Volume 17 , Issue 33

Dalton Gang Cleanly Wiped Out (1892)

The Dalton gang was reported, cleanly wiped out in Coffeyville, Kansas, was written up in "The Pittsburgh Daily Headlight," in Pittsburgh, Kansas, Thursday, 6 October 1892, page one. It gave the details of the great bandit raid at Coffeyville, Kansas. The remarkable shooting of a livery stable keeper, and the only desperado that escaped said to be badly wounded.

Found on Newspapers.com

Coffeyville, Kan., Oct. 6 1892 -- The Daltons, only rivals of the James and Younger brothers, and cousins of those daring men last named notorious as train robbers and murderers, reckless, cruel, ubiquitous, the terrors of the Indian territory, Oklahoma and western Kansas, were no more. They and their immediate followers had been wiped out of existence as completely as though swallowed by an earthquake.

But they died with their boots on and left a trail of blood behind. The ned came as it came to the James and Younger gang, in attempting in broad daylight the looting of a bank. Eight men dead and six sorely wounded tell the story. It was a story bloodier than any in the history of crime in the west.

yesterday morning six members of the Dalton gang divided into two squads, made simultaneous attacks upon the Condon and the First National banks of Coffeyville. One of the most desperate battles on record ensued.

Bob and Grattan Dalton, Tom Evans and Texas Jack Moore, desperadoes, were killed outright. So was C. T. Connelly, marshal of Coffeyville; George Cubine, boot shoe dealer; Lucius Baldwin, clerk, and Charles Brown, a shoemaker. Thomas G. Ayres, cashier of the First National bank, and emmet Dalton were probably mortally wounded, and others were slightly wounded.

The most remarkable incident of all this bloody battle was the work of Jim Spears, a livery stable keeper. At the sound of the first firing he grabbed his Winchester and with steady nerve and deadly aim he worked it. He killed three of the desperadoes in rapid succession, shooting as an expert marksman would at inanimate targets.

The visit of the Daltons was not wholly unexpected. This was once their home and they were well known here. Some nights ago Bob Dalton awoke a local druggist and demanded alcohol. This man had none and Bob with many threats and flourishes of his big shooter went on to another drug store. There he got his liquor and at once rode out of town. The people of Coffeyville then knew that the gang was near and heeded the warning. Citizens oiled up their Winchesters, shotguns and revolvers and stood partially prepared. Despite all this the attack was so bold and sudden that the town was for the moment paralyzed. It was 9"45 a.m. when the town was startled by the appearance on the streets of six men, heavily armed with Winchesters and Colt's revolvers. They were Bob, Grat, and emmet Dalton, Tom Evans, "Texas Jack" Moore and Allie Ogee. They had tied their horses in an alley and coming rapidly out upon the street, Grat Dalton, Evans, Moore and Ogee entered the bank of C. M. Condon & Co. Bob and Emmet Dalton passed across the street to the First National bank.

Charles Smith, a barber, recognized them and waved his hand to them. They responded to the salvation. The four who entered the Condon bank ordered Cashier Ball and Teller Carpenter to throw up their hands and give over the money. Ball replied that he could not, as the time lock was on. They asked him when it would be open, and accepted his statement of 9:30 a.m., although it was nearly 10 o'clock then. Ball was ordered to hand over the money on the counter, amounting to some $2,000, which he did.

Bob and Emmet Dalton found i the First National bank cashier Ayers, his son Bert, and Teller W. H. Shepherd. These men were ordered to throw up their hands and Bert Ayres was instructed to put the money in a bag which the robbers had provided.

Young Ayres complied but told the Daltons that he did not know the combination to the safe. Turning to the elder Ayers, Bob Dalton called him by name and, with an oath, commanded him to open the safe. The latter followed instructions and himself put the money in the bag, purposely overlooking two bundles of $5,000 each, but Bob to make things certain went into the safe himself.

After securing from the vault some $20,000 the brothers got the bankers in front of them and marched them out of the front door. Barber Smith had in the meanwhile given the alarm and men had hastily secured weapons and were rushing to the scene. As Bob and Emmet Dalton emerged from he bank Pacific Express Agent C. S. Cox and George Cubine opened fire upon them wounding Emmet. The brothers turned back, and, running into the bank, emerged from a side door. There Lucius Baldwin met them, and there, too, he met his death.

One of the brothers brought his heavy six shooter into play and Baldwin fell to the sidewalk mortally wounded. He died at 2 p.m. in the afternoon.

Bob and Emmet Dalton did not stop to note the effect of the shot. They ran around the corner of the building and returned the fire of Cox and Cubine.

The latter fell dead in his tracks. Charles Brown was in range of a shot, too, and he fell, to die three hours later.

Thomas Ayers had seen all this in the moment he stood irresolutely in front of his bank. Then he gathered his scattered thoughts and started to run.

But the bandits who were robbing the First National bank, had heard the firing, and they turned and opened up on the fleeing man, shooting through windows. The shots came as a volley and Ayers fell seriously if not fatally wounded. Bob and Emmet quickly joined the rest of their band and started for their horses, but they were then the targets for a perfect fusillade and Jim Spears was working his Winchester with Clock-like regularity. Bob and Grant Dalton and "Texas Jack" were killed at the mouth of the alley, not, however, before Bob had killed City Marshal Connelly.

Tome Evans and Ogee mounted their horses and dashed out of town, but Evans was hit hard and fell dead from his horse half a mile away. Ogee escaped, but a posse was in hot pursuit and he, too, was probably dead by this time, as he was known to be badly wounded. Cashier Ayers was very low, but had a chance to recover.

From the First National bank the robbers got $20,000 and from Condon's bank $3,000, but they were compelled to drop their booty and every cent was recovered.
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