now cross in south Arlington, Tx.

[psteinmayer]

Ted Hinton and Bob Alcorn reported that each officer was armed with an automatic rifle (presumably a BAR), pistols and shotguns... but I also read the same as you reported elsewhere. In Hinton's report, he stated that they opened up with the automatic rifles, which were emptied before the car even got near them. Prentiss Oakley reportedly fired the first shot (before being ordered to do so), and the rest opened fire. I also read that Oakley's first shot was a fatal head shot to Clyde Barrow... Not bad for shooting at a target in a moving car!

I also knew about the arsenal in the car... but I think the BARs are the interesting items in that car!

[dave]

The Krag is in photo above with Clyde holding it.

[joem]

At least they dressed nice (suit and tie) not like the slob criminals of today.

[JBinIll]

Ted Hinton and Bob Alcorn reported that each officer was armed with an automatic rifle (presumably a BAR), pistols and shotguns... but I also read the same as you reported elsewhere. In Hinton's report, he stated that they opened up with the automatic rifles, which were emptied before the car even got near them. Prentiss Oakley reportedly fired the first shot (before being ordered to do so), and the rest opened fire. I also read that Oakley's first shot was a fatal head shot to Clyde Barrow... Not bad for shooting at a target in a moving car!

I also knew about the arsenal in the car... but I think the BARs are the interesting items in that car!

The term "automatic rifle" at that period of time was much more likely to have been referring to Remington Model 8s or the various Winchester Self Loaders.Remington marketed their rifles as "autoloading" hence automatics the same way pistols were referred to.A lot of law enforcement back then including the FBI and Texas Rangers used the Remington and Winchester autoloaders.Few if any had BARs as witnessed by Hinton's being borrowed.Kind of surprising none of the LE in the ambush party had a Thompson.By that date any self respecting police and sheriff's dept. would have had at least one.

About the only good analysis of the armament of Hamer's ambush party I've read was in John Henwood's book on the Remington 8 and 81 and there is little agreement among the participants writing years later on who carried what other than Hinton had a BAR and Oakley a Model 8.Even Hamer says in one interview he had a Remington Model 11 and in another a Remington Model 8.Bonnie and Clyde's Krag seems to only show up in that series of pictures with the 32 Ford as a backdrop.Like to know the serial number on that one.I did a little research on Bonnie and Clyde guns sold at auction and it never showed up anywhere.

[psteinmayer]

If it ever did, and provenance could be established... WOW! Funny thing about those Joplin photos... Bonnie is shown holding a revolver with a cigar clenched in her teeth, and in another, holding a shotgun on Clyde. The reality is, however, that she rarely took part in the robberies, other than occasionally driving the getaway car... and there is no record of her ever shooting anyone!

I love the Bonnie and Clyde story, and one day I'm going to go visit the death car!