Part of a gang that attempted to rob two banks in Coffeyville, Kansas, on October 5, 1892, he was the only member of five to survive, despite receiving 23 gunshot wounds.

The elder two started working for the Osage Nation to help them set up a police force, but fled after being pursued for stealing horses.

[3] In March 1893, Dalton pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in the penitentiary in Lansing, Kansas.

[6] Dalton moved to Southern California after leaving prison, and married Julia Johnson the following year, 1908.

[5] Later, he sold real estate,[citation needed] as Southern California was developing rapidly with migrants from across the country.

Dalton's account of his exploits with his brothers, titled Beyond the Law, was published in 1918 as serial story in The Wide World Magazine, a London monthly.

It was adapted as a 1940 movie of the same name, starring Randolph Scott, Kay Francis and Brian Donlevy—Emmett Dalton was portrayed by Frank Albertson.