The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-20
wANTHIM SENT BACK To PRISON
CoffeyvilIe Bankers Issue Circular to
Insist on Emmett Dalton's Return.

The only protest SO far received by
Governor Hoch against the pardon of
Emmett Dalton has come from the
bankers of Coffeyville, where the me-
mora BILE raid occurred which cost the
lives of four citizens, and all the mem
bers of the Dalton gang except En-
NETT, who was then a boy of 10. The
Coffeyville bankers are asking the CO.
operation of the bankers of Kansas to
prevent a pardon of the youngest
member of the Dalton family, who is
now in a Topeka hospital being treat
ed for his wounded arm. Mr.. Ayres.
who was cashier in one of the banks
and who was wounded in the fight
that followed, is leading the move
ment to prevent Dalton's pardon.
Dalton's arm is said by the doctors
to be in very bad shape. The opera
ton for the purpose of removing the
diseased bone seems to have been I'M
successful. 1t is possible that event
ually the doctors will have to resort
to amputation. The arm was injured
in the raid on the Coffeyville banks
fifteen years ago. A rife bullet
splintered the bone of the upper arm
gave little trouble until about a year
ago. Since then Dalton's arm has
been useless, and he was allowed a
parole for four months for the pur-
pose of having the arm treated in
hospital He received several other
wounds but only the one in the arm
now troubles him.
The letter which is being sent out
from Coffeyville concerning the Dali
ton pardon is as follows:
To the Banks and Bankers of Kansas:
During the early years of the clos
ing decade of the last century the en-
tire border of Kansas and Indian ter
ritorv was scourged and terrorized by
the Daltons. the most desperate band
of criminals in the annals of our state
IJoo vii cd int
full. unsuspecting village October 5,
1892, and tried to carry out their plan
of robbing two banks at once; a
scheme that would at once enrich
them and add more fame to their
boosted career of rapine and murder.
The complete success of this con-
spiracy was thwarted by the prompt
valor of the citizens of Coffeyville. but
not before the bandits had murdered
four worthy men, desperately wound
ed the cashier of one bank and
wounded three other citizens
Only one Of the gang escaped death
Dalton. He was captured
and his life was at the mercy of Cof-
feyville. Restraining their just fury
the citizens gave a fair trial to the
desperado; he was sentenced to death
and If such penalty was ever justi-
fable his dastardly crime richly
merited such punishment. But after
a lapse of less than fifteen years, when
atrocity this man appeals to a mawk-
ish sentimentality of those who know
nothing of the revolving crimes COM
mitted for years by the Daltons. A
more fragrant abuse of the parole
power of the governor could not be
urged and as conservators of public
peace and order we deplore and pro-
test against the possibility of either a
pardon or parole for young Dalton,
urged not by a spirit of revenge or
but by a sense of the
right of the public to protect itself
from such criminals as Dalton.
The false statement is made by
Topeka paper that only one person is
opposing the pardon of Dalton when
there is at this time on file there a
petition signed by hundreds of the
best citizens protesting against such
action by the governor.
This letter is written for the pur-
pose of asking those banks who see as
we do to at once take up this cues
ton with Governor Hoch and vigor-
ously protest against this pardon.
The Condor National bank the
First National bank. the State bank
nv H King. vice president; Peoples
State Savings bank.