Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were a notorious couple who captured the public imagination as modern day, gun-toting outlaws during the Great Depression era. Their fame was cemented by Arthur Penn’s classic 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. But few people realize that there were female criminal duos who preceded Bonnie and Clyde, committing robberies and other crimes across America in the early 1900s.
Louise Peete and Lee Archer
One of the earliest known female criminal pairs was Louise Peete and Lee Archer, who teamed up in the 1920s. Louise Peete was already an experienced criminal by then, having been convicted of murdering her boyfriend in 1920. After being released from prison in 1922, she met Lee Archer, who had a history of theft and fraud. Together they embarked on a crime spree across the country that included robbery, check fraud, scamming jewelry stores, and more.
| Name | Background |
|---|---|
| Louise Peete | Convicted of murder in 1920, released from prison in 1922 |
| Lee Archer | History of theft and fraud |
Peete and Archer’s crime spree came to an end in 1926 when Louise Peete was convicted of murdering a man named Jacob Denton. There was speculation that Archer was also involved in Denton’s murder but she was acquitted. Nonetheless, the Peete-Archer criminal duo gained notoriety as a dangerous pair.
The Bobbed Hair Bandits
In the 1920s, a gang of women robbers known as the “Bobbed Hair Bandits” carried out robberies across the country. They were given this nickname due to their fashionable short hairstyles. The gang included three young women – Helen Ferguson, Inez Wilcox, and Opal Long.
| Name | Background |
|---|---|
| Helen Ferguson | The ringleader, had a history of petty crimes |
| Inez Wilcox | Former nightclub dancer |
| Opal Long | Ran away from home as a teenager |
Travelling across the Midwest, the Bobbed Hair Bandits held up shops, restaurants, and gas stations at gunpoint. Between robberies they would pose as wealthy socialites. Their crime spree lasted from 1924 to 1925, ending with their capture in St. Louis.
The Pierce Sisters
Sisters Delia and Stella Pierce caused chaos during the Prohibition era as bootleggers and robbers. Originally from Mississippi, they sold illegal moonshine before expanding into other criminal activities. The Pierces recruited local men to help with their crimes, which included armed robberies of stores and homes.
| Name | Background |
|---|---|
| Delia Pierce | The elder sister, known for her strength and tough personality |
| Stella Pierce | The younger sister who followed Delia’s lead |
The Pierce sisters always wore men’s suits and hats to help conceal their identities during robberies. After a crime spree lasting several years, Delia and Stella were finally arrested in 1929 and sentenced to life in prison.
The Ford Sisters
Notorious criminals Virginia and Jessie Ford operated out of Alabama in the 1930s. They began by bootlegging illegal liquor but eventually expanded into robberies. The Ford sisters commanded groups of male followers to carry out their crimes and help them evade the law.
| Name | Background |
|---|---|
| Virginia Ford | The elder sister and leader of the gang |
| Jessie Ford | The younger sister who followed Virginia’s orders |
Some of their most daring crimes included robbing the bank in their hometown of Roanoke multiple times. The Ford gang’s escapades came to an end in 1933 after a deadly shootout with police that left one officer dead. Virginia was sentenced to death and Jessie to life in prison for their crimes.
The Newton Gang Sisters
Leslie and Jess Newton were members of the infamous Newton Gang, working alongside their brothers Willis, Joe, and Dock. The Newton Gang carried out over 80 bank robberies between 1919 and 1924, utilizing sophisticated explosives and getaway tactics.
| Name | Background |
|---|---|
| Leslie Newton | The eldest sibling, helped scout bank locations |
| Jess Newton | The youngest sibling, chiefly a getaway driver |
Leslie was known as the “Queen of the Robbers” for her key role in planning the Newton Gang’s crimes. She and Jess didn’t actively participate in the robberies but were crucial in supporting their brothers. The Newton sisters helped make the gang one of the most successful bank robbing operations in history.
