Volume 17 , Issue 34

NW Okie's Journey

As we continue our look back at the Oklahoma Territory outlaws of the 19th century, we discover the fact that many of the desperadoes, murderers and outlaws who infested the Indian Territory had at one time or another been in the employ of the United States government, sometimes by direct appointment from Washington, often by commission from resident government officials.

Why and what caused this to happen in the western heartland? Do we learn our lessons from the past and continue to appoint criminal elements in Kansas and Oklahoma?

Found on Newspapers.com

Bob, Emmet and Grat Dalton, the famous bandits, were at one time or another riding in the posses of the United States marshals. Henry Starr, who shot Deputy Marshal Wilson a few days before, and other outlaws of equal fame in their day had been vested with great authority.

Looking back through the news archives of the "Lawrence Daily Journal," out of Lawrence, Kansas, 24 December 1892, Saturday, we discovered an amazing announcement that Bill Dalton, brother of the dead outlaws in the Coffeyville raid, held a special commission as deputy marshal from Col. Yoe, marshal for the Indian territory, with headquarters at Fort Smith, Arkansas. This was rumored several days before the article came out.

Accompanying the commission was a warrant for the arrest of Ed Chapman for horse stealing. Chapman was the man Bill was reported to have killed some days before. The horse alleged to have been stolen was the one Emmet Dalton rode into Coffeyville for the memorable raid of October 6, 1892, and the warrant was issued at the instance of survivors of the Dalton gang. The appointment would give Dalton a chance to kill Chapman. That he would arrest him no one believed, for Chapman was considered a brave man and would be a dangerous person for William to tackle. William liked to parade his pistols where he thought there was no danger. At Liberty, a small station of the Santa Fe, eight miles north of Coffeyville, he pulled his gun the last Sunday on a citizen of that town, only doing it for a joke, he claimed, but it was a most uncomfortable kind of a joke and it would have cost him dear if many men had been in the Liberty man's place.

That Bill Dalton should have been appointed a deputy marshal under any circumstances was condemned by all good citizens, for there were enough honest, respectable men who were willing to serve the government. when the fact that this warrant he was directed to serve had been issued on behalf of the surviving members of the Dalton gang, it showed a state of affairs that was arousing all good men. bill Dalton was supposed by every one here to had been the banker for his villain brothers, willing to share the benefits of their raids, but unwilling to brave the dangers.

Good Night! Good Luck!
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