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Apr 25, 2019

Frank Hamer and Maney Gault: The Brokeback Couple Who Brought Down Bonnie and Clyde?

I walked into the living room in time to see the last few minutes of The Highwaymen, about the Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, who tracked down legendary spree killers Bonnie and Clyde in 1934.   Basically all I saw was the bloody car being paraded through the streets of a small Louisiana town, one of the guys refusing an interview, and the two driving off together.  The closing credits stated that they were buried in the same grave.

Driving off into the sunset together!  Buried in the same grave!  Were they a romantic couple?  Time to do research:








Born in 1884 in Fairview, Texas (near Dallas), Frank started out as a cowboy, then joined the Texas Rangers in 1905.  He resigned several times, most notably in 1932, because Texas had just elected a female governor, and he couldn't stand the idea of being bossed around by a woman.  He also worked as a federal marshall, cattle theft specialist, prohibition enforcer (tracking down bootleggers during Prohibition), and strike-breaker.

In 1917, he married Gladys Sims, who was on trial for her husband's murder.  The husband's brother-in-law, Gus McMeans, ambushed them, and in the ensuing shootout McMeans was killed.  There was no investigation.

Frank also stalked and threatened José Tomás Canales, a state representative who was investigating corruption in the Texas Rangers.  He was not charged.

And that's just the summary on wikipedia.  Quite a piece of work.

Frank was married twice, and had two kids, Billy Beckham Hamer and Francis Augustes Hamer (that's how it's spelled).  He died in 1955.





Maney Gault (left, with Frank in 1932) doesn't have a wikipedia article, but I read an article in True West magazine.  He was born in 1886, and worked as a dairy farmer before the Depression; then he found a job in a sawmill.  Frank was his neighbor in Austin, Texas.

They sat up many nights playing cards and playing bluegrass music and um...such.

Frank got Maney a job with the Texas Rangers, and they started going on cases together.  They continued to work together until the Bonnie and Clyde case, whereupon Frank moved on to other jobs.  Maney stayed on as a Ranger  until his death in 1947, finally supervising a vast territory in west Texas.

He was married, too, to Rebecca Johnson Gault (1886-1955).  Two kids, Leona Gault Pannell and Johnson Gullette Gault. 



But marriage and children don't preclude same-sex loves.  Maybe Frank  and Maney had a Brokeback Mountain thing going on. Can you imagine them saying "I won't quit you"?

Ok, I looked up the movie's end credits again.  It says "same small tract," not "the same grave."













Find-a-Grave says that they are buried in the Austin Memorial Park Cemetery. They are the ones with crosses: Maney's grave is in the foreground, and Frank's a row back and to the left, about 10 feet away.

Were then 10 feet apart in life, too?

Or closer?

   

2 comments:

  1. Henry barrow moved familty to Dallas along trinity river with his children. They lived in a tent til Henry built a shanty. He worked with cart and donkey .Then someone hit t he cart ,Henry took them to court with money he then bought land - Starr Gas Station 1620 Eagleford road 1221(singleton blvd ).Rumor has it Barrow boys stole food (chicken/turkeys) so that the family had food to eat ,why weren't they dumpster divers ?Bonnie Parker grandparents Krause Frank /Mary lived 2908 Eagleford Road & Son Wyle Krause. Ray&Floyd Hamilton lived corner Eagleford /Crossman -(1308 crossman ave) they said went to school with Bonnie..W.D. william Daniel Jones brother Buck friend Buck Barrow( 1932)2410 Henry St. (b3 that commerce leads to Eagleford)All clyde barrow family -friends - buddies -comrades lived in the vicinity. Clyde knew the area his special way of come into dallas - to take irving (singleton blvd) Eagleford - across the bridges that lead to Eagleford road - which they called it the back door. Blanche Caldwell sure fell head over heels love with Buck Barrow ,He had escape pen -out on lamb -He even stole things while they were together ,So she knew what kind of life she have with him .Rumor has it , She met buck along the tracks - cement city - west dallas -when she ran off from her husband (calloway) Emma Krause Parker had her say in the end by not allow Bonnie to be buried next to Clyde Barrow,as they weren't married because she didn't get a dev to marry Clyde.So when you think of bonnie & clyde and WD/Hamiltons think of modern day gangs that live in the area. Next question is some way Bonnie never shot anyone Only Clyde did. Bonnie got hurt from Clyde fast driving over bridge that was not in operation so the car hit the sand almost everyone died in the wreck but Bonnie end up limp and she got addict to pain killer medicine. Bonnie & Clyde drank whiskey and so did Buck Barrow & blanche had picture taken with whiskey. Did Blanche do anything in the gang sure she could of been spotter ,bench-warmer- could one that cook /clean for the gang inwhich she said she did.So over all Blanche was apart of Barrow gang.

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  2. Interesting background on Bonnie & Clyde, but I'm not sure how it's relevant to Hamer and Gault.

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