I agree that Act II needed a bit of work. This is when they should've introduced one or two members of the Barrow Gang, particularly W.D. Jones and/or Henry Methvin. Jones was 16 (later turned 17) and from the same squatters' camp (under the Oak Cliff Viaduct) as the Barrows. In fact, he was a good friend of Clyde's younger brother and idolized Clyde, who was six years older. He was on the run with B&C for longer (nearly a year) than were Buck & Blanche (three months). He'd joined up four months prior to B&B's arrival.
Methvin was B&C's final accomplice. In January 1934 (six months after Buck's/Blanche's death/capture, and four months after Jones' departure), they engineered a jailbreak at Eastham to free their former gang member, Raymond Hamilton. One guard was killed, another wounded, and in the confusion, four other inmates (Methvin included) took the opportunity to flee. Shortly afterward, Hamilton and the three other escapees left B&C, save for Methvin, who accepted their proposal to join the gang. Little did they know that they had just sealed their fate by inadvertently freeing Methvin and welcoming him into the group.
At any rate, the betrayal of Bonnie & Clyde is a crucial element in their story; it was the only way the police could catch them, because they always escaped the shootouts and other attempts, even if their gang members were being killed or captured. In the musical, the cops figure out on their own that B&C routinely visit their parents, and the pair is gunned down on their way to meet up with their families in West Dallas. In actuality, they were shot in Louisiana, where the Methvins lived. So, they were on their way to meet up with Methvin, who'd accidentally been separated from the duo. They had designated a meeting spot on a deserted stretch of highway, near Gibsland. When Methvin's father learned of this, he informed Hamer et al., who'd been harassing the Methvins for weeks. In exchange, Methvin would be cleared of the cold-blooded murders of two, young Texas highway patrolmen in April. In that incident, Methvin, who was unaware of B&C's penchant for kidnapping cops, taking them on a joyride, and then releasing them unharmed, misunderstood Clyde's "Let's take 'em!" to mean "Let's kill 'em!" Methvin opened fired at the unsuspecting officers, who had stopped to see if the motorists were stranded and needed help; Clyde helped to finish them off, since the deed was already done.
During this time, Hamer et al. were already trying to negotiate with Methvin's father, but Henrys' major part in the killings threw a wrench into the plans. So, to work around that, they completely erased Methvin from the scene and put the gun in Bonnie's hands, instead. This was the version that the public was told. Thus, public opinion quickly turned against the pair over this gruesome killing... on Easter Sunday, no less... especially after it was revealed that one of the officers was engaged to be married within a week, and that his wife wore her wedding dress to his funeral.
After writing all that, I think Methvin would've been crucial to Act II. The betrayal would've added to the tragedy.
Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae
Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra
Salve, Salve Regina
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Eva
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
O clemens O pia
Updated On: 8/3/16 at 03:38 PM
