The life of a fugitive isn't very glamorous. The Barrow gang was forced to bathe in
the icy cold country streams, often racing back to the warmth of their car, which
literally had become their home. When nature called, they had to take to the privacy
of the woods. The luxury of using a bathtub or toilet happened rarely. They had to be
light sleepers, listening for any unusual sounds for fear of nocturnal ambushes.
Many times depending on people that they could trust or family members to take their
clothing to the cleaners or buying them new clothes. The simple act of getting a haircut
or perm at the local barber shop could prove fatal, especially since more and more of
their photographs started surfacing. Care had to be taken when cooking, as a campfire
at night or the smoke from a campfire during the day could arouse suspicion. This left
them to feast on cold beans, weiners, biscuits or canned goods. I'm sure that living
in such close quarters would test the nerves of anyone! Often quarreling or fighting
off the boredom of many lonely days and nights. Imagine if you will, spending the night
cramped up in the confines of a small car in pitch darkness on a lonely back road during
a violent thunderstorm or having to leave the windows rolled down to get relief from
the heat of a summer's night, only to be tormented by the bites of the ferocious insects.