Bob Dalton (outlaw)
Encyclopedia
Robert Reddick Dalton better known as Bob Dalton, was an American
outlaw
in the American Old West
. He led the ill-fated Dalton Gang
raid on two banks in Coffeyville, Kansas
. Ambushed by town citizens Bob, Bill Power, Grat Dalton and Dick Broadwell were all killed.
. Lewis Dalton was a saloon
keeper in Kansas City, Kansas
, when he married Adeline Younger, the aunt of Cole
and Jim Younger
. By 1882, the family moved to northeast Oklahoma, then known as the Indian Territory
, and by 1886 they had moved to Coffeyville
in southeast Kansas. Bob was one of 13 of the couple's 15 children who survived to maturity. His siblings included: Frank
, Bill, Grat
and Emmett
.
Bob acquired a reputation for being dangerous after he killed a man at age 19. A deputy at the time, he claimed the killing was in the line of duty. The victim, however, was suspected of flirting with a girl that Bob liked.
s. Frank was killed by a gang of horse thieves, the Smith-Dixon Gang, on November 27, 1887 and Bob may have been part of that posse. After that incident Bob wished to be commissioned as a Deputy Marshal in the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas
and assigned to work for the Wichita, Kansas
Court. Additionally, Dalton also served as the Chief of police
for the Osage Nation
while he was with the Kansas court.
On August 26, 1889, Dalton was sent to Coffeyville, Kansas to arrest a man named Charley Montgomery, who was charged with illegally selling whiskey and stealing horses
in Indian Territory. Montgomery resisted arrest and drew his guns forcing Dalton to kill him with his pistol. Since there was no bounty
on Montgomery Dalton did not receive any payment when he returned with Montgomery's corpse to Fort Smith. When no one claimed the outlaw's body, as was the custom of the time, Dalton was required to pay for the burial.
In April 1890, both Dalton and his brother Grat were sent to Claremore, Indian Territory
to arrest Alex Cochran who had been accused of killing U.S. Deputy Marshal Cox. The Daltons followed a rider fitting the description of the fugitive but the rider attempted to distance himself from the two deputies. The man refused to stop so, from a distance of 300 yards, Bob shot both the rider and his horse. The dead man, unfortunately, was Chochran's son, not Alex himself.
While Dalton continued to work as Police chief for the Osage Nation rumors began that he and his youngest brother Emmett were illegally selling whiskey to the Indians and the brothers became involved in a noisy disturbance with them. U.S. Commissioner Fitzpatrick called Bob Dalton in from the field, when he heard of the news, to demand his badge and discharge him from his position. Angered, Dalton claimed that he resigned, rather than being dismissed, over being cheated him out of several expenses. Charged with selling liquor in Indian Territory he would pay his bail
but not appear for his trial.
On the night of February 6, 1891 the Daltons raided a train operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad
, near Alila, stealing $60,000. The boys were accused of the crime causing Bob and Emmett to flee the state, with a posse after them, while Grat and Bill were arrested. Grat would be found guilty on July 3, 1891 after a jury trial.
and Bill Power. Acquaintances of Emmett from other ranches included Charlie Pierce
, George Newcomb, Charlie Bryant, and Richard Broadwell. Bob, as gang leader, decided they needed reinforcements and the future gang recruits were tough men who would help the brothers rob banks and trains throughout the Oklahoma Territory
over the following 18 months.
The Dalton boys, at first, connected with Bryant and Newcomb in Wharton, Oklahoma Territory to rob a train in May 1891 earning $1745. Shortly after the robbery, Bryant fell ill and was taken to Hennessey
to see a doctor. After being spotted and arrested by Deputy Marshal Ed Short, during an escape attempt, they would kill each other
On the night of September 15, 1891 they next robbed was the KATY train at Leliaetta, near Wagoner, Indian Territory
. Bob and Emmett Dalton led Newcomb, Powers, Broadwell, Pierce and Doolin on the raid. The gang stopped and boarded the train and then robbed $2500 from the express car.
