The stories of outlaws such as Pretty Face Floyd, Ned Kelly and Bonnie and Clyde are all fascinating. Floyd was known to be charitable towards poor people and when he died 40,000 people attended his funeral. He robbed banks, tore up the mortgage papers of the poor and even bought them groceries. He was the only one who actually actively helped the poor.
Kelly they say committed bank robberies to fund the push for a "Republic of the North-East of Victoria", and that the police even found a declaration of the republic in his pocket after his capture. He had received some basic schooling and once risked his life to save another boy, Richard Shelton, from drowning. As a reward he was given a green sash by the boy's family, which he was still wearing at the time of his final shootout with the police. However he did little for the poor during his criminal life. Neverthelesshe was very popular, and it is estimated that a petition to spare Kelly's life attracted over 30,000 signatures, although this remains unconfirmed.
The story of Bonnie and Clyde is even more fascinating, Bonnie had attended high school and excelled in creative writing and even won a county league contest. She was also a poet and has had her poems published. Contrary to beliefs it is said she never fired a gun although she stood by Clyde throughout his/their criminal careers. However they too did more or less nothing for the poor and needful. Infact Clyde did very few bank robberies and did only small time jobs, which included robbing the lower class, people for example owners of filling stations and grocery stores.
Pretty face Floyd (he hated this name given to him by the public) died at the age of 30, Bonnie when she was 24 and Clyde at the age of 25, Ned Kelly died when he was 26. The fact remains that if Floyd and Kelly had worked for the public good within legal boundaries they would have done much more. If Floyd had wanted to help he could have become an industrialist and thrown away more money than he ever did as an outlaw. He could have done social work or joined politics and worked for the good of the society throughout a long life.
The fact is cold and undeniable, staring at us in the face – Floyd and Kelly died young, but imagine how much good they could have done if they had lived their full lives. Half the time they were running away or hiding themselves from the authorities. The lives of crime they chose were unrewarding for themselves and for the public, and we must not forget that hey killed innocent people, which must have been burdening their conscious all the time. They had to kill in order to survive. Bonnie and Clyde as I’ve mentioned before never did anything for the poor. The only part I find interesting is Bunnies interest in creative writing especially poetry. Perhaps this fact aswell as the fact that she was a female helped in portraying them as unique outlaws and ultimately elevating them to the status of a legend.
Links:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/may/22/australia.mainsection1
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/books/reviews/6324371.html
Kelly they say committed bank robberies to fund the push for a "Republic of the North-East of Victoria", and that the police even found a declaration of the republic in his pocket after his capture. He had received some basic schooling and once risked his life to save another boy, Richard Shelton, from drowning. As a reward he was given a green sash by the boy's family, which he was still wearing at the time of his final shootout with the police. However he did little for the poor during his criminal life. Neverthelesshe was very popular, and it is estimated that a petition to spare Kelly's life attracted over 30,000 signatures, although this remains unconfirmed.
The story of Bonnie and Clyde is even more fascinating, Bonnie had attended high school and excelled in creative writing and even won a county league contest. She was also a poet and has had her poems published. Contrary to beliefs it is said she never fired a gun although she stood by Clyde throughout his/their criminal careers. However they too did more or less nothing for the poor and needful. Infact Clyde did very few bank robberies and did only small time jobs, which included robbing the lower class, people for example owners of filling stations and grocery stores.
Pretty face Floyd (he hated this name given to him by the public) died at the age of 30, Bonnie when she was 24 and Clyde at the age of 25, Ned Kelly died when he was 26. The fact remains that if Floyd and Kelly had worked for the public good within legal boundaries they would have done much more. If Floyd had wanted to help he could have become an industrialist and thrown away more money than he ever did as an outlaw. He could have done social work or joined politics and worked for the good of the society throughout a long life.
The fact is cold and undeniable, staring at us in the face – Floyd and Kelly died young, but imagine how much good they could have done if they had lived their full lives. Half the time they were running away or hiding themselves from the authorities. The lives of crime they chose were unrewarding for themselves and for the public, and we must not forget that hey killed innocent people, which must have been burdening their conscious all the time. They had to kill in order to survive. Bonnie and Clyde as I’ve mentioned before never did anything for the poor. The only part I find interesting is Bunnies interest in creative writing especially poetry. Perhaps this fact aswell as the fact that she was a female helped in portraying them as unique outlaws and ultimately elevating them to the status of a legend.
Links:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/may/22/australia.mainsection1
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/books/reviews/6324371.html
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