Daltons!: The Raid on Coffeyville, Kansas
Daltons!: The Raid on Coffeyville, Kansas
University of Oklahoma Press | 1999 | ISBN: 0806129948 | 256 pages | PDF | 1.7MB
University of Oklahoma Press | 1999 | ISBN: 0806129948 | 256 pages | PDF | 1.7MB
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.