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Dalton Gang’s Raid on CoffeyvilleWild West | 12 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post
Nevertheless, the Doolin enthusiasts theorized that Doolin had gotten his new horse and was on his way to catch up with the gang when he met a citizen riding furiously to warn the countryside. The man stopped to ask Doolin if he had met any bandits. Doolin naturally said he hadn’t, and, ever resourceful, added: Holy smoke! I’ll just wheel around right here and go on ahead of you down this road and carry the news. Mine is a faster horse than yours. Doolin, according to oneaccount, started on a ride that has ever since been the admiration of horsemen in the Southwest… Doolin… crossed the Territory like a flying wraith,… a ghostly rider saddled upon the wind. Subscribe Today
The flying wraith fable is much repeated. One writer says Doolin never stopped until he reached sanctuary west of Tulsa, a distance of at least 101 miles.
But before anybody dismisses Doolin as the sixth bandit, there’s another piece of evidence, and it comes from a solid source. Fred Dodge, an experienced Wells, Fargo Co. agent, stuck to the Daltons like a burr on a dogie. He and tough Deputy Marshal Heck Thomas were only a day behind the gang on the day of the raid.
Dodge wrote later that during the chase an informant told him Doolin rode with the other five bandits on the way north to Coffeyville, but that he was ill with dengue fever. Although Heck Thomas remembered they received information that there were five men in the gang, Dodge had no reason to invent the informant. And, if Dodge’s information was accurate, Doolin’s dengue fever would explain his dropping out just before the raid a great deal better than the fable about the lame horse.
Not everybody agreed on Doolin or Bitter Creek as the mystery rider. After the raid some newspapers reported the culprit was one Allee Ogee, variously reported as hunted, wounded and killed. Ogee, it turned out, was very much alive and industriously pursuing his job in a Wichita packing house. Understandably irritated, Ogee wrote the Coffeyville Journal, announcing both his innocence and his continued existence.
A better candidate is yet another Dalton, brother Bill, lately moved from California with wrath in his heart for banks and railroads. Bill had few scruples about robbing or shooting people; after Coffeyville he rode with Doolin’s dangerous gang. Before Bill was shot down trying to escape a batch of tough deputy marshals in 1894 , he said nothing about being at Coffeyville, and he couldn’t comment after the marshals ventilated him. So nothing connects Bill Dalton with the sixth rider except his surly disposition and his association with his outlaw brothers.
In later years, Chris Madsen commented on the Coffeyville raid for Frank Latta’s excellent Dalton Gang Days. If whatMadsen said was true, neither Doolin nor Bill Dalton could have been the sixth bandit. Madsen was in Guthrie when the Coffeyville raid came unraveled, was advised of its outcome by telegram, and forthwith told the press. Almost immediately, he said,Bill Dalton appeared to ask whether the report was true. Madsen believed that Bill and Doolin both had been near Guthrie,waiting for the rest of the gang with fresh horses. You have to respect anything Madsen said, although some writers have suggested that the tough Dane was not above making a fine story even better. We’ll never know.
Other men have also been nominated as the One Who Got Away, among them a mysterious outlaw called Buckskin Ike, rumored to have ridden with the Dalton Gang in happier times. And there was one Padgett, a yarn spinner of the I bin everwhar persuasion. Padgett later bragged that he left whiskey — running in the Cherokee Nation to ride with the Daltons. At Coffeyville he was the appointed horse holder, he said, and rode for his life when things went sour in that deadly alley.
Some have suggested that the sixth rider might even have been a woman, an unlikely but intriguing theory. Stories abound about the Dalton women, in particular Eugenia Moore, Julia Johnson and the Rose of Cimarron. The Rose was said to be an Ingalls, Okla., girl, who loved Bitter Creek Newcomb and defied death to take a rifle to her beleaguered bandit boyfriend. And there was Julia Johnson, whom Em married in 1907. Emmett wrote that he was smitten by Julia long before the raid, when he stopped to investigate celestial organ music coming from a country church. Entering, he discovered Julia in the bloom of young womanhood, and it was love at first sight. Well, maybe so, although Julia’s granddaughter later said Julia couldn’t play a lick, let alone generate angelic chords from the church organ. Pages: 1 2 3 4Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
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12 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