Ted Hinton
Encyclopedia
Ted Hinton was a Dallas County, Texas
, Deputy Sheriff, the youngest of the posse that ambushed and killed Bonnie and Clyde
near Gibsland
, Louisiana
, on May 23, 1934.
Hinton, then twenty-nine, was assigned to accompany Deputy Sheriff Bob Alcorn on the premise that Hinton knew Clyde Barrow and could identify him. Hinton and Alcorn were assigned by Dallas County Sheriff Richard A. "Smoot" Schmid to assist Frank Hamer
and his assistant Benjamin Gault in a shoot-to-kill order against Bonnie and Clyde that originated with the Texas prison system chief Lee Simmons. When the Texans reached Bienville Parish
on the trail of Bonnie and Clyde, they enlisted the aid of Sheriff Henderson Jordan
and his deputy, Prentiss Oakley, as required for jurisdictional purposes.
Hinton became a Sheriff's Deputy in 1932 following the election of Schmid. An avid baseball
player, Hinton passed up a chance to join the Cleveland Indians
because he did not want to spend time away from his wife and young son. Born in Tulsa
, Oklahoma
, and reared in Dallas
, he knew the Barrow family in his youth.
Ted Hinton was also once acquainted with young Bonnie Parker while she was working in Marco's Cafe in Dallas. Because of her good looks, many of the male customers would flirt with her. Hinton was always gentlemanly and treated Bonnie with respect. Hinton admitted in a later biography that he had a crush on Bonnie, which made it difficult for him as one of the men on the team sent to kill her and her lover, Clyde.
, claiming Methvin would plot the ambush if his son, Henry Methvin
received a pardon. Hinton claimed that a deal was reached by the members of the Posse whereby the last surviving member would tell this version of events after all others had died. This member happened to be Hinton. His version of events is disputed.
, he gave flying instructions to new recruits in the Army Air Corps
just prior to World War II
. Hinton went on to own a restaurant and died in 1977. Ted Hinton is buried in Sparkman-Hillcrest Cemetery in Dallas, along with his wife.
Dallas County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,218,899 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile . There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi...
, Deputy Sheriff, the youngest of the posse that ambushed and killed Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were well-known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934...
near Gibsland
Gibsland, Louisiana
Gibsland is a town in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. Conveniently near Interstate 20 and less than an hour from both Shreveport and Monroe, Louisiana, Gibsland offers small town living with access to urban amenities...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, on May 23, 1934.
History
Frank Hamer
Francis Augustus Hamer was a Texas Ranger, known in popular culture for his involvement in tracking down and killing the criminal duo Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934...
and his assistant Benjamin Gault in a shoot-to-kill order against Bonnie and Clyde that originated with the Texas prison system chief Lee Simmons. When the Texans reached Bienville Parish
Bienville Parish, Louisiana
Bienville Parish is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Arcadia and as of the 2000 census, the population is 15,752....
on the trail of Bonnie and Clyde, they enlisted the aid of Sheriff Henderson Jordan
Henderson Jordan (Louisiana sheriff)
Henderson Jordan , as sheriff of Bienville Parish in north Louisiana, was one of six law enforcement officers who on May 23, 1934, ambushed the fugitives Bonnie and Clyde in a deadly encounter on Louisiana Highway 154 between Gibsland and Sailes to the south.-Background:According to his grave...
and his deputy, Prentiss Oakley, as required for jurisdictional purposes.
Hinton became a Sheriff's Deputy in 1932 following the election of Schmid. An avid baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player, Hinton passed up a chance to join the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
because he did not want to spend time away from his wife and young son. Born in Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, and reared in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, he knew the Barrow family in his youth.
Ted Hinton was also once acquainted with young Bonnie Parker while she was working in Marco's Cafe in Dallas. Because of her good looks, many of the male customers would flirt with her. Hinton was always gentlemanly and treated Bonnie with respect. Hinton admitted in a later biography that he had a crush on Bonnie, which made it difficult for him as one of the men on the team sent to kill her and her lover, Clyde.
Controversy
Hinton wrote a book called Ambush in 1977, which was published in 1979, two years after his death, in which he maintained that Ivy T. Methvin was forced to lure Bonnie and Clyde into the ambush site by Frank HamerFrank Hamer
Francis Augustus Hamer was a Texas Ranger, known in popular culture for his involvement in tracking down and killing the criminal duo Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934...
, claiming Methvin would plot the ambush if his son, Henry Methvin
Henry Methvin
Henry Methvin was an American criminal, bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. He is best remembered as the final member of Bonnie and Clyde's gang and whose father, Ivan Methvin, helped arrange their deaths at the hands of a posse headed by Texas lawman Frank Hamer in 1934...
received a pardon. Hinton claimed that a deal was reached by the members of the Posse whereby the last surviving member would tell this version of events after all others had died. This member happened to be Hinton. His version of events is disputed.
Aftermath
Hinton remained a Deputy until 1941. An accomplished pilotAviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, he gave flying instructions to new recruits in the Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
just prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Hinton went on to own a restaurant and died in 1977. Ted Hinton is buried in Sparkman-Hillcrest Cemetery in Dallas, along with his wife.
Books by Ted Hinton
- Hinton, T. with Grove, L., Ambush (The Real Story of Bonnie and Clyde), Shoal Creek Publishers, 1979. ISBN 0-88319-041-9