LURID LURES: Bonnie & Clyde’s Tackle Box May Hook Bidders at Heritage Auctions
Hook, line and sinkers used by gangster duo while on the lam offered in Sept. 14-15 Americana sale
DALLAS, Texas (September 4, 2020) – When evading authorities after committing a crime, the ability to find food is critically important.
Such was the case for Clyde Barrow, half of the infamous “Bonnie and Clyde” tandem whose exploits included a slew of wrongdoings, including murder and bank robbery. When running from the law, they often relied on fishing to survive, which was possible in part because of a tackle box found in Barrow’s car when the legendary criminal was killed.
Clyde’s Personally-Owned Fishing Tackle Box (estimate: $5,000+) is among the unique items in Heritage Auctions’ Americana & Political Auction Sept. 14-15.
“To live the lives they did, the ability to fend for themselves was vital,” Heritage Auctions Americana Director Tom Slater said. “So they would fish using material found in this box: hooks, floats, weights. They did whatever they had to do when they were on the run, and this box helped feed them for years.”
The lot includes an affidavit signed by Frank Hamer, Jr., son of the law enforcement officer and Texas Ranger who led the 1934 posse that tracked down and killed Parker and Barrow. The affidavit describes the box and its contents, and explains that it was found in “the trunk of the 1934 Ford V-8 car used by Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker at the time of the shooting on May 23, 1934” and that Barrow and Parker were known to fish and hunt squirrels in the Brazos and Trinity Rivers while hiding from law enforcement. Also included is a file of research material and a 1968 biography of Frank Hamer, Sr., who spent considerable time tracking Barrow and Parker before leading the siege that ended Barrow’s life.
The box, which measures 14 by 6 by 6.5 inches, comes from the Estate of Robert (Bobby) Palazzo in Westlake Village, California. Made by Kennedy Kits of Van Wert, Ohio, it contains eight wooden floats, two reels, a spool of fishing line or twine, three “washers,” eight lead weights and eight brass swivel connectors.
It also contains an artificial flower taken “from Bonnie Parker’s Grave Dallas, Texas 1988.”
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