The Story of the Outlaw: A Study of the Western DesperadoHough, Emerson
History
The Story of the Outlaw: A Study of the Western Desperado
Hough, Emerson
Crime -- West (U.S.); Criminals -- West (U.S.); Outlaws; West (U.S.) -- History
It was a daring thing to do--to sit down in the heart of a civilized
city, in broad daylight and on the most public street, and wait for a
time lock to open a burglar-proof safe. Daring as it was, it was foolish
and futile. As the robbers stood uneasily guarding their prisoners, the
alarm was spread. A moment later firing began, and the windows of the
bank were splintered with bullets. The robbers were trapped, Broadwell
being now shot through the arm, probably by P. L. Williams from across
the street. Yet they coolly went on with their work as they best could,
Grattan Dalton ordering Ball to cut the string of the bag and pour out
the heavy silver, which would have encumbered them too much in their
flight. He asked if there was not a back way out, by which they could
escape. He was shown a rear door, and the robbers stepped out, to find
themselves in the middle of the hottest street fight any of them had
ever known. The city marshal, Charles T. Connolly, had given the alarm,
and citizens were hurrying to the street with such weapons as they could
find at the hardware stores and in their own homes.
Meantime Bob and Emmett Dalton had held up the First National Bank,
ordering cashier Ayres to hand out the money, and terrorizing two or
three customers of the bank who happened to be present at the time. Bob
knew Thos. G. Ayres, and called him by his first name, "Tom," said he,
"go into the safe and get out that money--get the gold, too." He
followed Ayres into the vault, and discovered two packages of $5,000
each in currency, which he tossed into his meal sack. The robbers here
also poured out the silver, and having cleaned up the bank as they
supposed, drove the occupants out of the door in front of them. As they
got into the street they were fired upon by George Cubine and C. S. Cox;
but neither shot took effect. Emmett Dalton stood with his rifle under
his arm, coolly tying up the neck of the sack which held the money. They
then both stepped back into the bank, and went out through the back
door, which was opened for them by W. H. Shepherd, the bank teller, who,
with Tom Ayres and B. S. Ayres, the bookkeeper, made the bank force on
hand. J. H. Brewster, C. H. Hollingsworth and A. W. Knotts were in the
bank on business, and were joined by E. S. Boothby; all these being left
unhurt.
The firing became general as soon as the robbers emerged from the two
bank buildings. The first man to be shot by the robbers was Charles T.
Gump, who stood not far from the First National Bank armed with a
shotgun. Before he could fire Bob Dalton shot him through the hand, the
same bullet disabling his shotgun. A moment later, a young man named
Lucius Baldwin started down the alley, armed with a revolver. He met
Bob and Emmett, who ordered him to halt, but for some reason he kept on
toward them. Bob Dalton said, "I'll have to kill you," and so shot him
through the chest. He died three hours later.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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