Ever heard of the Dalton Gang? In the days of the expanding Wild West, gangs popped up all over the countryside, robbing trains, stagecoaches, and wagons. On this day in 1891, the Dalton Gang committed their first robbery to start their nefarious career. However, it didn’t go as expected.
By some accounts, Lewis and Adeleine Dalton raised as many as 15 children in a post-Civil War era. Most of the children turned out well, becoming law abiding citizens. Frank, the fourth oldest, became a Deputy U.S. Marshall for the Oklahoma Territory. He was known as a brave lawman who was involved in several high-profile arrests and shoot-outs. Sadly, Frank was gunned down by horse thief Will Towerly.
Frank’s brother, Gratton Hanley “Grat” Dalton, took Frank’s place as Deputy Marshall and enlisted his brothers, Emmett and Bob, as assistants. The loss of their brother soured these young men on the law, and they saw crime as a better way to live. At first, they hid behind their badges, using the power of their office to rustle cattle and supplement their incomes. Before long, they were brought before the same law they were sworn to uphold and were imprisoned. Escaping from prison, they hooked up with some of the hardened criminals they had once chased and formed an alliance known as the Dalton Gang.
Moving to California, they left their younger brother Emmett in Oklahoma and brought another brother, Bill, into the operation. The first job was to rob a Southern Pacific train near Alila. Grat and Bob attacked the engineer, forcing him to reveal where the strongbox was located. A fight ensued and one of the Daltons shot the engineer in the stomach. The engineer fought back with his own gun, chasing the Dalton Gang off the train. Their first heist was a bust!
Lesson learned, right? Not hardly. They took the gang back to Oklahoma and reconnected with Emmett. Here, they spent a year committing robberies. With growing confidence, they decided to ride to Coffeyville, Kansas to rob not one but two banks – at the same time. This plan went worse than their failed train robbery. Bob, Grat, and two of the other gang members were killed in the robbery, including a cousin, Bill Power. Emmett was caught, tried, and convicted to 14 years in prison. He had been severely wounded in the robbery.
The Dalton Gang had come to an end.
To most of us reading this, a life of crime seems like such a foreign concept. We couldn’t imagine bank heists and rustling cattle as a way of life. Today, though we may not hear of too many bank robberies and can’t remember the last time a cow was stolen, there is plenty of thievery happening. Corporate corruption, business dealings, tax evasion, and a host of other avenues of crime are travelled in order for someone to get that which doesn’t belong to them.
As a Christian, stealing shouldn’t be a part of our repertoire! 1 Peter 4:15 says, “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.” Scripture warns that those who have a life of stealing are indicating that their heart isn’t right with God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 asks, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, (10) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” That is quite a blacklist of scoundrels! The good news, though, is found in the next verse.
“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11) The grace of God was able to save the Dalton Gang, not just from their sin but from their corrupt ways.
As I read the story of the Dalton Gang, I wondered if anyone had the courage to witness to them. Was there any kind of spiritual upbringing in their young lives where they heard the Gospel? Did anyone in any of the towns where they went try to win them to Christ?
We know that after Emmett was released from prison in 1907, he moved to Southern California where he became a real estate agent, author, and actor. He was a respected historian who had participated in and lived through some of America’s most colorful history. He died of natural causes at the age of 66.
Was he saved, though? Had his life been changed by grace? The power of God’s grace and mercy would have cleansed Emmett of all his sins, releasing him from eternal condemnation. Only in eternity will we get the answer to this question.
