The Last Outlaws
The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang
ISBN10: 1250282381
ISBN13: 9781250282385
Hardcover
288 Pages
$30.00
CA$40.00
The Last Outlaws is the thrilling true story of the last of one of the greatest outlaw gang. The dreaded Dalton Gang consisted of three brothers and their rotating cast of colorful accomplices who saw themselves as descended from the legendary James brothers. They soon became legends themselves, beginning their career as common horse thieves before graduating to robbing banks and trains.
On October 5, 1892, the Dalton Gang attempted their boldest and bloodiest raid yet: robbing two banks in broad daylight in Coffeyville, Kansas, simultaneously. As Grat, Bob, and Emmett Dalton and Bill Power and Dick Broadwell crossed the plaza to enter the two buildings, the outlaws were recognized by townspeople, who raised the alarm. Citizens armed themselves with shotguns and six-shooters from nearby hardware stores and were locked and loaded when the thieves emerged from the banks. The ensuing gun battle was a lead-filled firefight of epic proportions. As the smoke cleared, eight men lay dead—including four of the five members of the doomed Dalton Gang.
For the first time ever, the full story of the Dalton Gang's life of crime, culminating in one of the Wild West’s most violent events, are chronicled in detail—a last gruesome gasp of the age of gunfights.
Reviews
Praise for The Last Outlaws
“Clavin, who’s been writing about the Wild West for years, does a good job of portraying the attendant mayhem, with all its gore . . . [and] ably stitches the yarn together. [He] does well to bookend his story with the sole surviving Dalton, who, after serving time, tried to make it in Hollywood.”—Kirkus Reviews
"American West expert Clavin delivers a solid and definitive recapitulation of one of history’s most notorious outlaw gangs . . . Readers will . . . enjoy this Old West crime caper.” —Booklist
"[T]he exciting climax entertains . . . Wild West history buffs will be rewarded." —Publishers Weekly on The Last Outlaws
“Lightning Down has an overarching positivity and celebration of resilience.”—Associated Press
Reviews from Goodreads
BOOK EXCERPTS
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1MAYHEM IN MINNESOTA
As daring as the raid on Coffeyville in 1892 was, there was a precedent involving men who were kin to the Dalton boys. It had taken place sixteen years earlier, far from Kansas.
Jesse and Frank James were...