Grat escaped from jail on Sept. 18 while awaiting sentence in California. He promptly returned to Oklahoma to rejoin his brothers. At the end of May 1892 the three Dalton brothers led Pierce, Newcomb, Powers, Broadwell, and Doolin on another train robbery. At the Red Rock train station, June 1, 1892, the gang positioned themselves to await an approaching train. A train entered the station with its coaches dark, which alerted the gang to a problem, so they allowed it to continue. A second train suddenly arrived which the gang boarded as it stopped at the station. They gang boarded it and robbed it but only collected $50. The gang would later discover that the first train carried armed guards protecting $70,000 of the Sac and Fox Nation
annuity.
The gang would make its last train robbery at Adair, Indian Territory
on July 14, 1892. The train was again loaded with deputies, but the gang was quick and quiet enough not to disturb the marshals until the job was nearly completed. Exiting from the train the marshals would engage the gang in a violent but short gun battle. The battle would claim the life of an innocent bystander and wound another. The Dalton Gang would escape without casualties but with the cash.
Early on Oct. 5 1892, Bob, Grat, Emmett, Power and Broadwell entered Coffeyville. Tying up their horses in the alley across from the banks, they walked across the street dividing into two groups before entering the Condon National Bank and First National Bank. Well known by the townspeople they were recognized and an alarm was given. Townsmen quickly armed themselves with guns from the local hardware stores and took positions to defend their town. As the Dalton Gang began their escape a gun battle erupted that killed gang members and four town citizens. The lone survivor among the gang, Emmett, was seriously wounded receiving 23 gunshot wounds. He would stand trial for the bank robberies after recovering. Sentenced to life in prison he would be granted a pardon by the governor after 14 years.
Deputy Marshal Heck Thomas
would remember Bob Dalton as the most accurate shot he had ever seen. Dalton is buried at the Coffeyville, Kansas Cemetery under a group marker for himself, his brother Grat, and Bill Power.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
in the American Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
. He led the ill-fated Dalton Gang
Dalton Gang
The Dalton Gang, also known as The Dalton Brothers, was a family of both lawmen and outlaws in the American Old West during 1890-1892. They specialized in bank and train robberies. They were related to the Younger brothers, who rode with Jesse James, though they acted later and independently of...
raid on two banks in Coffeyville, Kansas
Coffeyville, Kansas
Coffeyville is a city situated along the Verdigris River in the southeastern part of Montgomery County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,295...
. Ambushed by town citizens Bob, Bill Power, Grat Dalton and Dick Broadwell were all killed.
Early life
The Dalton family came from Jackson County, MissouriJackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...
. Lewis Dalton was a saloon
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
keeper in Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
, when he married Adeline Younger, the aunt of Cole
Cole Younger
Thomas Coleman "Cole" Younger was an American Confederate guerrilla during the American Civil War and later an outlaw with the James-Younger gang...
and Jim Younger
Jim Younger
James Hardin "Jim" Younger was a notable American outlaw and member of the James-Younger gang. He was the brother of Cole, John and Bob Younger-Life:...
. By 1882, the family moved to northeast Oklahoma, then known as the Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
, and by 1886 they had moved to Coffeyville
Coffeyville, Kansas
Coffeyville is a city situated along the Verdigris River in the southeastern part of Montgomery County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,295...
in southeast Kansas. Bob was one of 13 of the couple's 15 children who survived to maturity. His siblings included: Frank
Frank Dalton
Frank Dalton was a Deputy US Marshal of the Old West under Judge Isaac Parker, for Oklahoma Territory, as well as the older brother to the members of the Dalton Gang, in addition to being the brother to William M. Dalton, once a member of California legislature, and later an outlaw and leader of...
, Bill, Grat
Gratton Dalton
Gratton "Grat" Hanley Dalton was an American outlaw in the American Old West. As leader of the Dalton Gang he died during an ill-fated raid on a bank in Coffeyville, Kansas.-Short career as lawman:...
and Emmett
Emmett Dalton
Emmett Dalton was an American outlaw, train robber and member of the Dalton Gang in the American Old West. Part of the ill-fated Dalton raid on two banks in Coffeyville, Kansas, he survived despite receiving 23 gunshot wounds...
.
