On Thursday the 26th of January 1933 at around 6:00PM, Springfield Missouri PD Motor Officer Thomas Persell noticed a suspicious Ford occupied by three people in the downtown area.

He followed it northbound on Benton Avenue, and on the far end of the viaduct he stopped the car. As Persell pulled up the driver exited the vehicle with a sawed off shotgun and took the Officer captive.

Persell was placed in the back seat of the auto after the driver removed his revolver. The kidnappers, two young men and a woman, took the Police Officer on a zig zagging 100 mile ride through the Ozarks of SW Missouri finally releasing him near Joplin. As they let him out Persell asked for his revolver back because there was an an abundance of firearms in the car. The driver replied that they might have a need for it.

A few weeks later, following a shootout at an Apartment in Joplin that left two Officers dead, authorities found among other things some undeveloped film of the Barrow gang. At least two poses prominently displayed Officer Persell's prized S&W Triple lock .44 Special with distinctive jig bone grips.One showed Bonnie Parker with a necktie tied around her waist with the TL and another revolver stuck in the make shift belt.

Another image showed Clyde posing in front of his car with several guns. Hanging from the radiator cap is the Triple lock stolen from Persell.