Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser, October 28, 1997

Sheriff was ready for Bonnie and Clyde

by Jim Bradshaw

This is the way Franklin Hildebrand told the story:

"Calcasieu Bank staff must have aged ten years one hot summer day in 1932, when they were alerted that the bandits Clyde Barrow and his cigar-smoking moll Bonnie Parker were expected to hold up the bank and were even then on their way to do the job.

"The desperado pair had held up the Lawtell Bank, in a bold daylight robbery and were still at large, looting, shooting, killing and robbing through this area.

"Leo Nohe, chief deputy sheriff, got a phone tip that the two were scheduled to pull off the robbery at Jennings just about closing time, and always alert Leo lost no time preparing to meet them. A posse was quickly assembled and given guns. Some of us were stationed on the second floor of the Black Building across the street with shotguns aimed toward the bank....

"Nohe informed Herbert Hoag, bank manager, of what was expected and told him to carry on his work as usual and he need have no fear if and when the bandits appeared. Nohe himself took a station behind the glass windows of the private office in front, right behind where Mr. Hoag was transacting business. Others of the posse were stationed about, heavily armed.

"I don't imagine Herbert Hoag looked with kindness on his role in case of a holdup. With a gunman poking .45 down his throat and Leo Nohe hidden a few feet behind him, Herbert must have been giving a lot of thought to his welfare, placed directly in line of fire with bandits blazing away from the front and the deputy firing from behind....

"It was a big relief to us all when evening came and no bandits appeared. ...It wasn't too long afterward that Barrow and Bonnie were shot down by federal men when they were caught in a roadblock near Minden. A few months later someone brought the bullet-ridden car the bandits were using when shot and it was displayed here while on tour of the area. ...You paid a dime to see wax figures of Barrow and Bonnie. It was a gruesome sight and very life-like because the images showed the bullet holes in the bodies, but adults as well as kids flocked to see the show, gory as it was."

This article is copyrighted © by the Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser and is used with permission.  This web site was originated through a grant awarded to Carencro High School (Joel Hilbun/Bobbi Marino, Grant Administrators) by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education from the Louisiana Quality Education Support Fund - 8(g).