Mrs. Dalton’s Boys, part 4

It wasn't long before an announcement was made "by those in authority" that Bob, Emmett and Grattan Dalton resembled three of the train robbers. It should be noted that even at this time, some twenty-five years after the discovery of California gold there was still an interesting mixture of characters swarming through the hills, seeking their fortune. It can't help but be wondered just how many of these come-lately gold-seekers also resembled the train robbers. Anyway, the Daltons were now the star villains of an intense search.

The script the law laid out went something like this: The law decides that Bill Dalton left his ranch some nine days prior to the holdup. He, supposedly, had three brothers with him. Next, the script has the brothers riding to a spot near Alila. Now Emmett steps into the spotlight. The law has him venturing to Oakland, just across the bay from San Francisco, where the railroad terminal was located. Here, they have Emmett finding out which trains would be carrying something of value. It's just a minor point that, a far as my research extended, nothing mentions just how Emmett accomplished this near magical bit of information gathering. It is highly unlikely that the railroad posted a manifest on which trains were carrying what, or that they gave such information out to any passing stranger. There is always the possibility that it was an inside job-like someone working for the railroad giving out information for a cut of the take.

But he law figured all this out somehow. However, while the law was announcing their story, and before they could add an ending in their favor, the Daltons, except for Bill, skedadled. Bill was left in the clear because he was so popular in the area. Evidently, the sheriffs weren't as stable in their own popularity since they were reluctant to question him.

Although the train robbery, for the Daltons, was seemingly now in the past, it just wasn't so. In Fresno, California, a saloonkeeper recognized Grattan and arrested him. However, after being marched off to the sheriff's office, Grattan talked his way free. Eventually, a grand jury did indict the four Dalton brothers for the Alila, California train robbery but only Grattan and Bill were arrested. There was no sight of Bob and Emmett who, it was believed, had headed back to the mid-west.

Grattan was convicted by testimony that involved all four of the brothers, but here the research gets somewhat tricky. One source says that three-days before Grattan was to appear for sentencing an unidentified someone, supposedly from the outside, assisted him in taking a secret vacation from all of his immediate troubles. Another source agrees that Grattan was arrested and convicted but from thereon the details change some. This source puts Grattan on a train, and I assume to a prison because it says that he was "headed for a 20-year prison sentence." This version has Grattan "handcuffed to one deputy and accompanied by another." It relates that after the train had traveled some distance one of the deputies fell asleep. The other deputy must have been more of the sociable type because he evidently was busy talking to some other passengers. This being a hot day, all of the train's windows were open. Considering the situation, Grattan evidently saw his chance to escape. Now recall, this source states that Grattan was handcuffed to one of the deputies. Whether it was the one asleep or the one making friends, it doesn't specify. If it was the one asleep he was about to have what's called a rude awakening.

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