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All photos contributed by Julia Neeley.
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A Footprints of Fayette Article by a member of the Fayette County Historical Commission:
FAYETTE COUNTY, TEXAS
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All photos contributed by Julia Neeley.
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A Footprints of Fayette Article by a member of the Fayette County Historical Commission:
Bonnie and Clyde near Roznov in 1934
by Gesine (Tschiedel) Koether & Al Cordes
Al Cordes, sent me this memory of Bonnie and Clyde in Fayette County. From the history I know of these notorious outlaws, I would not have wanted to meet up with them in Roznov in 1934. So glad we are able to relive these times gone by with the help of our local residents like Al. Enjoy.
Al writes: “In the spring of 1934, Dad (Alfred Henry Cordes Sr. 1895-1984) drove a wagon with his two sons, Bill (13) and Chester (9), from Fayetteville to my Grandfather Henry Cordes’ farm in Roznov for post oak firewood. When they arrived at the farm they found a new Ford automobile parked at the gate that led to the woodland. My dad told my brothers to stay on the wagon while he went to talk to the occupants of the Ford. As he approached the auto, a man in a suit and tie got out and asked for directions. My brother Bill told me that the woman in the car was smoking a cigar which was unusual in those days. After getting directions, the man got back in the car and they drove away. Dad got to thinking about the oddity of this and made it a point to go to the Sherriff’s office in La Grange the following week to look at actual wanted photos. The photos in the local newspapers were poor but the clear photos at the Sheriff’s office left no doubt that the couple in the Ford had been Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. As my dad recounted the memory to me, he acknowledged that it was probably a good thing that he did not know who he was talking to. He knew from the newspapers, Barrows always stayed off the main roads and he certainly was not going to run into a road block on FM1291 between Warrenton and Roznov. Dad recalled that Bonnie and Clyde must have been on their way to Louisiana. The famed fugitives Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were killed in a police ambush near Sailes, Louisiana on May 23, 1934. A contingent of officers from Texas and Louisiana were led by Hamer and Gault, both Texas Rangers.
"Strangely, about in 1955, I was a member of the Aggie Band and traveled to Dallas on a Corp trip to march at the SMU football game. As was the custom, we made our own way to the game and in this particular case, I spent the night at a truck farm in the area. The farm was owned by the uncle of a close friend in the band. I was given a room and when I got up the next morning, I noticed an autographed photo in a frame of a young blond girl with the inscription thanking the family for their support and letting her stay with them while she worked in Dallas. The photo was signed “Bonnie Parker”. At breakfast, I asked the family about the photo and they acknowledged that it was indeed “The Bonnie Parker” that got involved with Clyde Barrow and crime. They acknowledged that she was really a nice girl but she got into bad company. So I can now claim the distinction of having slept in a “Bonnie Parker’s bed”. Maybe she was looking down on me or up might be more like it.”
Thanks Al for sharing yours and your family memories with me. I love reliving our Fayette County history through the eyes of our friends and family. I will continue my search for more of our Fayette County history and keep a watch for what I find.
Photo Caption:
Bonnie and Clyde courtesy of Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives
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