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Dalton Gang’s Raid on Coffeyville| Wild West | 11 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post They rode in from the west through a crisp, brilliant October morning in 1892, a little group of dusty young men. They laughed and joked and ‘baa’ed at the sheep and goats along the way. In a few minutes they would kill some citizens who had never harmed them. And in just a few minutes more, four of these carefree riders were going to die. Subscribe Today
For they planned to rob two banks at once, something nobody else had ever done, not even the James boys. They had chosen the First National and the Condon in pleasant, busy Coffeyville, Kan. Three of the young men were brothers named Dalton, and they knew the town, or thought they did, for they had lived nearby for several years. Coffeyville was a prosperous town, with enough loot to take them far away from pursuing lawmen.
Now, 110 years after the raid, much of what happened is lost in the swirling mists of time. Today it’s hard to sort out fact from invention, and one of the remaining questions is this: How many bandits actually rode up out of the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) to steal the savings of hard — working Kansas citizens? Most historians say there were five raiders … but some say there was a sixth rider, one who fled, leaving the others to die under the citizens’ flaming Winchesters.
Coffeyville was unprepared, a peaceful little town, where nobody, not even the marshal, carried a gun. The gang might have gotten away with stealing the citizens’ savings that October 5 morning except for Coffeyville’s penchant for civic improvement. For the town was paving some of its downtown streets, and in the course of the job the city fathers had moved the very hitching racks to which the gang had planned to tether their allimportant horses. So the outlaws tied their mounts to a fence in a narrow passage, called Death Alley today. They walked together down the alley, crossed an open plaza, and walked into the two unsuspecting banks. Tall, handsome Bob Dalton was the leader, an intelligent man with a fearsome reputation as a marksman. Grat, the eldest, was a slow — witted thug whose avocations were thumping other people, gambling, and sopping up prodigious amounts of liquor. He was described as having the heft of a bull calf and the disposition of a baby rattlesnake. Emmett, or Em, was the baby of the lot, only 21 on the day of the raid, but already an experienced robber. The boys came from a family of 15 children, the offspring of Adeline Youngeraunt to the outlaw Younger boys — and shiftless Lewis Dalton, sometime farmer, saloonkeeper and horse fancier.
Backing the Dalton boys were two experienced charter members of the gang, Dick Broadwell and Bill Power (often spelled Powers). Power was a Texas boy who had punched cows down on the Cimarron before he decided robbing people was easier than working. Broadwell, scion of a good Kansas family, went wrong after a young lady stole his heart and his bankroll and left him flat in Fort Worth.
Grat Dalton led Power and Broadwell into the Condon. Em and Bob went on to the First National. Once inside, they threw down on customers and employees and began to collect the banks’ money. However, somebody recognized one of the Daltons, and citizens were already preparing to take them on.
Next door to the First National was Isham’s Hardware, which looked out on the Condon and the plaza and down Death Alley to where the gang had left their horses, at least 300 feet away. Isham’s and another hardware store handed out weapons to anybody who wanted them, and more than a dozen citizens were set to ventilate the gang members as they left the banks. The first shots were fired at Emmett and Bob, who dove back into the First National and then out the back door, killing a young store clerk in the process.
Grat was bamboozled by a courageous Condon employee who blandly announced that the time lock (which had opened long before) would not unlock for several minutes. Grat, instead of trying the door, stood and waited, while outside the townsmen loaded Winchesters and found cover. When bullets began to punch through the bank windows, Grat, Broadwell and Power charged out into the leadswept plaza, running hard for the alley and snapping shots at the nest of rifles in Isham’s Hardware. All three were hit before they reached their horses — dust puffed from their clothing as rifle bullets tore into them. Pages: 1 2 3 4Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
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11 Comments to “Dalton Gang’s Raid on Coffeyville”
My GGGrandfather was John Guffey of Greenwood County, who
died in Coffeyville in may of 1894, his son was William Guffey
who lived between Greenwood county where he was born and the
Nowata area of the indian Territory where his son Jack Guffey
was born. William was born in 1870 in Eureka KS. William and
Jack and families moved to SW Colorado around the turn of the
century. I grew up around Jack and he and his daughter told
many stories of their days in the area of Coffeyville. He said that
his father William raised race horses and would leave them
outside his barn saddled and tied up at night, in the morning
there would be differentt tired wore out horses and money left
behind, suggesting that he was supplying the outlaws with good
quality horses, that is wwhy they couldn’t be caught. I always
wondered if William of John weren’t involved with the Daltons.
My grandfatehr William who would have been in his 20s during
their time would not take a photograph or would hide his face
whwen one as taken, like he didn’t want to be identiied, every
single picture, his face is shadowed or hidden. Your article said
that the 6th man was to well known in town to risk being seen, I
just wonder?? thanks for the info. Dennis Guffey
By Dennis Guffey on Nov 1, 2008 at 2:05 pm
The Dalton brothers were my great-great uncles, evidently. My oldest brother looks exactly like Grat Dalton. I very much would like to visit Coffeyville to find this out. Apparently my grandfather gave one of their guns to the museum there. It’s interesting. All these stories sound like they came out of a backlot in Hollywood. What a history we have.