Bob acquired a reputation for being dangerous after he killed a man at age 19. A deputy at the time, he claimed the killing was in the line of duty. The victim, however, was suspected of flirting with a girl that Bob liked.
Lawman career
Bob's older brother Frank was a U.S. Deputy Marshal and Bob served with him on several possePosse
Posse may refer to:* Posse comitatus , a group of men assembled to assist in law enforcement* Posse , starring Kirk Douglas* Posse , starring Mario van Peebles...
s. Frank was killed by a gang of horse thieves, the Smith-Dixon Gang, on November 27, 1887 and Bob may have been part of that posse. After that incident Bob wished to be commissioned as a Deputy Marshal in the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
and assigned to work for the Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
Court. Additionally, Dalton also served as the Chief of police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
for the Osage Nation
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation is a Native American Siouan-language tribe in the United States that originated in the Ohio River valley in present-day Kentucky. After years of war with invading Iroquois, the Osage migrated west of the Mississippi River to their historic lands in present-day Arkansas, Missouri,...
while he was with the Kansas court.
On August 26, 1889, Dalton was sent to Coffeyville, Kansas to arrest a man named Charley Montgomery, who was charged with illegally selling whiskey and stealing horses
Horse thief
-United States:The term horse thief came into great popularity in the U.S. during the 19th century. During that time the Great Plains states, Texas, and other western states were sparsely populated and negligibly policed. As farmers tilled the land and migrants headed west through the Great...
in Indian Territory. Montgomery resisted arrest and drew his guns forcing Dalton to kill him with his pistol. Since there was no bounty
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
on Montgomery Dalton did not receive any payment when he returned with Montgomery's corpse to Fort Smith. When no one claimed the outlaw's body, as was the custom of the time, Dalton was required to pay for the burial.
In April 1890, both Dalton and his brother Grat were sent to Claremore, Indian Territory
Claremore, Oklahoma
Claremore is a city and the county seat of Rogers County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 18,581 at the 2010 census, a 17.1 percent increase from 15,873 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area and home to Rogers State University...
to arrest Alex Cochran who had been accused of killing U.S. Deputy Marshal Cox. The Daltons followed a rider fitting the description of the fugitive but the rider attempted to distance himself from the two deputies. The man refused to stop so, from a distance of 300 yards, Bob shot both the rider and his horse. The dead man, unfortunately, was Chochran's son, not Alex himself.
While Dalton continued to work as Police chief for the Osage Nation rumors began that he and his youngest brother Emmett were illegally selling whiskey to the Indians and the brothers became involved in a noisy disturbance with them. U.S. Commissioner Fitzpatrick called Bob Dalton in from the field, when he heard of the news, to demand his badge and discharge him from his position. Angered, Dalton claimed that he resigned, rather than being dismissed, over being cheated him out of several expenses. Charged with selling liquor in Indian Territory he would pay his bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
but not appear for his trial.
Early outlaw career
In July 1890, Bob, Grat, and Emmett were accused of stealing horses near Claremore to sell them in Kansas. With a posse close behind of them Bob and Emmett left the territories for California where brother Bill was residing. Grat was arrested for the crime but would gain his release because of a lack of evidence. He would join his brothers in California.On the night of February 6, 1891 the Daltons raided a train operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
, near Alila, stealing $60,000. The boys were accused of the crime causing Bob and Emmett to flee the state, with a posse after them, while Grat and Bill were arrested. Grat would be found guilty on July 3, 1891 after a jury trial.
18 months
Bob and Emmett retreated to the Indian Territories, but the law was still after them, so they decided to hide themselves. When Emmett worked, previously, at the Bar X Bar Ranch he became friends with cowboys Bill DoolinBill Doolin
William "Bill" Doolin was an American bandit and founder of the Wild Bunch, an outlaw gang that specialized in robbing banks, trains and stagecoaches in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas during the 1890s.- Early life :...
and Bill Power. Acquaintances of Emmett from other ranches included Charlie Pierce
Charlie Pierce
Charles P. Pierce is a nationally known American sportswriter, author, and game show panelist.He graduated from St...
