She was thought to be very bright and pretty and in her youth, there were no signs of the criminal path she would later take. She had big dreams for herself, but sadly most of them had to stay dreams.There was no room on the Broadway stage for girls from the slums of Dallas. Although she was one of the brightest kids on her class she had limited option for her career after high school. College was out of the questions because her mother barely made enough money to feed them everyday. She would have to choose between becoming a factory worker, a seamstress, or a clerk in a shop. Those were the only options for girls raised in Cement City.
During high school, she started dating a fellow classmate, Roy Thornton, and they got married when she was 16. The marriage proved to be unsuccessful however, and ended shortly after it began after Roy proved to be abusive. Bonnie ended it but they never got officially divorced. In November 1929, the effects of the stock market crash hot Dallas and many small businesses closed, the store Bonnie worked at being one of them. Bonnie was now broke, without a job and no husband. Her dreams became less and less of a reality as the days