Old West Outlaw List – D
The era of the Old West, a period romanticized in countless tales of daring cowboys and notorious outlaws, continues to fascinate us. Among the figures who roamed this untamed landscape, some left their mark through acts of defiance and lawlessness. This article delves into the lives of several such individuals whose names begin with the letter "D," offering a glimpse into their exploits and the circumstances that shaped their paths.
Christopher “Kit” Dalton, aka: Charles Bell, Thomas Mabry (18??-1920)
Christopher "Kit" Dalton, a name often whispered in connection to the infamous Dalton Gang, held a familial tie to the notorious brothers. A second cousin to the Daltons, Kit operated in the tumultuous landscape of the Civil War era, engaging in robbery and looting along the contentious North-South border. He further fueled the mystique surrounding his persona by claiming to have ridden alongside the James and Bass Gangs, legendary figures in their own right. His life, shrouded in ambiguity and intrigue, came to an end in 1920. The saga of the Old West Outlaw List – D continues with the Dalton family.
Emmett Dalton, aka Charley McLaughlin (1871-1937)
Emmett Dalton, inextricably linked to the Dalton Gang’s legacy, played a prominent role in their audacious escapades. As a member of the gang, he participated in numerous robberies that terrorized the region. His fate took a dramatic turn during the ill-fated raid on Coffeyville, Kansas. While attempting to rescue his brother Bob amidst the chaos, Emmett was severely wounded and captured. He spent over fourteen years incarcerated for his crimes. Upon his release, he sought a new chapter in Hollywood, California, where he chronicled the Dalton Gang’s story in a book, offering a unique perspective on their rise and fall.
Grattan “Grat” Dalton (1865-1892)
Grattan "Grat" Dalton’s journey took a sharp turn from law enforcer to lawbreaker. He initially served as a Kansas deputy marshal, upholding the very laws he would later defy. However, the allure of the outlaw life proved too strong, and he joined his brothers in robbing banks and trains as part of the Dalton Gang. His criminal career culminated in the disastrous Coffeyville, Kansas, bank robbery attempt on October 5, 1892, where he met his demise. The Old West Outlaw List – D is filled with tales of tragic endings.
Robert “Bob” Dalton (1868-1892)
Robert "Bob" Dalton, like his brother Grat, began his career on the side of the law. He served as a lawman before transitioning to the other side, forming the Dalton Gang in 1891. As the leader of the gang, he orchestrated numerous robberies, establishing a reputation for daring and ruthlessness. His life, however, was cut short during the same Coffeyville, Kansas, bank robbery attempt that claimed the lives of his brothers.
William “Bill” Dalton (1866-1894)
William "Bill" Dalton’s path to outlawry was preceded by a stint in the California legislature. Following the deaths of his brothers, he joined Bill Doolin’s Gang, a notorious group of outlaws operating in the region. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a leader within the Doolin-Dalton Gang. His criminal career ended on June 8, 1894, when he was killed by lawmen. Bill’s story is another addition to the Old West Outlaw List – D.
J. Frank Dalton, aka Happy Jack
J. Frank Dalton, known as "Happy Jack," found himself on the wrong side of the law in Limestone County, Texas, in 1886, wanted for horse theft. In a twist that added to his enigmatic persona, he later claimed to be none other than Jesse James, the legendary outlaw himself.
John Daly (1839-1864)
John Daly, a figure of menace and brutality, operated in the mining camp of Aurora, Nevada. Alongside "Three-Fingered Jack" McDowell, he ran a saloon, using it as a base to terrorize the town’s citizens. Daly’s reign of fear came to an end in 1864.
Boston Damewood
Boston Damewood, a California outlaw and highwayman, met a violent end at the hands of a mob in Los Angeles. He was lynched by 200 vigilantes.
Bill Daniels
Bill Daniels led a gang of outlaws who robbed the Tucumcari, New Mexico, bank. During the robbery, Daniels shot a boy who was holding his hands in the air.
Pancho Daniel (18??-1858)
Pancho Daniel, in collaboration with Juan Flores, led the Flores-Daniel Gang, a group responsible for raids across southern California during the mid-1850s. His criminal activities led to his execution by hanging on November 30, 1858.
Isom Dart, aka Ned Huddleston (1849-1900)
Isom Dart, born into slavery in Arkansas, drifted westward to Texas and then Colorado. He began rustling cattle. His life ended on October 3, 1900, when he was shot dead by Tom Horn.
Emmet R. Daugherty
Emmet R. Daugherty, the nephew of Henry Starr, attempted murder in Oklahoma.
