The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-29
nALTONS' DARING GANG.
,vAnERs OF THE GANG THAT
poBBED TaR EXPRESS CAR,

poro Bank on July 27-As Fearless
astne James Boys-Their Stronghold
- ,ns Indian Territory Broken Up.
officers Run the Robbers to Earth.
From, the Pittsbur0 Dispatch.
CT Louis, July 1S.-Train robbery and
.,-hwav bandits have been themes OF gem
--eI di,cussion in st. Louis for tine past day
.xo The bold hold-up Of Missouri,
U.n,as and Texas passenger train in the
dian Territory Thursday night has COCA
-iorod renewal of a subject which few
vo.rs ago would not have attracted much
,,tsntiou in the west on account of the fire.
-ro,cv OF the occurrence, but since the
t1~aaking I'D Of the James, the Younger and
thar desperate gangs that infested Missouri
I'D Kansas, western people have felt COM
.a-otvslv secure from depredations of this
shoracter. Three or four years ago Texas
-. the favorite arena for the exploits OF
~. ,-oahooters, but the constabulary of that
s,ata became 80 vigilant and merclless In
sha pursuit and punishment or the scoun-
S.o,s that they have all apparently been
SIIed or driven out Of Texas as no train
~ohbery has occurred there recently. The
IoJisn Territory seems to be now the only
tnnda-vons left for the gentlemen Of the
,uosL and winchester, and when the condt-
80 ,hara are considered 10 Is no little
.sondar that outla gry Of this nature is not
80 more rampant than it really is. The
nsItops. who robbed the Pacific express car
~ the Missouri, Kansas and Texas al Ada1r
Thursday night, are by all ODDS the ooldest
ID most audacious bandits who have ever
nUsd their calling In the territory. There
go four Of the Dalton brothers who are
Sropn to have committed train robberies in
the past.
ONLY TWO IN THE LAST HoLD-UP.
Only two of thsm-Ed and Charley
were in Thursday nights hoid-up. The
other two boys a year ago were captured In
California after desperate resistance and
convicted OF robbing Wells-Fsrgo express
car on the Southern Pacific railroad at Tou-
lare. near Los Angeles. They were SEN
fenced to life in the California penltentlary.
and are now serving their terms. All four
of the boys we're in the California robbery,
hut Ed and Charley eluded capture and
made their escape to the Indian Territory.
They had been driven out of the territory
only after a bloody war between themselves
and their sympathizers on the one hand and
the officers and cattlemen on the other.
This war was inaugurated three years ago,
and cost the life of many a good citizen
and deputy Unised States marshal.
Il will be remembered that the posses in
pursuit Of the bandits were led by Deputy
Marshal "Hec" Thomas, one OF the most
intrepid officers who has ever had to deal
with the lawless elements OF the southwest.
Various times he was reported killed, but
be always managed to show up smiling
about the time his friends had ordered
Grape lie pursued the Daltons farther
into their rendezvous than had anybody be-
fore or since. He succeeded in penetrating
far into the bushwhacker country, right
among the friends of the Daltons, and came
out unscathed, though empty handed. Prior
to this time the Daltons were not known to
have committed any train robberies. They
had confined their rascality TO stealing cattle
and driving them through the public
landsn into New Mexico and selling them
along the route.
BUSINESS THAT WAS ATTRACTIVE.
Then when they got ready to return to
the territory they would steal bunch of
cattle in New Mexico and bring them home
to sell, always returning by a different
route. 1t did no good to indict them. Their
friends dominated the lower courts, and, even
IL they were brought to trial. Chey got of
scot free. Honest cattlemen of the territory
finally grew 30 exasperRted at their thievery
that they organized to rid the country OF
the Datous, and wa9ed bitter war upon
them. 1t was then that the cattle thieves
perforoe quit their old practices aud turned
th6lT ATTENTION 10 IEhlu EODD6ETs IL Ii ever
so much easier, anyhow, to rob q train than
to steal few head Of cattle. SO they found
their new business incomparabIy safer and
more remunerative.
Situated as the Daltons were, the bust
ness was especially attractive to them. The
Missouri, Kansas and Texas and the Santa
Fe railroads ran right through the country
over which they had ranged ever since emf
grating from Arkansas when only mere
stripplings Of boys. They knew every In
dian trail and deer path in it. Not a man
or woman unfriendly to them had been al-
lowed TO live IN the section they claimed for
their own, and 50 every circumstance was
most propitious to them In their new call
ing. They lived for the most part on bald
prairie east of the Katy" road in an unin-
h6olted country between Pryor Greek and
Chouteau, stations on the railroad.
Adsir, the scene of their latest depreda-
zion, is only twenty or thirty miles to the
north OF them, and Lsliastta, where they
held up train lass September and secured
$1,000 in booty from the Pacific Express
Company, is but few miles south of them.
A little southwest of these two stations be-
gins what is known as the Coweta district.
1t is heavily timbered and abounds in deep
FaVines and serpentine paths.
THE SCENE OF THEIR LAST EXPLOIT.
They know every foot Of it better than
y.
II stranger enters IL without guide he is
liable to get lost after few hours travel,
% never get out again. Through the
Soweta district they dash into the Fox and
oac country, ana then leisurely make their
way down co the Canadian river and cross
tne Seminole reservation until they feel
NE Venturing back TO their prairie home.
since their hold-ups at both Red Rock, on
tne santa Fe, and Leliaetta, on the katy, u
tney have been bold enough TO ride into
wagner with their wagons and teams and
Ouy supplies for their ranch. Hundreds OF
people at Wagner knew perfectly we'll
VINO they were, but none OF them dared
peach" on the boys, for If they did they
well knew their lives would pay the penalty
sooner or later
IL Is considered entirely useless and act
uaiiy foolhnrdy for any posse of men TO go
elter the Daltens now. They are perhaps
thls time many miles in the Cowets
utstrlct, and are so safely ensconoed that
eney could shoot the officers from ambush
oe last as they entered. Then, too, the
So1hery around them is full of spies who
"ut Keep them posted as TO the movements
VI 'ner pursuers. A man who has nearly
- - ala life lived in the section of the Indian
Aerrltory described, and who Is well ae-
qualnted with the DAltons and their kith
Iu KIN, was at the headquarters Of q
p,o ,q detective agency here yesterday.
Don't, for Gods sake, use my name" he
So. A.