By M Dalton on Nov 22, 2008 at 3:26 am
In a 1850 US CENSUS in Ohio, I have relatives, Jeremiah Beard, Timothy Beard, and William Beard listed under one household with two Daltons: Rebecca and Wallace.
I understand, of course, that not every Dalton is related to the Daltons of the Coffeyville Raid, but the interesting thing is that there is a Frank Beard who’d owned land next to Coffeyville.
Does anyone have any clues how to find any connections?
Thanks!
-Aaron Welch (aaronwelch@mac.com)
By Aaron on Nov 22, 2008 at 2:14 pm
This post is for Dennsis.
Hay! seen your message about your brother looking like Grat. I live here in Fort Smith, Arkasnsas and have been interested in the Dalton gang for years. Love to read everything that I can get my hands on about them. I have a wonderful DVD from the History Channel about the Daltons that I watch over and over again. I have even been down to the Fort Smith Muesum of History and got some of Grat’s documents on file there. One was a letter that he sent when he was in Indian Territory and was writing to John Carroll in Fort Smith about a man that had been assaulted with a knife. And the other documents was of Grat’s when he was arreested for larceny.
I have family heritage that goes back on my fathers side of the family to the hang man that was there in Fort Smith, George Maledon. Probably your great-great uncles worked, talked and knew some of my great-great relatives back in the day!
Grat and Bill Powers are my favorites! Would like to see your brother picture! That would be cool!
Small world!
By Karen on Dec 12, 2008 at 3:26 pm
The Dalton Gang are my relatives. If I remember what my mother said, they are my First Cousins, 8 times removed. My grandmother (my father’s mother) was a Dalton by birth. We have evidence from genealogy records to prove this, too.
I also live in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It IS a small world, isn’t it?
By Terah on Jan 7, 2009 at 7:54 pm
This past July, one of my cousins informed me that we are related to the Daltons…boy,does that explain a lot ! When I saw their pix
all laid out dead and smiling, it was if I were looking at the facial
structures of my family. Oddly enough I am proud and found out
that we have French blood too. Do you think I can get my boys out of jams by pleading some new genetic defense? Just kidding
not. If anyone is my kin, let’s have a get-together, I live in Florida.
Better yet let’s do a piece on the TV station I work with:
studiomaggie@hotmail.com
By Maggie Zimmerman Fitzpatrick on Jan 18, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Well I haven’t been to this web page in a while but I live here in Fort Smith and love to read everything that I can about the Dalton’s. I have a wonderful email pen pal that live in the UK. She sends me some of the most wonderful documents ever on the Alila train robbery! Living here in Fort Smith and seeing that my father came from here in this area we did genology research and found out that my dad was related to the George Maledon the hangman down at the old court house and that Frank and Ben Dalton had taken a photo with hjm and Parker in the 1880’s some time. WOW! Started my renewal of the Dalton’s for sure. Really enjoy everything that I can get my hands on about them.
By Karen on Mar 6, 2009 at 5:48 pm
These brother’s are my cousins a well. My granddad Mitchell Lewis Dalton Sr. was born in 1875. His middle name comes from their dad Lewis Dalton . I have all the family heir looms and pictures to prove this fact. I am proud to know that these brothers are my relatives. If you know the history of them Bob was a U.S.Marshall before the goverment turned them into outlaws, by taking away what they had worked for. So they decided to take back what the government took from them.I really am glad to know that my family is a big part of U.S. history.
By Mitchell Lewis Dalton III on Jul 19, 2009 at 4:37 am
I made a mistake by saying that Bob Dalton was the Deputy U.S. Marshall. it was Frank Dalton that was the lawman.I was typing to fast and submitted my comments before proof reading what i wrote.
By Mitchell Lewis Dalton III on Jul 19, 2009 at 5:05 am
I was born in Coffeyville Kansas in 1949 and grew up with Dalton Gang stories. I used to swim in Onion creek where the gang camped the night before the raid and grew up on 8th street which was the dusty road they slowly traversed to their deaths on that beautiful October 5, 1892. I used to ride my bicycle to town on that same route and park in death alley and stroll out of the alley to the Condon bank and look at the bullet holes in it’s walls. My grandfather James O. Calton Sr. was on the police force in Coffeyville beginning in the late 1920’s. He knew many of the key defenders in the raid. I do not believe there has been a greater loss of life in a bank robbery in the United States, 8 dead. I also don’t believe there has been a bank robbery in Coffeyville since. As you can tell I am proud to be from Coffeyville, Kansas.
By Mark on Jul 28, 2009 at 8:15 pm
looking for infomation on my ggg grandmother liz hensley dalton lawrence . she lived possibly near graves co ky. her dalton sons were john jube and dan . i was once told by an elderly realitive that dan ’twere the only one what rode with frank and jessie. i nmy e mhave a love for all my family and would enjoy knowing more.my email is cindyneedham@gmail.com
By cindy needham holt on Aug 31, 2009 at 2:12 am