Description:

GRAT DALTON
(1871 - 1892) American outlaw who, with brothers Emmett, Robert and William staged spectacular hold-ups of trains and banks in California and the Midwest. The Dalton Brothers' first train hold-up was in Alila, Calif. in 1891 and ended in failure. Grat was arrested and convicted, but managed a spectacular escape, diving from a moving train into the San Joaquin River. The brothers soon gathered a group of gunmen and thieves to form the Dalton Gang and embarked on a murderous train-robbing rampage, evading hundreds of lawmen using their dozens of informers and hideouts. Finally, the gang sought to rob two banks at once in their old home town of Coffeyville, Kansas. On Oct. 5, 1892, after watching their mother at their old home from afar, the gang rode into town to rob the Condon and First National banks. Surrounded by citizens covering his escape route, an alley beside the bank, Dalton came out shooting, facing his ex-school teacher and Marshal Charles T. Connelly. They advanced towards each other, and as Dalton's bullets cut down Connelly, he managed to squeeze off a final shot which struck Grat in the chest, killing him. The robbery was a disaster, with only Emmet Dalton escaping with his life to serve 15 years in prison. Excessively rare and historic partly-printed D.S. "Gratton Dalton", 1p. oblong 8vo., [Arkansas], Jan. 4, 1890, in which Dalton takes the oath to become a U.S. Marshal! Dalton swears he will: "...Faithfully execute all lawful precepts, directed to the Marshal of the United States for the Western District of Arkansas, under the authority of the United States, and true returns make and in all things well and truly, and without malice or partiality, perform the duties of Deputy Marshal...so help me God...". Co-signed by U.S. Commissioner JOHN M. TAYLOR, JR. Thinning of paper under one word of text, small tear under seal, else very good. Ex: Christie's. Grat's older brother Frank was a Deputy U.S. Marshal and was always able to keep his brothers in line. Following Frank's death in a shootout with outlaws on Nov. 27, 1887, Grat was devastated, and became a Deputy US Marshal under Judge Isaac Parker to follow in his brother's footsteps. For a short time, Dalton, who had been hired without protest due to his brother Frank's stellar reputation, served competently as an able marshal. It wasn't long, however, before he began looking for an easier way to make a living: he lost his job as a deputy marshal in 1890, being suspected for cattle rustling, and soon formed his notorious gang.

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May 14, 2009 10:00 AM EDT
Stamford, CT, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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