Although not a hideaway, Clyde Barrow had led quite a normal life in his earlier years working at such places as The Brown Cracker & Candy Company, the Metzger Dairies, the United Glass & Mirror Co., the Nu-Grape Beverage Company, A&K Auto Tops and at the Proctor & Gamble Plant. |
At age fourteen Barrow associate Floyd Hamilton worked at the Dallas Plant for a little over four years tying off the cement bags for which he was paid six cents per hundred. |
Floyd Hamilton had also worked for such places as The Shoreline Oil Company in Vivian, Louisiana, V.C. Bilbo's Truck Lines 2931 Eagle Ford Rd. and for the A&P Store delivering their produce. |
Emma Parker had worked here 10 hours each day, 7 days a week doing "piece work" sewing mens cover-alls.
Bonnie's brother Hubert "Buster" Parker had worked here. |
Wholesale Manufacturers Crackers, Cakes and Candies 603-11 Caruth
Named above is where Clyde Barrow had worked. Bill Decker had also worked here years before. Built in 1911, the Brown Cracker & Candy Company had remained there until the 1940’s and later it was purchased by the Sunshine Biscuit Company.
Clyde's brother LC Barrow had spent the last thirteen years of his life working as a truck driver for the Overhead Door Company of Texas.
Site of Hargrave's Cafe which is located on Swiss Ave. This is where Bonnie had worked as a waitress.
Jason Roberts wife's 92 year old grandfather had worked for the Western Union downtown as a bicycle messenger when he was 12 to 14 years old. (picture of him and a few other young boys that all worked there at the time). He had mentioned wearing down three different bicycles during his tenure there. He would buy the Pierce-Arrow's bikes with shaft drives instead of chains at a shop over on Akard run by Smoot Schmid. He also remembered that Ted Hinton would come by in the evenings on his motorcycle and pick up his mother who worked as a bookkeeper at the Western Union. He said that all the boys would laugh when they'd see her sitting on the back of that motorcycle driving off. He also sadly remembered having to deliver death notices to families late into the night. He mentioned something about it being required by the government to send these notices out, even if the family had already been contacted by phone. He mentioned having to work the late night shifts(10PM-4AM) during the summers in rain/sleet/snow/or hail. He said that Ted Hinton was a couple of years older than him and that he had just left the Western Union to go work for the Special Deliveries division of the Post Office which is why he had a motorcycle. He didn't recall Clyde working there but he did remember that the guy who owned the bicycle shop had a strange name like Smoot Schmid, and that he later became Sheriff and hired Hinton as a Deputy. In the photo is Jason's wife's grandfather (third from left) with the other Western Union Messengers (circa 1923). Clyde was born in 1909, Jason's wife's grandfather was born in 1910 - about the same age. Jason's grandfather-in-law couldn't remember the names of any of the other boys since it was so long ago. |
This building was home to several cafes over the years. Bonnie Parker is said to have been a waitress in the white framed building in above photo, seen between the Garage and the Gas Company. The Palm Hotel was located directly above the Gas Company on the corner.
Bonnie Parker had picked beans one summer on Cyril LePori's eleven acre farm near Fishtrap Road in West Dallas to earn money for a dress. Clyde picked fruit in the Santerre orchards one summer, until he was caught stealing by Gustave Santerre. |
