THE BANKS THEY HAD ROBBED
or reputed to have robbed
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF LAWRENCE, KANSAS
Robbed March 1932
In March of 1932, Clyde, Ralph Fults and Raymond Hamilton robbed the First National Bank
at 746 Massachusetts Street. Below is the view from the window at the Hotel Eldridge where
bandits were staying while casing out the turf. The bank could be seen from their window.
The bank building is now a fancy restaurant named "Teller's", complete with the original
walk-in vault that serves as the entrance to the restaurant's bathrooms. How cool is that!?
The view looking down Massachusetts Street
Bank is white building in center of photo
VAULT LEADS TO RESTROOMS
FIRST STATE BANK - CEDAR HILL, TEXAS
Robbed October 8, 1932
Raymond Hamilton equipped with a gun and a freshly stolen car, walked into this
bank on October 8, 1932 and left with $1,400, and again on November 25th the
following month. This time, he hit them up for $1,800 with the help of Les Stewart.
R.P. HENRY & SONS BANK
LANCASTER, TEXAS
February 27, 1934
On February 27, 1934, while Bonnie Parker waited in the getaway car,
Clyde and Raymond Hamilton walked into this Lancaster Texas bank and
walked out with over $6,000, after forcing L.L. Henry and several
customers to lie on the cold tile floor.
Related article on the Robbery
Grand Prairie Bank Robbery (TEXAS)
Grand Prairie Bank recovered stash
JOHN BASDEN
HOME BANK OF GRAPEVINE TEXAS
Robbed January 6, 1933
Robbed by Barrow associates Odell Chambliss and Les Stewart, the Home Bank
was founded in 1900 by local banker R.E. Morrow. The bank had closed it's
doors in 1933. An investigation into this robbery had led police to the home
of Raymond Hamilton's sister, Lillie McBride. This resulted in the killing
of Malcolm Davis by Clyde Barrow, who showed up at the McBride home.
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FIRST STATE BANK OF OKABENA, MINNESOTA
Who really robbed this bank?
Interior of the bank showing teller's cage
Many books and online sources have attributed the May 19, 1933 robbery of
this bank to the Barrow gang. Two men and two women secreting themselves
in the bank and robbing it with submachine guns were shortly after identified
as being Tony Strain 32 and his wife Mildred, his brother Floyd Strain 28 and
Alice "Stormy" Martin 25 all of whom were tried and convicted of the crime.
Tony Strain sentenced to 80 years and his wife Mildred sentenced to 40 years.
Mildred Strain
Question is, did the Strain gang take the fall for a Barrow gang job?
Tony Strain (below left) and Floyd Strain (below right)
Tony Strain and companions were all positively identified by the victims in a line up
In Cumie's unpublished memoirs she claimed to have seen all the silver dollars from the Okabena bank heist. Could
these silver dollars Clyde had brought home have been the ones he had gotten from the Lucerne bank on May 12th?
Clyde Wanted Report in connection of the Lucerne, Ind. bank heist
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF REMBRANDT, IOWA
Robbed January 23, 1934
NATIONAL BANK OF POTEAU, OKLAHOMA
Robbed January 26, 1934
FIRST NATIONAL BANK - STUART, IOWA
Robbed by Barrow & Co. on April 16, 1934
Leaders in Stuart, Iowa are seeking a state revitalization project grant to include a mural
commemorating a bank (now the town’s police station) robbed in 1934 by Bonnie and Clyde.
While Bonnie waited in the car, Clyde and Henry Methvin walked into the white building on
the left, which was a Drug Store in 1934 and bought themselves a Coca~Cola. They then walked
a short distance to the bank, robbed it and locked everybody in the vault before leaving.
COMMERCIAL BANK - ARKANSAS
This view is from the sidewalk in front of the building looking northeast
toward the old Commercial Bank building- The one with the single green pillar
in front. You will notice a small space between it and the next building to the
right. This is the alley down which Marshall Humphrey was lured and captured.
photo courtesy of James R. Knight
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF LEWISVILLE (TEXAS)
It was after all, part of a "well planned trap"
On April 25, 1934, Raymond Hamilton and T.R. Brooks robbed The First National Bank of Lewisville.
The heist went "too perfect"!
In rushing to leave, Hamilton shoved aside Tom Bullock Hyder who was just about to enter the building.
Hyder then went to his vehicle and began to chase the fleeing bandits. On the way, Hyder picked up D.H. Street,
Lewisville's constable and together they continued on with the chase. Soon after other lawmen joined in the chase.
After avoiding several of the roadblocks that had been set up along the way, the bandits couldn't avoid the blockade
near Howe, Texas. After screeching to a stop, there was no choice but to surrender. They were arrested on the spot!
Who was Tom Bullock Hyder?
He was the Texas state representative who had pushed for a $25,000 bounty to be placed on Hamilton's capture!
Representative Hyder later made a request to Governor Miriam (Ma) Ferguson to give part of the $500 reward she had offered, to the
widow of Special Deputy Sheriff Howard Gunter who died in a crash while transporting Hamilton's siezed vehicle to the impound.
Gunter story here!
Hamilton and Brooks in custody
PONDER STATE BANK TEXAS
The bank is now home to the Ponder Boot Company. Scenes from the Warner Bros.
movie were filmed here. The movie showed Bonnie and Clyde as attempting to rob
this bank. It was actually Raymond Hamilton who had attempted to rob this bank,
and found that it had failed a week earlier. Hamilton was mad at the time,
but later, in telling the story to Clyde, they both had a big laugh over it.
1934 PHOTOGRAPH
PONDER TELLER CAGE
FARMERS & MERCHANTS BANK
Pilot Point Texas in Town Square
The notorious Barrow Gang was spotted robbing this bank in 1967.
Hampton Burwick photo on the left and Warner Bros. movie still on the right
