COFFEYVILLE — The tombstone of outlaws Bill Dalton, Gratton Dalton and Bill Power was reported stolen after a tourist noticed its absence from Elmwood Cemetery in Coffeyville earlier in the week.

Coffeyville Police Department said an investigation into the theft of the tombstone continues. A Montgomery County Chronicle staffer visited the gravesite on Thursday and noticed the tombstone was taken from atop its granite stone. There were no visible signs of damage to the granite stone except for a deep gash on one side of the stone.

The tombstone was placed on the gravesite in 1931 at the request of Emmett Dalton, who was the lone survivor of the Daltons gang’s failed bank robbery of two Coffeyville banks on Oct. 5, 1892. Three of the four bank robbers were buried in Elmwood Cemetery while fellow outlaw Dick Broadwell was buried elsewhere.

The gravesite was unmarked from 1892 until 1931, which is when Emmett Dalton made his only visit back to Coffeyville after writing the book “When The Daltons Rode.” That book eventually became a movie starring Randolph Scott that was released in 1940.

While the gravesite did not have a marked tombstone for almost 39 years, a metal pipe was placed on the gravesite to mark

the graves. That pipe was believed to be the hitching post that the Dalton outlaws tied their horses to when they made their approach to the two Coffeyville banks on the morning of Oct. 5, 1892.

Cindy Price, Coffeyville city clerk, said no provisions in city ordinances provides for the replacement of stolen tombstones. Typically, family members of the deceased are responsible for replacing damaged or stolen tombstones, she said.

“If the tombstone is found, we’ll reset it on the granite base, but there is nothing in our codes that provides for the replacement of stolen tombstones,” she said.

The report of the missing tombstone comes during the week in which Coffeyville celebrates its annual Dalton Defenders Days.