The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-03

and scarcely ever slept in a house. Tn
woods, prdiries. and hills were thei
only homes. and they slept whereve
night overlook them One of the gans
would always act as sentinel while TIT
others slept. They never permitte,
Dodsworth TO act as sentinel. They
were not absolutely certain of his
( fidelity and could not afford to take
( chances where il was a game of life
and death, and TO be off their guard
for single moment might mean as
sassination. While on the march. also
they watched their new companion
with a certain degree OF suspicion. He
was never allowed to ride ahead OF
behind, but was always kept in the
middle of the gang. SO uneasy and
suspicious of treachery had they be-
come that Dalton and Doolan were
even afraid 20 trust each other 1t was
a life of constant fear and dread, with
officers and blood-money hunters trail
ing them from place to place. and con-
slant danger of betrayal.
The bandits often got hard up and
resorted TO robbery and petty theft. but
this was only when they were short
of means. On one occasion, when they
had been in hard luck for several days,
they met lone traveller near ingalls,,
who was going to town to buy sup
plies. He was ordered to throw up his
hands, which ne did, and, upon search
ing him. they found $35 in his pockets.
AFTER taking his money Dalton asked
him what he was going TO ingalls, for.
The man said he was going TO buy a
Winchester, a pistol; some cartridges,
and a sack of flour, and 10 have his
horse shod. Dalton asked him what
each item would cost. The man
answered promptly. Dalton marked
down the figures on an envelope, added
them up, and found they aggregated
s24.5O Then he counted out S25 OF the
money he had taken and handed it
back TO the man, saying:
I'VE don't want TO leave you
strapped. We will give you the S24.5O
for the things You need and add so
cents to il for your dinner and dinner
for your horse"
The other $40 the outlaws kept for
their own needs. On another occasion,
while going from Ingalls, to saltwater,
they met drummer, made him throw
up his hands, and took from him $500,
The drummer was a loyal fellow and
took the situation philosophically. He
laughed and talked with the gang for
quite a while. .Doolan was acting as
leader that day and asked the drum
mer yhere he was going, and was in
formed that his trip would cover Still
water and Perry, and then he was go
ing to mis- home in Kansas. Doolan
asked him what his expenses would be
at Stillwater-how much for hack hire
and hotel bill, how much his expenses
would be at Perry. and what his rail
road fare would be from Perry to his
home. The drummer told him. Where
upon Doolan counted out the money,
gave il back to the drummer, and put
in few dollars extra TO be sure the
drummer would not get strapped on
the road, as ne said.
These instances are only two of
many similar ones which illustrate the
character OF these outlaws On many
occasions Dodsworth visited Perry.
Pawnee, and Saltwater with some OF
the outlaws. Two or three of the gang
would always go together, and would
always watch one another closely and
also every person they met. Dods-
worth says he lived 20 years during the
six weeks he spent with the Dalton
gang. He committed many acts of
lawlessness during that time and there
were more than a dozen warrants out
for his arrest He had to play his
part well to avert suspicion of the
outlaws and was in constant danger
of being killed by government officers
who were in pursuit of the gang. He
soon discovered that the life of an out
law is anything but pleasant, and that
constant scouting from place to place
TO escape the scores of reward hunters
is wearisome as well as hazardous. He
says the outlaws were extremely tired
of this way of living and sick of their
life OF lawlessness, and would willingly
surrender if they could get off with
only few years in the penitentiary,
but since surrender meant hanging or
life Imprisonment they were determined
never to give up.
The gang consisted of Bill Dalton.
Bill Doolan, Bitter Creek" 'Tusla
Jack" and negro named Israel Carr.
While they were always called the
Dalton gang, Bill Doolan was really
the leader. and was the nerviest man
of them all, but the negro Carr was
said to have killed more men than all
of the rest of the gang put together.
DOdsworth found it more difficult to
get away from the Dalton gang than
to join them. He had come to the con-
clusion that it would be folly to at
tempt to get the drop on any of them.
so he abandoned all such ideas soon
after Joining the gang. At last. being
unable to endure the life any longer.
and unwilling 10 incur further risk. he
uCNiSEO pan " cSCcslit w llitt CdiuD-
ing near the edge of a prairie one
night he tied his horse in such way
that the animal could easily get loose. |
Just as day was breaking the next
morning he went to look for the horse. (
and, as he expected, the horse was
gone. He borrowed the horse of Bit
ter Creek" which was the best in the
bunch. put his saddle on it and rode
leisurely over the hill in the direction
his horse was supposed to have taken.
AS soon as he was out of sight of the
gang he put spurs to the horse and
never stopped to eat or drink until he
had reached Perry. 80 miles away
Upon arriving at Perry, tired and
thirsty, Dodsworth went into a saloon
to get drink. He took several. and
soon began TO feel pretty good. By this
time q deputy marshal had been ap-
prised Of his presence, and while the
ex-outlaw stood at the bar taking an
other drink a Winchester rifle was put
to his breast and he was ordered to
throw up his hands. He grabbed the
narshaTs Winchester and would have
5isarmed him had not the bartender
covered him with a SIX shooter and