The Barrows' Visit To Dexfield

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LAST WEEK

Like it or not, the Barrow Gang arching entry way intothe park when table and also leader of the local . has already become a legend. Crit- two shots were fired at them andthey vigilJinte group, to order them out. ics have said the new publicity ran to the bridge. The editor fired . The Johnsons lived in the Roush brought on by the movie, "Bonnie a shot without aiming, which caused home, not far from the scene. (Hada and Clyde" glorifies what was petty Barrow to holler out he was a mem- Landers is their daughter). By this and mean and should be forgotten. ber of the posse. Then Burger fired time Henry Nye, reported discoverBut this type of criticism nEwer his shots from under.. the bridge ing their camp, luckily no doubt, stopped wild west tales or yarns that nicked Barrow. The gunman's while they were all away. Love, about Jesse James or gangsters. automatic rifle was found only an certain by now that this was the Whenany story becomes a legend hour later in some bushes. Barrow gang, inturn notified county it becomes bigger than life, and Mr. Love said that George Sul- officials. . increasingly hard to separate fact grove, while driving south down There was a lot of excitement from fiction. Many tales have been the Dexfield road, saw the Feller told in the Dexfield area about the car, with Barrow at the wheel, in 'Dexter that Sunday night. Clyde Barrows that is as substantial as emerge from the Feller lane. Guess- and Bonnie drove up to the Ed most gossip. ;.... . ing who it was, and deciding it . Blohm meat market for the last In visiting with John Love, Dexter was better to be safe than sorry, time. Possibly they did not notice night marshal for many years, Sulgrove turned into the Alex Spill- that a car with police was at the about the episode we found that ers driveway to give them plenty of end of the street. Jesse Ross, whoby now was in on the secret, waited on we shouldhave contactedhim earlier room. Clyde. Bonnie stayed in the car. as he straightened us out. on all WORSTKEPT SECRET the details. He said that only six That the Barrow gang was camp- Clyde left withouthis wieners. Jesse men includingRags Riley and ing out at Dexfield was common Ross says he hollered a sharp, Bill Arthur went up the lane after knowledgeby the Sundaynight before "Hey there," which caused Barrow to whip around with his hand reachthe Barrows. The two named went the encounter. In fact severalpeople ahead and challenged the Barrows who knew the Barrows had recog- ing into his pocket, until Ross quickly added, softly, "You forgot your the other six fanned out. nized them on the street in Dexter wieners!" It was said that many Eight men, including John Love . for several days, Bill Meyers, for carloads of young people whirled were strung along the Dexfield road one. Clyde Barrow had performed up and down the Dexfield road that to watch the Dexfield park exits in rodeos previous years at Dex- evening and some even ventured and the bridge. There was another field park. And the gang had used into the adjacent field impatient lane leading out from the area the Dexfield park as a hideout two for the action to begin. ,. where the Barrow gangwas trapped, months before. According to John . As the posse formed duriilgthe northeast through the present Ve'rn Love, he helped Clyde Barrow at night for the chase, some heavy Reynolds farm. However a group that time fill his radiator, not know- celebrating began, especially among from Redfield, led by Hammy ing who he was. Why wasn't a the Des Moines contingent, and by DeFord, blocked this way. This general alarm given earlier in the morning many were completely group actually watched the Barrow week? Probably because ofthe same soused. What a night that must have gang as they escaped downthe hill, indifference that causes many by- been I but they couldn't shoot as they standers now to avoid getting in. weren't close enough to positively volved. It is very plain then, that the identify the people.(HowhandywalkSo it is easy to see why some ie-talkies would have been then). Barrows knew exactly what they local people have called the whole were doing and by design siezed deal a complete fiasco, almost a WRONG MAN Mr. Love said a very deserving the best way to outwit their pur- comical farce. Mr. Love said he man of the county was not given suers. was convinced that none of the Authorities were first called into Barrow gang was hit at all in the credit for shooting the gun out of Clyde Barrow's hand at the bridge. action when George Johnsonbe'came Dexfield fight and that all of their Instead of Editor Place, it was uneasy at having a party with two wounds resulted from earlier batdeputy sheriff, Evan Burger. These cars camping out nearby and asked Conti nued On Page 6 two men were leaning on the big .John Love, who was township cons-

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tles. He scoffed at the recent claim out of th~~ar' fO;>iL:';i~;:~~~~t~*~:~~'~; by a man in a Des Moines paper Many youngsters were'lU'Olmdat' of having shot the Barrows. the time. Glenn Short remembers When Mr. Love was asked why having come over from Stuart to no one was hurt by the hail of watch. Some others "who were bullets, he said that no one could there" were Max Cushman, Neva see very well. Weeds, brush and Gardner, Mary Walker Musselman, ' trees obstructed the view and the Thelma Ross, Gerald 'Butler, Glenn advance men hailed the Barrow Allsup, Harold Dunmire, Elmer gang before coming up over the Johnson. It was related that Sammy crest of the knoll to a direct View. Thulin ,drove up, dressed in a new A Redfield witness, who does not suit, and asked what all the exwish to be identified, believes that , ' citement was about, whypeople were actually no one tried to shoot any- ducking. When told, he said he body else. He said the Barrows in- wasn't going to get his suit dirty tentionally shot over the posse's ,by hiding, so casually watchedstandheads to scare them back so the ing up.."" ',"',.,".:., i.- ',' gang could make a get away while Doubtless many others will be the officers' main intent was to', proud to claim membership in the either get them to surrender or ,"they were there"club. "'/!";'
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didn't relish flushing them out o,r __ \ the timt>erthe hard way, according to him. Some of the local people shown in I the pictures published all over the i world at the time were Kurt Piper, i who held Blanche until he became i apprehensive that if he was photo- j graphed this way, the Barrow gang might seek him out for 'revenge. I others were Jim Young,EarlBooth, i Harold Meyers, Henry Leeper, now Ii all dead. Virgil Musselman lives in West Des Moines and Carroll Cody in Texas. Most of these people were onlookers that came upon the scene after the capture. Al Gardner was one that was more than an onlooker. He guided the six men that first surprised the Barrows. He lives in Waverly. The picture, according to Bob Creager, was a posed scene. The car was on its way out of the park when photographers asked for a picture, so everyone, including the woundedMarvin Barrow, waspulled