The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-11-04

complaining was concerned. I strove
for the good will of every warden and
employe under whom 1 served and de-
termined that it should never be said
that I whined or sulked. That 1 kept
these rules is evidenced by the fact
that the present warden and every ex-
warden not only signed my petition for
pardon. but all made it a point to see
the governor in my behalf
Dalton sat for moment as If con-
templating what he should say next.
His Is years confinement had appar-
emily left no traces upon his face
Il was born in Cass county near
Bolton. Mo- he finally said. "I had
three other brothers who went to the
Indian Territory and finally my mother
decided that she and I would follow
was then Is years old. All of my broth
ers were deputy United States marshals
Everybody knows, I presume, what the
social conditions of Oklahoma and In
dian Territory were nearly 20 years
ago. There was a semblance of law
but as a matter of fact everything was
as near wide open as anything could
be. Shooting was common. The kill
ing of a man was almost a daily oc-
currence. My older brother was shot
in the performance of his duty by des-
peradoes. Bad man talk was as COM
mon then as law enforcement argu-
ments are in Kansas and Missouri now.
AS 1 said before 1. a boy of 16, was
thrown into this atmosphere.
Everywhere I went L drank in this
talk. Soon I seemed to become a part
of it all and 1 became a willing listener
to the conversations that at first shock
ed me. However, 1 did not become
bad man in any sense of the word. Be
fore the affair at Coffeyville had never
broken the law in the slightest degree
but my environment had had its inf1u-
ence as the Coffeyville mistake show
ed
zone day when I was about 1S years
old L was with my brother Bob. He
Tnff fAI No4
shall. He started to make an arrest.
The men resisted. Bob drew as they
did and told me to git 1 was just
that young to not have sense enough
to run so I drew my SIX shooter and
got into the game. We arrested the
men and put them in JAIL
''It's funny how small things change
the entire course of a fellows, life
isn't it?" asked Dalton with that
smile that has done as much as any
had run that day with Bob, the
chances are that the Coffeyville raid
would have been pulled off and 1
would never have been asked to be
one of the gang. But that PERFORM
ance in sticking to my brother seemed
to make a great impression upon him.
Did you ever have a brother whom
you simply idolized? That was the
way I looked upon my brother Bob.
In fact to my eyes he was my hero
While in prison 1 read Hero Wor-
ship by Carlisle. 1t impressed me be-
cause that was my case SO far as Bob
was concerned. AS said the fact
that I refused to run under fire i'm
pressed Bob a heap. He spoke of it
many times. and said several times
that some day he wanted me with
him. I didn't know what he meant
then, but found out later.
Beginning of Dalton Gang.
After Bob left the government SER
vice he did several things of a desper-
ate chara cter. My brother Graf was
with him so that the name of the
Dalton Gang was not one most en-
We'd even if it was the most feared
But I was never asked to take part in
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