Gratton Hanley "Grat" Dalton, a 31-year-old White/Caucasian male, met his end on a fateful autumn day, October 5, 1892. Once a deputy U.S. Marshal, Grat had turned to a life of crime with his brothers, forming the notorious Dalton Gang. On this particular morning, the gang rode into Coffeyville, Kansas, with an audacious plan to rob two banks, the C.M. Condon & Company Bank and the First National Bank, at the same time.
The outlaws, consisting of Grat, his brothers Bob and Emmett, along with Bill Power and Dick Broadwell, donned disguises, but their familiar faces were soon recognized by a local townsman, a recognition that would prove fatal.
As word of the robberies spread like wildfire, the citizens of Coffeyville did not cower. Instead, they armed themselves with weapons from a local hardware store and prepared to defend their town. Grat, alongside Power and Broadwell, entered the Condon Bank. Inside, their plan was thwarted by a quick-thinking bank teller who falsely claimed the vault was on a time lock and could not be opened. This delay provided the townspeople with crucial minutes to position themselves outside, turning the town square into a field of fire. When Grat and his companions finally emerged from the bank, they were met with a hail of bullets from the enraged citizens.
The ensuing gun battle was short but exceptionally violent, lasting little more than ten minutes. In the chaos, Grat sought cover but was ultimately gunned down in an alleyway that would forever be known as "Death Alley." Accounts from the day suggest that after fatally shooting Town Marshal Charles Connelly, Grat was shot and killed by a local livery stable owner. The armed and determined townspeople acted as judge, jury, and executioner for the outlaws. There were no arrests or suspects sought in the death of Grat Dalton, as the town's defenders were lauded for their bravery. When the gun smoke cleared, Grat Dalton, his brother Bob, Bill Power, and Dick Broadwell lay dead. Four Coffeyville residents also lost their lives in the melee. The only surviving member of the gang, Emmett Dalton, was severely wounded, captured, and subsequently sentenced to prison, bringing a bloody and definitive end to the Dalton Gang's reign of terror.
