Daltons!: The Raid on Coffeyville, Kansas [Hardcover]

Robert Barr Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1996 | ISBN-10: 0806127953 | ISBN-13: 978-0806127958 | Edition: 1St Edition

In October 1892 the notorious Dalton gang concluded their days of outlawry at Coffeyville, Kansas, with a bold attempt to rob two banks at once in broad daylight. The raiders--Bob, Grat, and Emmett Dalton, Bill Powers, and Dick Broadwell--were nothing more than common hoodlums, says author Robert Barr Smith. The real heroes of the day were the townspeople, who spontaneously turned out in haste and in force to dispatch the outlaws in a bloody downtown shoot-out. Smith sorts out the truth from the legends and suggests answers to some of the perplexing questions about the Coffeyville fight--including whether or not there was a sixth man who got away. In addition, Smith recounts the violent aftermath of the fight: the trial and later life of Emmett Dalton, the only outlaw to survive the raid; and the bloody ends of the Dalton gang’s successors, Bill Doolin and Bill Dalton.

 

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The Dalton gang is readily recognized as a notorious group of western outlaws. Their exploits and those of the lawmen involved with them have been rehashed many times in movies and popular books. Most of these accounts are almost pure fiction, ala Robin Hood. Smith's book cuts through the myth to present the gang as nothing more than common hoodlums. He utilizes primary sources while applying reasoned analysis to provide a comprehensive account of their exploits and especially their climactic escapade, which took place at Coffeyville, Kansas, where they attempted to hold up two banks simultaneously in broad daylight. Also described is the later life of Emmett Dalton, the only outlaw to survive the battle; and an attempt is made to answer the lingering question regarding a sixth bandit who may have escaped. A truly outstanding book on the subject. Fred Egloff

About the Author

Robert Barr Smith, retired Colonel, United States Army, is Professor of Law, Director of Legal Research and Writing, and Adjunct Professor of Military Science at the University of Oklahoma.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 237 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press; 1St Edition edition (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806127953
• ISBN-13: 978-0806127958
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #882,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Covers the bases, but gets bogged down a bit, December 4, 2011

By 

Efrem Sepulveda "history geek" (Tempe, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daltons!: The Raid on Coffeyville, Kansas (Paperback)

The Coffeyville raid on the First National and Condon banks by the Dalton Gang was one of the last raids during the "Wild West" era. By the time of the raid in 1892, Kansas had long shedded its reputation from its antebellum days as "Bleeding Kansas" and pretty much became a settled area with some lingering county border disputes in the western part of the state. To the south lay Indian Territory where it would be absorbed some 15 years later to become the new State of Oklahoma. In its last years of tribal rule, chaos was the order of the day and law enforcement in that area was scarce and to those who actually took up the mantle to chase the outlaws down it was a hazardous occupation that resulted in mostly short careers as desperadoes crossed the territory with impunity while making raids into neighboring states.

Robert Smith gives us a good overview of that fateful day in October, 1892 where a five-member gang (with the possibility of a sixth member) launched a scheme to rob two banks in Coffeyville to finance their "retirement" to South America. Bob, Grat and Emmett Dalton, along with two other men rode into town expecting an easy heist, but sloppy planning and poor execution and an alert populace spelled the end for all but Emmett Dalton who went down in a hail of bullets. Emmett lived on for many years afterward until his death in Los Angeles in 1937.

The book also tells of the background of Dalton boys, the broken home they grew up in and the search for the real story behind the raids. The book gets bogged down in sorting out the stories from the eyewitnesses of the raid and the ferreting out of facts from Emmett Dalton's concocted stories that he told later in life about his life of banditry. It made for some frustrating reading at times. A good book that gives adequate background of the raid and dwelled on the heroics of the people who did not wait to "dial 911" but took it upon themselves to deliver final justice. Four stars.