Roy Daugherty “Arkansas Tom Jones” (1871-1924)
Roy Daugherty, better known as "Arkansas Tom Jones," was an outlaw and member of the Doolin-Dalton Gang. He was captured at Ingalls, Oklahoma, and served seventeen years in prison. Following his release, he returned to a life of crime and was killed by law officers on August 16, 1924.
Jim Davenport
Jim Davenport, a Texas outlaw and cowboy, was accused of killing Elk Hereford. When the Texas Rangers attempted to apprehend him in Cotulla, Texas, in 1899, he resisted and was killed.
Andrew Jackson “Big Jack” Davis (??-1877)
Andrew Jackson "Big Jack" Davis, a stagecoach and train robber, met his end at the hands of a Wells-Fargo shotgun messenger while attempting to rob a stagecoach in Nevada.
George Davis
George Davis, see Dolly Graham
Frog Davis
Frog Davis killed Sheriff Jim Musgrove in the Cherokee Nation of Indian Territory. He was convicted and hanged for the crime.
Jack Davis (1845?-1879?)
Jack Davis, an outlaw and friend of Bill Longley, robbed trains with Sam Bass and Joel Collins.
John Davis (18??-1884)
John Davis killed a boy named William Bullock at Brownswood, Texas. Arrested by Heck Thomas, he was convicted and hanged at Fort Smith, Arkansas, on July 11, 1884.
Lewis Davis (18??-1896)
Lewis Davis, a Creek Indian outlaw and member of the Rufus Buck Gang, was hanged on July 1, 1896, at Fort Smith, Arkansas, for murder, robbery, and rape.
Lucky Davis (18??-1896)
Lucky Davis, a Creek Indian outlaw and member of the Rufus Buck Gang, was hanged on July 1, 1896, at Fort Smith, Arkansas, for murder, robbery, and rape.
Curtis Dayson
Curtis Dayson, an outlaw member of the Cook Gang in Indian Territory, was captured after a bank robbery.
Pony Deal (or Diehl)
Pony Deal, a former member of the John Kinney Gang, joined the Jesse Evans Gang during New Mexico’s Lincoln County War. Afterward, he went to Arizona and joined the Clanton Cowboys. He was sought after by Wyatt Earp during the Earp Vendetta Ride but wasn’t found. He claimed to have killed John O’Rourke in 1882 after O’Rourke allegedly killed his friend, Johnny Ringo.
Ollie “Big Nose George” Deetz (1850-1889)
Ollie "Big Nose George" Deetz became the marshal of Manhattan, Colorado, in May 1887. Manhattan was a gold mining camp in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northwestern Larimer County. Like other mining camps of the time, it had a lawless element, and city authorities hired Deetz to “get rid of it.” He seemingly happily complied, killing three men his first night on the job and collecting a $100 bounty on each man. He continued to “rid” the town of its seedier characters, hanging some of them after planting evidence. A year later, he moved northward to Wyoming, and following an alleged bank robbery, he was lynched at Rock Creek on October 5, 1889.
William E. Delaney, aka: Bill Johnson; Morman Bill (1856-1884)
William E. Delaney, an outlaw suspected of murder in Pennsylvania, fled to the west where he joined a gang in Arizona. He was captured by Deputy Ben Daniels and hanged in Tombstone in March 1884.
Tom Deloach
Tom Deloach shot and killed Joe Holland in September 1885 outside of El Paso, Texas.
Dan Demmons
Dan Demmons led an outlaw gang in Texas and New Mexico in the 1870s. He was captured in 1880.
Boyd Dempster
Boyd Dempster, a New Mexico outlaw, was shot and killed in Georgetown, New Mexico, on December 26, 1881, by Deputy Sheriff Glasgow.
Patas de Rana, aka: El Coyote
Patas de Rana, an outlaw member of Vicente Silva’s White Caps Gang in Las Vegas, New Mexico, shot and killed Vicente Silva on orders of the gang on May 19, 1895. The gang’s breakup came after one of them was ordered hanged by the gang court.
James Devine, aka Jones, James Johnson, Curran
James Devine, a New Mexico outlaw, was lynched in Raton on April 16, 1881.
Timmie Dick
Timmie Dick, a Creek Indian outlaw in Indian Territory, was convicted of murder and executed in 1906.
James Diggs (18??-1878)
James Diggs, an Oklahoma murderer, killed J. C. Gould, a cattle drover, for $27.00. He was hanged on December 20, 1878, at Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Jerry Dillon
Jerry Dillon, a New Mexico outlaw, killed Captain Paul Dowlin on May 5, 1877, nearby Fort Stanton.