The AR-7 Girls
This unusual gang of female outlaws was active in Montana during the 1950s. They were called the AR-7 girls due to their weapon of choice being the AR-7 survival rifle. The founding members included Robbie Louie, Naomi Kissack, and Diane Hultman. They recruited other women into their ranks as they expanded their criminal activities.
| Name | Background |
|---|---|
| Robbie Louie | Waitress who was the gang’s leader |
| Naomi Kissack | Cocktail waitress and Robbie’s friend |
| Diane Hultman | Nurse who joined the others |
The AR-7 girls started out robbing bars and restaurants in rural Montana. Their crimes quickly escalated to bank heists, kidnappings, and murder. Male gang members acted as accomplices but Robbie Louie was the undisputed leader. The gang’s reign ended in 1957 when Louie and Kissack were captured following a high-speed chase.
Comparing the Female Criminal Duos
While most famous criminal duos have been male, like Bonnie and Clyde, various daring female pairs challenged that norm over the decades. They proved women could be just as bold, reckless, and dangerous as their male counterparts.
Some common threads connected these female criminal duos:
- One woman tended to take the dominant, leadership role
- Younger female partners followed the direction of the elder partner
- They utilized guns and violence freely to accomplish their crimes
- Some started out with smaller crimes before progressing to more serious offenses
- Most attempted to evade capture by frequently moving around different states
However, each duo also had distinct characteristics:
| Duo | Distinctive Traits |
|---|---|
| Louise Peete and Lee Archer | Long crime spree across multiple states over 4 years |
| The Bobbed Hair Bandits | Robbed places using disguises and trickery |
| The Pierce Sisters | Always dressed as men during robberies |
| The Ford Sisters | Repeatedly hit the same targets like local banks |
| The Newton Gang Sisters | Mainly played support roles in their brothers’ crimes |
| The AR-7 Girls | Rapid escalation from small to major crimes |
These differences highlight how female criminal duos adopted varying strategies and styles, even while operating in similar time periods.
The Downfall of the Duos
In most cases, the criminal exploits of these female pairs ended in capture and imprisonment. Many were only stopped after years of committing daring robberies and amassing notoriety. Contributing factors to their downfalls included:
- Becoming too bold and reckless, leading to fatal shootouts with police
- Returning to previously robbed locations and being recognized
- A member getting arrested and providing information on their partner
- Killing those who could identify them, bringing greater law enforcement focus
Often the women faced long sentences, ranging from life imprisonment to death. Only the Newton sisters avoided prosecution, as they had not directly participated in the gang’s robberies. While many of these duos gained fame or infamy during their crime sprees, their lawbreaking days were finite.
Public Fascination and Media Depictions
The exploits of gun-wielding female criminal pairs drew widespread public attention and media coverage in their times. They represented a subversion of expected gender norms in a male-dominated criminal underworld.
Notable depictions of these women include:
- A 1930s film, “Girl Bandit”, loosely based on the Bobbed Hair Bandits
- A radio show, “Wanted! The Ford Sisters”, airing in the 1940s
- A 1960 film, “Bonnie and Delilah”, fictionalizing the Pearce sisters
- A 2010 made-for-TV movie, “Ghost Phone: The Story of the Newton Boys Sisters”
These duos also featured in contemporary newspapers, true crime magazines, novels, and other media. Though sometimes sensationalized, these accounts further cemented public fascination with the female criminals.
Legacy and Significance
While largely forgotten today compared to Bonnie and Clyde, these daring duos were important in their eras for various reasons:
- They captivated the public in a way individual female criminals did not
- Their crimes demonstrated women’s capabilities outside of traditional gender roles
- They paved the way for later notorious women like Ma Barker and her gang
- Their distinctive styles influenced crime techniques used by others
- They revealed inadequacies in law enforcement tactics and training at the time
Overall, the female criminal duos of the early 20th century broke the mold and pushed boundaries through their headline-grabbing sprees. They proved that Bonnie and Clyde were not an anomaly – women were just as capable when it came to potentially deadly, organized crime.
Conclusion
The female criminal duos profiled here upended stereotypes about women being weaker or less threatening criminals than men. Groups like the Bobbed Hair Bandits, the Ford Sisters, the AR-7 Girls and others created alarm with their fearless robberies and acts of violence. They became notorious figures, even at a time when criminal women were rarities. Though their escapades ultimately ended in failure, these duos left a legacy and set an example of female empowerment that still resonates today. Their exploits demolished restrictive gender barriers in the world of organized crime and proven women could be just as boldly criminal as men.