Henry Methvin
Henry Methvin | |
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Armed robbery Murder | |
Criminal penalty | 10 years imprisonment Life imprisonment |
Henry Methvin (April 8, 1912 – April 19, 1948) was an American criminal, a bank robber, and a Depression-era outlaw. He is best remembered as the final member of
Biography
Early life
Henry Methvin was born in Louisiana on April 8, 1912, to Ivan "Ivy" T. Methvin and Avie Stephens.[1]
Barrow gang
Methvin was serving a 10-year prison sentence at the Eastham prison farm in Huntsville, Texas when Bonnie and Clyde came to break out Raymond Hamilton on January 16, 1934. One guard was killed and another wounded in the prison break. In the confusion, Methvin and three other inmates took the opportunity to escape with Hamilton.[1] Though Hamilton initially ordered them to go back, Clyde welcomed the convicts and offered to let them join the gang. Though the three other opportunistic inmates chose to take their chances alone, Methvin accepted Clyde's offer to stay. He remained with the gang until their end four months later.[2]
About a month after the breakout, on February 19, Methvin joined Hamilton and Barrow in stealing guns and ammunition from a
Conflicting reports from relatives and alleged eyewitnesses have implicated each of the four gang members. Barrow was inconsistent about who he believed was the shooter. He wrote to relatives blaming Methvin, who he claimed had misunderstood Barrow’s suggestion that they "take" the troopers, meaning to disarm and take them for a "joyride", and instead opened fire. In a later letter to authorities, Barrow named Hamilton as the killer.[2]
Regardless of Methvin's role, he was part of another of the gang's murders five days later. On April 6, their car became stuck in mud near Commerce, Oklahoma. While trying to get the car moving, they were surprised by two local officers out on patrol and fired at them. Constable Cal Campbell was killed, and Police Chief Percy Boyd was wounded. Boyd was taken hostage by the gang and later released at Mangle Corner, near Fort Scott, Kansas. The next day, while eating at a cafe in Stillwater, they abruptly left when a patrolman passed by. Methvin and the gang remained on the run for the next few months.[2]
On April 30, Methvin took part in a Kansas bank robbery with the Barrow gang, joined by Joe Palmer, and they escaped with $2,800. On May 1, the gang was identified in a bank robbery in
According to most versions of the story, Methvin told his father that the gang had planned a spot for a rendezvous in the event that any of the gang were separated. Methvin was supposed to meet the gang on a deserted stretch of highway south of
On May 23, 1934, Ivan Methvin parked his truck near the meeting spot and removed one of the wheels as if changing a flat tire. When Bonnie and Clyde stopped to assist Methvin, Hamer gave the signal and his 6-man posse fired, killing both of them. An alternate scenario in the 1990s, supposedly suppressed for over 60 years, claimed that Ivan Methvin had been forced to go along with the ambush. He was stopped by lawmen on the highway and tied to a tree while his truck was parked on the road so that Bonnie and Clyde would slow and be looking in the wrong direction when the ambush was sprung. Afterwards Hamar reassured Ivan Methvin that Henry hadn't been present or killed, and made a deal with him that Henry would not be charged for the Grapevine killings in exchange for Ivan Methvin saying nothing about unlawful confinement.[2]
Although Henry Methvin avoided legal culpability for the Grapevine murders, his arrangement did not preclude prosecution for the Oklahoma murder of Constable Campbell. While he was locked up in the county jail, he and another prisoner tried to escape by overpowering the jailer. Their plan was to rush the jailer and the other prisoner would stab the jailer to death with a large pocket knife they had concealed in their cell. The jailer, a Seneca Cayuga Native American man by the name of Tom Armstrong, overpowered Methvin and the escape was foiled. Another inmate helped the jailer by securing the other prisoner until Armstrong was able to detain Methvin.[1][2]
Methvin spent the rest of his pre-trial time in the hole. He was found guilty of the Constable Campbell's murder and sentenced to death on December 20, 1935. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on September 18, 1936. He was paroled on March 20, 1942. Methvin continued to remain in trouble with the law. In November 1945, he was jailed for fighting and carrying a shotgun. Eleven months later he was arrested for attempted robbery and drunk driving near Shreveport, Louisiana.[1][2]
Death
On April 19, 1948, Methvin was intoxicated while attempting to cross a railroad track and was killed by an oncoming train. Although it has been speculated that his death was retribution for the deaths of Bonnie and Clyde, especially after the similar death of his father Ivan 16 months earlier, no evidence of foul play has ever been produced.[1][2]
In modern popular culture
Television
- Garrett Kruithof portrayed Henry Methvin in the 2013 mini-series History Channel and A&Ein December 2013.
- Billy Wickman portrayed Methvin in the 2016 Timeless first season episode "Last Ride of Bonnie & Clyde", which aired on NBC in December 2016.
- Jake Dashnaw portrayed Methvin in the 2019 Netflix film The Highwaymen. W. Earl Brown portrayed his father, Ivan Methvin, in the movie.
References
- ^ ISBN 1-58980-514-3
- ^ ISBN 0-8160-4488-0
External links
- Henry Methvin
- Henry Methvin at TexasHideout.com
- Clyde Barrow & Henry Methvin at EmmetLabs.com
- Henry Methvin at Find a Grave
- Henry Methvin at Internet Movie Database (Archive version from 2016-03-11)