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
There was a slight lull at this point of the street fight, and during
this Dick Broadwell, who had been wounded again in the back, crawled
into concealment in a lumber yard near by the alley where the horses
were tied. He crept out to his horse and mounted, but just as he started
away met the livery man, John J. Kloehr, who did some of the best
shooting recorded by the citizens. Kloehr was hurrying thither with
Carey Seaman, the latter armed with a shotgun. Kloehr fired his rifle
and Seaman his shotgun, and both struck Broadwell, who rode away, but
fell dead from his horse a short distance outside the town.
Bob and Emmett Dalton, after killing Cubine and Brown and shooting
Ayres, hurried on to join their companions and to get to their horses.
At an alleyway junction they spied F. D. Benson climbing out of a
window, and fired at him, but missed. An instant later, as Bob stepped
into full view of those who were firing from the Isham store, he was
struck by a ball and badly wounded. He walked slowly across the alley
and sat down on a pile of stones, but like his brother Grattan, he kept
his rifle going, though mortally shot. He fired once at Kloehr, but was
unsteady and missed him. Rising to his feet he walked a few paces and
leaned against the corner of a barn, firing two more shots. He was then
killed by Kloehr, who shot him through the chest.
By this time Grattan Dalton was feebly trying to get to his horse. He
passed the body of Connolly, whom he had killed, faced toward his
pursuers and tried to fire. He, too, fell before Kloehr's Winchester,
shot through the throat, dropping close to the body of Connolly.
Emmett Dalton was now the only one of the band left alive. He was as yet
unwounded, and he got to his horse. As he attempted to mount a number of
shots were fired at him, and these killed the two horses belonging to
Bob Dalton and Bill Powers, who by this time had no further use for
horses. Two horses hitched to an oil wagon in the street were also
killed by wild shots. Emmett got into his saddle, but was shot through
the right arm and through the left hip and groin. He still clung to the
sack of money they had taken at the First National Bank, and he still
kept his nerve and his wits even under such pressure of peril. He might
have escaped, but instead he rode back to where Bob was lying, and
reached down his hand to help him up behind himself on the horse. Bob
was dying and told him it was no use to try to help him. As Emmett
stooped down to reach Bob's arm, Carey Seaman fired both barrels of his
shotgun into his back, Emmett dropping near Bob and falling upon the
sack, containing over $20,000 in cash. Men hurried up and called to him
to throw up his hands. He raised his one unhurt arm and begged for
mercy. It was supposed he would die, and he was not lynched, but hurried
away to a doctor's office near by.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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