Lee Dixon
Lee Dixon, an outlaw member of the Smith-Dixon Gang, was wounded upon his capture by Deputy James Cole and later died in the jail hospital at Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Cornelius “Lame Johnny” Donahue, aka: John A. Hurley (1850-1878)
Cornelius "Lame Johnny" Donahue, a road agent operating in the Black Hills, was arrested, but before he could be taken to jail, he was hanged by a vigilante.
William M. “Bill” Doolin, aka Will Barry (1858-1896)
William M. "Bill" Doolin, leading the Doolin-Dalton Gang that robbed trains and banks in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Missouri, and Kansas, was shot and killed by U.S. Deputy Marshal Heck Thomas on August 24, 1896. This name is prominently featured in discussions of the Old West Outlaw List – D.
John Dorsey
John Dorsey, a New Mexico outlaw, was lynched after killing Constable Joe Carson in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Bob Dossay
Bob Dossay, an Oklahoma outlaw, was killed by Ceasar Payne in the Seminole Nation of Indian Territory.
Charley Dotson
Charley Dotson, an outlaw member of the Cookson Hills Gang, participated in the bank robberies at Haskell, Oklahoma, and York, Nebraska, in 1933.
Daniel Dowd
Daniel Dowd, an outlaw companion of Bill Delaney, was hanged in March 1884 in Tombstone, Arizona.
William Downing
William Downing, an Outlaw member of the Alvord-Stiles Gang, also served as the crooked sheriff of Willcox, Arizona, allowing the gang to escape after a train robbery. He killed over thirty men and was shot dead by Sheriff Billy Speed in August 1900 at Willcox.
Robert “Bob” Dozier (1800-1878)
Robert "Bob" Dozier, a farmer turned outlaw, was accused of multiple crimes in Indian Territory before being tracked down by famed U.S. Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves.
Bluford “Blue” Duck (18??-1895)
Bluford “Blue” Duck, born in the Cherokee Nation, Blue Duck’s Indian name was Sha-con-gah. Blue Duck was said to have been a member of a small gang involved in stage holdups and rustling.
Dell Dublin
Dell Dublin, a Texas outlaw, was captured in Coryell, Texas, after committing murder.
Dick Dublin
Dick Dublin, a Texas outlaw, was captured in Coryell, Texas, after committing murder.
Thomas Duffy
Thomas Duffy, a New Mexico outlaw, was jailed in Las Vegas for killing Thomas Bishop in Liberty, New Mexico. When he tried to escape on September 19, 1880, he was shot and killed.
Giovanni Dugi, aka Dagi, Duque
Giovanni Dugi, a New Mexico outlaw, was lynched on June 4, 1879, in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Dick Duncan
Dick Duncan, an outlaw and nephew of Thomas "Black Jack" Ketchum, was hanged for murder at Eagle Pass, Texas, in 1891.
Jack Dunlap (or Dunlop), aka Three-Fingered Jack (18??-1900)
Jack Dunlap, in the 1890s, robbed banks and trains in Arizona before being arrested. Following his release in 1895, he joined Black Jack Christian’s gang, the High Fives, and later the Alvord-Stiles Gang, again holding up trains. He died after being shot during a train robbery in Fairbank, Arizona. This list, the Old West Outlaw List – D, continues to grow with each entry.
Dunn Brothers of Ingalls, Oklahoma
In the 1890s, Willilam B. Dunn and his brothers, Bee, Calvin, Dal, and George, ran a road ranch near Ingalls, Oklahoma, for travelers looking for a place to eat and rest. Sometimes, these travelers that made the mistake of stopping were robbed, killed, and never seen again.
Rose Dunn, aka The Rose of Cimarron
Rose Dunn, outlaw lover of George Newcomb and friend of the Dalton-Doolin Gang, helped Newcomb escape from a gun battle outside Ingalls, Oklahoma, and served time in a U.S. reformatory.
John Dupont
John Dupont, a New Mexico outlaw, shot and killed Bartole Garcia on January 14, 1883, in La Joya, New Mexico.
Grover Durrell
Grover Durrell, an Oklahoma outlaw, rode with Al Spencer and Jelly Nash in Indian Territory.
This compilation offers a glimpse into the diverse and often violent lives of individuals who operated outside the boundaries of the law in the Old West. Their stories, though often tinged with tragedy and brutality, contribute to the complex tapestry of this captivating era. The Old West Outlaw List – D paints a vivid picture of a time when the lines between law and lawlessness were often blurred.