, George Newcomb, Charlie Bryant, and Richard Broadwell. Bob, as gang leader, decided they needed reinforcements and the future gang recruits were tough men who would help the brothers rob banks and trains throughout the Oklahoma Territory
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.-Organization:Oklahoma Territory's...
over the following 18 months.
The Dalton boys, at first, connected with Bryant and Newcomb in Wharton, Oklahoma Territory to rob a train in May 1891 earning $1745. Shortly after the robbery, Bryant fell ill and was taken to Hennessey
Hennessey, Oklahoma
Hennessey is a town in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,058 at the 2000 census.-History:Hennessey is named after Pat Hennessy, an Irish freighter who was killed at the present townsite in April, 1874...
to see a doctor. After being spotted and arrested by Deputy Marshal Ed Short, during an escape attempt, they would kill each other
On the night of September 15, 1891 they next robbed was the KATY train at Leliaetta, near Wagoner, Indian Territory
Wagoner, Oklahoma
Wagoner is a city in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,669 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wagoner County.-Geography:Wagoner is located at ....
. Bob and Emmett Dalton led Newcomb, Powers, Broadwell, Pierce and Doolin on the raid. The gang stopped and boarded the train and then robbed $2500 from the express car.
Grat escaped from jail on Sept. 18 while awaiting sentence in California. He promptly returned to Oklahoma to rejoin his brothers. At the end of May 1892 the three Dalton brothers led Pierce, Newcomb, Powers, Broadwell, and Doolin on another train robbery. At the Red Rock train station, June 1, 1892, the gang positioned themselves to await an approaching train. A train entered the station with its coaches dark, which alerted the gang to a problem, so they allowed it to continue. A second train suddenly arrived which the gang boarded as it stopped at the station. They gang boarded it and robbed it but only collected $50. The gang would later discover that the first train carried armed guards protecting $70,000 of the Sac and Fox Nation
Sac and Fox Nation
The Sac and Fox Nation is the largest of three federally recognized tribes of Sac and Meskwaki Native Americans. They are located in Oklahoma and are predominantly Sac....
annuity.
The gang would make its last train robbery at Adair, Indian Territory
Adair County, Oklahoma
Adair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 22,638. Its county seat is Stilwell. Adair County was named after the Adair family of the Cherokee tribe.-History:...
on July 14, 1892. The train was again loaded with deputies, but the gang was quick and quiet enough not to disturb the marshals until the job was nearly completed. Exiting from the train the marshals would engage the gang in a violent but short gun battle. The battle would claim the life of an innocent bystander and wound another. The Dalton Gang would escape without casualties but with the cash.
Coffeyville raid
The gang split to pursue their own goals after the Adair raid. Bob and his brothers were deeply concerned with the pressure put upon them by the law. They decided to make one last robbery to earn enough money to leave the country. Their plan was to rob two banks in the same town at the same time to get the money and to also make history for accomplishing something that no other outlaw gang had even attempted. Their target was their old hometown of Coffeyville, Kansas.Early on Oct. 5 1892, Bob, Grat, Emmett, Power and Broadwell entered Coffeyville. Tying up their horses in the alley across from the banks, they walked across the street dividing into two groups before entering the Condon National Bank and First National Bank. Well known by the townspeople they were recognized and an alarm was given. Townsmen quickly armed themselves with guns from the local hardware stores and took positions to defend their town. As the Dalton Gang began their escape a gun battle erupted that killed gang members and four town citizens. The lone survivor among the gang, Emmett, was seriously wounded receiving 23 gunshot wounds. He would stand trial for the bank robberies after recovering. Sentenced to life in prison he would be granted a pardon by the governor after 14 years.
Deputy Marshal Heck Thomas
Heck Thomas
Henry Andrew "Heck" Thomas was a lawman on theAmerican frontier, most notably in Oklahoma.-Biography:Thomas was born in 1850 in Athens, Georgia, the youngest of five children of Lovick Pierce Thomas, I and Martha Fulwood Bedell.At the beginning of the American Civil War, at age 12, he accompanied...
would remember Bob Dalton as the most accurate shot he had ever seen. Dalton is buried at the Coffeyville, Kansas Cemetery under a group marker for himself, his brother Grat, and Bill Power.