When the Daltons Rode

Emmett Dalton was the youngest of four brothers who, with nonmembers of the family, robbed trains and banks and stole horses for several years.  In 1892, the Dalton Gang attempted to rob two banks at once in Coffeyville, Kansas. A raid ensued, resulting in the death of two of Emmett's brothers. Dalton was injured during the skirmish and, at the age of twenty-one, was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Kansas State Penitentiary. After fourteen years, however, Dalton was pardoned in 1907.  After his release from prison, Emmett Dalton lived another thirty years in Long Beach, California, where he made an honest living for himself while crusading against crime and giving support to prison reform. He died in 1937.  Beyond the Law is Emmett Dalton's firsthand account of his life as an outlaw. In it, he portrays himself and his brothers as victims who were forced into outlawry by corrupt government officials, inept lawmen, the railroad, and circumstance. One of the brothers, a deputy U.S. marshal, was killed in the line of duty, disillusioning Emmett Dalton and his other brothers about their own efforts at being territorial lawmen. In addition, they were unable to collect fees owed to them as posse men and guards. Dalton notes this as the first injustice done to them that would lead to their criminal lifestyle.   The last straw for the brothers, however, came in 1891, when, after leaving federal service as lawmen, they were brought up on what Emmett claimed to be false charges of a California train robbery. Ironically enough, Emmett and his brothers said farewell to their honest lives and became train robbers.  In the last few chapters of the book, Emmett describes his years in prison and reflects on crime and the penal system. While his memoirs might appear to romanticize and exaggerate his actions, Emmett Dalton's story is bound to excite readers and fans of autobiographies.