The Dalton Gang

 

The Dalton gang include three Dalton brothers named Bob, Grat and Emmet, along with Dick Broadwell and Bill Powers. The Gang wanted to do what no one had ever done before - rob two banks at the same time. After camping on Onion Creek, west of Coffeyville, they rode into town on horseback heading east on Eighth Street early on the morning of October 5, 1892. The Dalton brothers, being former residents of Coffeyville, wore disguises. They had planned to tie their horses between the two banks, but because Eighth Street was torn up, they tied them in the alley close to the jail. That was their first mistake.

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12-Minute Gun Battle

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Three of the bandits - Grat Dalton, Bill Powers and Dick Broadwell - went into the Condon Bank; Bob and Emmet entered the First National. When the gang demanded money from the safe at the Condon, the quick thinking bank employee told him that the safe would not open until 9:30 a.m. It was twenty past nine at the time. Grat said, "I’ll wait," which was their second mistake. That ten minutes (the vault did not have a time lock on it) gave the townspeople the time they needed to get to Isham Hardware, grab some guns and ammunition and begin defending the town. When the raid was over, which lasted 12 minutes, four of the Dalton gang were dead and four of Coffeyville’s citizens were killed. Three of the citizens - George Cubine, Charles Brown and Lucius Baldwin - were killed near Isham Hardware, Marshall Connelly died in what is today known as Death Alley. Bob and Grat Dalton and Bill Powers were killed in Death Alley and are buried in Coffeyville’s Elmwood Cemetery. Dick Broadwell escaped on horseback and died about a half mile from downtown. He was buried at Hutchinson.

The Daltons were "laid out" in the city jail following their death prior to burial. There were souvenir hunters even in the Dalton’s days. Portions of the manes and tails of the Dalton’s horses were cut off and all the strings from the saddles. In addition, pieces of clothing from the gang members were cut off.
 

Emmet Dalton Survives

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Emmet Dalton, the youngest of the Daltons, survived the Raid but received 23 gunshot wounds. He was given a life sentence in the Kansas penitentiary at Lansing and pardoned after 14 years. He moved to California and became a real estate agent, author and actor, dying at the age of 66.

 

Dalton Raid Facts

The banks were robbed of approximately $25,000. After the day’s banking business was completed and the books were balanced, the Condon came up $20 short and First National was $1.98 over, so fortunately for the banks most of the money was recovered.

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Citizens Killed in the Raid:

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• Charles T. Connelly, a 46-year-old school teacher who also served as the Marshal.

• Charles Brown, 59, a shoemaker.

• George B. Cubine, 36, a shoemaker.

• Lucius M. Baldwin, 23-year-old clerk in the Read Brothers store.

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The Dead Bandits:

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• Bob Dalton, leader of the band, who was 23

• Grat Dalton, age 31

• Bill Power (Tim Evans)

• Dick Broadwell, age 30