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| Photo of six-man "posse" who killed Bonnie & Clyde. Top, L to R: Hinton, Oakley, Maney Gault; seated, L to R: Alcorn, Jordan and Frank Hamer. Photo is public domain via Freedom of Information Act. Photo created in 1934. |
You know the story of Bonnie and Clyde, right? Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, were notorious outlaws on the run committing robberies of banks, stores, and gas stations. Their crime spree lasted from 1932 to 1934 during which they evaded capture multiple times, often with shootouts with law enforcement. Their story was famously told in the 1967 movie "Bonnie and Clyde" starring Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow and Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker.
And you probably saw or heard about the movie "The Highwaymen". From the trailer’s tease: “The Highwaymen follows the untold true story of the legendary lawmen who brought down Bonnie and Clyde. When the full force of the FBI and the latest forensic technology aren’t enough to capture the nation’s most notorious criminals, two former Texas Rangers (Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson) must rely on their gut instincts and old school skills to get the job done.”
Costner and Harrelson are playing the roles of former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, respectively, who were responsible for tracking down and setting an ambush for Bonnie and Clyde in 1936 in Louisiana; Bonnie and Clyde were killed instantly in a hail of gunfire made famous in the slow motion scene from the 1967 movie.
But what I’d bet you didn’t know: both Hamer (1884–1955) and Gault (1886-1947) are buried in Austin Memorial Park Cemetery, 2800 Hancock Drive. They are Austin's connection to Bonnie and Clyde.
Hamer’s story is too long for this article and has been written about by many. But briefly, Hamer was born in Wilson County, Texas (just southeast of San Antonio) and the family later moved to San Saba County where he spent his early childhood on the Welch Ranch. He started his Ranger career in 1906 in West Texas and along the border, and finally transferred to Ranger Headquarters in Austin in 1921 where he was Senior Ranger Captain. Regardless of future assignments that took him across the state, Hamer made Austin his permanent home for the rest of his life. Gault was a native of Travis County. Gault’s career as a Texas Ranger started in 1929 after being recruited by Hamer, his friend and neighbor here in Austin.
The two lawmen served together as partners until 1933 when Miriam Amanda "Ma" Ferguson was elected Governor. At that time many Rangers, including Hamer, resigned and Governor “Ma” Ferguson dismissed or fired the rest over allegations of corruption and excessive violence within the organization. Alternatively it may have been in retribution for the Rangers backing her opponent, incumbent Governor Ross Sterling. Or it may have been a bit of both. So Hamer and Gault were not technically Texas Rangers at the time they were recruited to track Bonnie and Clyde in 1934. The Texas Rangers were of course later reinstated and are with us today. Like Walker Texas Ranger.
Hamer’s obituary (The Austin American, 11 Jul 1955) says that Texas historian Walter Prescott Webb used Hamer as a prime example in an account of the Texas Rangers saying Hamer's service covered a "period of transition in Texas from frontier simplicity to modern complexity." And if you know anything about Texas Ranger history starting from the Republic of Texas era forward, you know Webb’s description is spot on.
Hamer and Gault are buried a stone's throw from one another in Austin Memorial, graves marked with the standard Texas Ranger cross that marks all Ranger burials. Established first as a private cemetery in 1927, the city purchased Austin Memorial Park in 1941 for the price of $56,000, making it a public cemetery. Hamer and Gault are just a few of Austin's well-known citizens buried there.
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