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Dalton Gang's Raid on CoffeyvilleWild West | Single Page | 13 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post
Bob and Emmett ran around a block, out of the townspeople's sight, paused to kill two citizens and ran on, turned down a little passage and emerged in the alley about the time that Grat and the others got there. Somebody nailed Bob Dalton, who sat down, fired several aimless shots, slumped over and died. Liveryman John Kloehr put the wounded Grat down for good with a bullet in the neck. Power died in the dust about 10 feet away. Broadwell, mortally wounded, got to his horse and rode a half — mile toward safety before he pitched out of the saddle and died in the road. Subscribe Today
Emmett, already hit, jerked his horse back into the teeth of the citizens' fire, reaching down from the saddle for his dead or dying brother Bob. As he did so, the town barber blew Emmett out of the saddle with a load of buckshot, and the fight was over. Four citizens were dead. So were four bandits, and Emmett was punched full of holes — more than 20 of them. Which accounted for all the bandits… or did it?
Emmett always said there were only five bandits. However, four sober, respectable townsfolk, the Hollingsworths and the Seldomridges, said they had passed six riders heading into town, although nobody else who saw the raiders come in thought there were more than five. And, two days after the fight, David Stewart Elliott, editor of the Coffeyville Journal, had this to say: It is supposed the sixth man was too well — known to risk coming into the heart of the city, and that he kept off some distance and watched the horses.
Later, in his excellent Last Raid of the Daltons, Elliott did not mention a sixth rider, although he used much of the text of his newspaper story about the raid. Maybe he had talked to the Seldomridges and Hollingsworths, and maybe they had told him they could not be certain there were six riders. Maybe — but still another citizen also said more than five bandits attacked Coffeyville. Tom Babb, an employee of the Condon Bank, many years later told a reporter that he had seen a sixth man gallop out of Death Alley away from the plaza, turn south and disappear.
If Tom Babb saw anything, it might have been Bitter Creek Newcomb, also a nominee for the sixth man. He was a veteran gang member, said to have been left out of the raid because he was given to loose talk. One story has Bitter Creek riding in from the south to support the gang from a different angle. If he did, Babb might have seen him out of the Condon's windows, which faced south.
The trouble with Babb's story is not the part about seeing a sixth bandit — , it's the rest of it. After Grat and his men left the Condon, Babb said he ran madly through the cross — fire between Isham's Hardware and the fleeing bandits, dashed around a block and arrived in the alley as the sixth man galloped past: He was lying down flat on his saddle, and that horse of his was going as fast as he could go. Finally, he stood right next to Kloehr, the valiant liveryman, as he cut down two of the gang. Maybe so. Babb was young and eager, and as he said, I could run pretty fast in those days.
Still, it's a little hard to imagine anybody sprinting through a storm of gunfire unarmed, dashing clear around a city block, and fetching up in an alley ravaged by rifle slugs. To stand next to Kloehr he would probably have had to run directly past the outlaws, who were still shooting at anything that moved. And nobody else mentioned Babb's extraordinary dash, even though at least a dozen townsmen were in position to see if it had happened.
Still, there is no hard evidence to contradict Babb. Nor is there any reason to think that his memory had faded when he told his story. Maybe he exaggerated, wanting just a little more part in the defense of the town than he actually took… and maybe he told the literal truth. So, if Babb and the others were right, who was the fabled sixth man?
Well, the most popular candidate was always Bill Doolin, who in 1896 told several lawmen he rode along on the raid. No further questioning was ever possible, because in 1896 Doolin shot it out with the implacable lawman Heck Thomas and came in second. A whole host of writers supported Doolin's tale. His horse went lame, the story goes, and Doolin turned aside to catch another mount, arriving in town too late to help his comrades. The obvious trouble with this theory is that no bandit leader would have attacked his objective short — handed instead of waiting a few minutes for one of his best guns to steal a new horse. Pages: 1 2 3 4Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
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13 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
Carey Seaman (correctly spelled Cary Semans) was my gggreat grandfather. He was the town barber and had just came back into town from hunting. He was mostly the only one with his gun and ammo. He Unloaded both barrals into Emmett. When Emmett was released from Jail the Semans went into hiding unsure if Emmett would come after them.
I can't wait to make a trip to Coffeyville, KS. I have a bank bag from one of the banks.
linniemaym2@yahoo.com
By Linnie on Nov 8, 2009 at 9:59 pm
em wasn't the youngest brother, the 6th rider was the youngest brother. whom the rest were trying 2 protect. when everything went wrong he ran, headed south 2 florida where he changed his name and married a cherokee woman. (the irony is no one every though it was him so he ran for nothing, but he was my great-great grandfather.)
By shauna on Feb 10, 2010 at 4:17 pm