The Last Outlaws

August 28, 2023
The Dalton Gang’s failed attempt to rob two banks at once in Coffeyville, Kans., in October 1892 was “arguably final confirmation of the end of the Wild West,” according to this detailed and digressive history. Journalist Clavin (Tombstone) sets the stage for a fine-grained narrative of the shoot-out by first explaining the Daltons’ place in the history of the Old West’s train- and bank-robbing gangs (the Daltons were cousins to the Youngers of the James-Younger Gang) and profiling individual Daltons and the lawmen known as the Three Guardsmen who pursued them. Coffeyville was a prosperous, relatively peaceful place when the Daltons trained their sights on it. On the morning of October 4, the gang of five rode into town, three of them headed for First National Bank and two for the Condon Bank. The Condon Bank trio lost valuable time due to a cashier’s lie that the safe was on a time lock and would open in 10 minutes. The two outlaws at First National had more success, but town residents had raised the alarm and armed themselves, some with guns commandeered from a local hardware store. The resulting shoot-out left four citizens and four gang members dead. Though Clavin’s build-up takes too many detours, the exciting climax entertains. Patient Wild West history buffs will be rewarded.

September 15, 2023
The prolific Western historian turns in a sometimes rip-snorting, sometimes turgid account of a notorious gang of outlaws. The Dalton Gang, made up of brothers and assorted lieutenants, committed various acts of outlawry as far afield as California before heading home to concentrate on the southern Great Plains. It was in an apparent effort to outdo a kindred gang, by robbing two neighboring banks in the same raid that the boys got into serious trouble, with four dead men stretched out on a board in Coffeyville, Kansas. Clavin, who's been writing about the Wild West for years, does a good job of portraying the attendant mayhem, with all its gore: "The bullet found the cashier's face, entering right below the left eye and exiting at the base of his skull." The author draws on the larger context of Wild West ruffians to tell his story, since by the time the Daltons came along and went, it was 1892, when the frontier was said to be closed. Some of that context seems like padding: The story of the James Gang is both well known and goes on longer than necessary, and the bits of breezy telescoping ("Not to worry: Deputy Marshal Madsen would have another crack at the Dalton brothers") don't add much, either. Still, Clavin ably stitches the yarn together, and he does well to bookend his story with the sole surviving Dalton, who, after serving time, tried to make it in Hollywood. Readers familiar with the 1973 Eagles album Desperado and other bits of pop Western lore will be pleased to find Bill Doolin and Bitter Creek Newcomb in the cast, as well as Cattle Annie, and, among the good guys, Bill Tilghman. Fans of outlaw tales won't find much new, but they'll likely enjoy the book all the same.

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November 1, 2023
American West expert Clavin (Wild Bill, 2019; Lightning Down, 2021) delivers a solid and definitive recapitulation of one of history's most notorious outlaw gangs. The Dalton gang, made up of several relatives of the infamous Younger gang and their ruffian associates, had a brief but bloody criminal career that culminated in a legendary gunfight which left eight men dead, including five of their own. A greed- and hubris-fueled attempt at a double bank robbery would be the Dalton gang's ultimate downfall and lead to what many consider the end of the Wild West era. Clavin recounts the personal histories of the gang members, lightly exploring the root causes of their turn to banditry. Much attention is also given to the lawmen tasked with bringing down the gang and the general atmosphere of the time. Clavin deftly balances academic writing with thrilling descriptions of the Dalton gang's felonious escapades. While hardcore western fans won't discover any fresh information, readers will still enjoy this Old West crime caper. Recommended wherever westerns and American history are popular.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.