Prentiss Oakley

Prentiss M. Oakley (1905-1958) was a member of the six-man posse that gunned down killed the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde in 1934 in Bienville Parish in north Louisiana. Then a deputy under Sheriff Henderson Jordan, Oakley fired the first two shots through a Remington Model 8 semi-automatic rifle which instantly killed Clyde Barrow. L.J. "Boots" Hinton (born ca. 1933), son of posse member Ted Hinton, retired from Dallas, Texas, to Gibsland, Louisiana, to operate the Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum, housed in a former cafe where Bonnie and Clyde ate their last meal, a breakfast. The ambush occurred as planned some ten miles south of Gibsland on Louisiana State Highway 154 toward Sailes. Hinton recalls that his father clearly reported that Oakley "fired the first two shots, bull barrel 35 Remington - hit Clyde right there. That was it."
A subsequent volley of shots killed the screaming Bonnie Parker. Alcorn, Gault, and Oakley guarded the bodies of Bonnie and Clyde as the other officers went to nearby Arcadia, the seat of Bienville Parish government, to find the coroner so that he could certify the death certificates. Onlookers, however, tore through the police blockade to grab souvenirs of the fugitives and just to pull out some hair or to touch the bloody bodies. Bonnie and Clyde were embalmed at the former Conger Funeral Home in Arcadia and transported to Dallas for separate funerals and burials.
Sheriff Jordan had requested Oakley's participation in the ambush because of the deputy's excellent marksmanship. Oakley borrowed the rifle from a friend, an Arcadia dentist named "Shehee", and procured a .30 calibre Winchester rifle for use by Sheriff Jordan. Oakley and Ted Hinton of Dallas County were the youngest members of the posse, which also included the legendary Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, Bob Alcorn, and B.M. "Manny" Gault, all sent by Dallas County Sheriff Richard A. "Smoot" Schmid. Hinton (October 5, 1904—October 1977), was the last surviving member of the posse. Son "Boots" Hinton has devoted his last years to honor his father's legacy.
Oakley was elected sheriff in 1940, when Henderson did not seek another term. Oakley retired from the sheriff's department shortly before his death. Both Oakley and Jordan died in 1958 and are interred at Arcadia Cemetery off Hazel Street several blocks from the Bienville Parish Courthouse.<ref name=mns/>

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