Oklahoma Outlaw

[tulsapoolplyr88]

http://www.kotv.com/news/topstory/?id=127829

http://www.kotv.com/e-clips/?id=6271



"Pretty Boy" Floyd's Car Unearthed And Restored
KOTV - 5/21/2007 3:48 PM - Updated 5/21/2007 4:14 PM

Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd was a notorious Depression-era bank robber who grew up in Oklahoma. A piece of Floyd's crime history in the Sooner state was dug out of the Illinois River 14 years ago, and The News On 6's Rick Wells reports, the 1929 Ford looks nothing like it did when "Pretty Boy" ditched it in the river, except for the bullet holes.

"Pretty Boy" Floyd's 1929 Model A Ford lay in the mud of the Illinois River for 60 years until Joe Ford and his sons dug it up. They were deer hunting when one of the boys thought he saw something.

"Dad, don't that look like an old car down there?" asked Joe Ford's son.

Sure enough it was. The car was buried up to the roof line in mud, and it took two days to dig it out. After years of research Ford's sure the car once belonged to bank robber "Pretty Boy" Floyd.

"We confirmed that, took us two-and-a-half years to track it down," said Ford.

There are 52 bullet holes in the back of the car, got 'em one night in 1932 down near Ada, Oklahoma in a run in with federal agents.

"He just took off through the corn field, corn stalks were just a flyin' over the top of the car, the agents run out of the timber, they fired 110 rounds at the car. There's 52 of them that hit the body of the car," said Ford.

None hit "Pretty Boy," he had armor plate on the back of the seats.

Joe Ford and his sons did all the restoration work on the '29 themselves, except the upholstery, and it took five years to restore the Model A. They wanted to drive it on the street so they added some stuff like the engine, a 327 Chevy.

"That's what everybody says that looks at it, if the car had this in it there wouldn't be any bullet hole in the car," said Ford.

Joe Ford takes the car to car shows all over Oklahoma. It has won lots of awards, and it isn't hard to recognize, it's the only one with 52 bullet holes in the back.

[inteller]

now THAT is sweet.

[jamesrage]

Oh good lets glorify a human cockroach from the depression era.Maybe in 70 years from now they can restore Timothy McVeigh's car and glorify him.

[cannon_fodder]

Not that I want to glorify thugs, but Pretty Boy was not a murderer.  There is not one documented incident of him murdering anyone.  Some are attributed to him, much the same way that every bank robbery in the state was attributed to him and every other crime.  He had many chances to kill people and at times even had "reason" (Ie. non compliance with orders), but he apparently never did.  

Tim, on the other hand, mass murdered people ancillary to his purpose to make a point.  Men, women, and children - for no real reason.  Of the two men, I can at least understand the motivations of Floyd - $$$ and agree that he used the least harmful means to obtain his goal.  Not that I agree with his means, but it is far more desirable than mass murder.

That said, the car is awesome.  How fun to have a piece of history and work to restore it as a show piece.

[cannon_fodder]

ps. showed this to several guys at work and everyone loved it.  Thanks.