Shadowing Practice: The Dumbest Heist in History - Learn English Speaking with Video
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It's October 5th, 1892.
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In the bottom left corner of the relatively new state of Kansas, lies the small town of Coffeyville.
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A place with a population of roughly 2000 rowdy Americans.
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The setting is classic Wild West.
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And nothing is more Wild Westy than a good old bank-high story.
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In the middle of broad daylight, the notorious Dalton brothers are about to make their move.
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The plan is simple.
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Step 1.
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Welcome to the bank.
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Step 2.
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Grab the money.
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It's as watertight as a plant can get.
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No, no, no, that's too boring, says Bob, the oldest Dalton brother and leader of the group.
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We have to make a name for ourselves, guys.
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We need to pull something off that beats anything Jesse James ever did.
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See, why rob one bank when you can rob two?
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You do realize we are only like five people, right, big bro?
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If anything happens, just scream across the road and we'll run over to help.
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Alright, off we go!
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This is the dumbest heist in history.
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He said the thing!
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Historically Facts, Part 9 So before we dive head first into the absolute circus that was this heist,
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let's get a quick history lesson on our ambitious robbers.
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The Dalton brothers, Bob, Gret, Emmet and their lesser known accomplices Dick and Bill, actually started out on the straight and narrow side of life.
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They even joined law enforcement as deputies, believe it or not, chasing outlaws themselves themselves.
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Their older brother Frank has been a respected deputy marshal too, until he was gunned down by some whiskey runners.
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After that, the younger Daltons took one look at the law, went, nah we're good and jumped to the other side.
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Also, it turns out that chasing bandits pays like dirt.
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But being one, that's where their real money's at.
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Who would have guessed?
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Thus began their illustrious career as cattle rustlers, train robbers and general nuisances across the American midwest.
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Eventually the brothers made enough noise to earn their spots as wanted poster celebrities, becoming notorious enough to believe their own hype.
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And that's exactly what led them to this absolutely genius idea.
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Fast forward back to the heist day.
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The Dalton boys were ready to achieve criminal immortality.
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Bob's fool proof plan went as follows.
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Bob and Emmet Dalton would hit the first national bank.
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Meanwhile, Greth Dalton, Bill Powers and Dick Broadwell would stroll cashly into the Condon Bank, right across the street.
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Now obviously, if your master plan to escape financial stress involves robbing two banks in your own hometown, you might want to reconsider your options.
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Fortunately for you my friend, there is a smarter, less felony prone solution.
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BDS Debt, the partner of this video.
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Do you ever look at your bank account and think, wow, red sure is a nice color?
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Yeah, that's called debt.
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And it's not your fault.
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Credit card debt, medical bills, student loans.
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It's like the system is designed to keep your broken purpose.
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But there is a way out.
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And they are not some shady scam in a basement.
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They've got an A-plus rating from the BBB and thousands of 5-star reviews.
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They will make you a custom plan built around your life, not someone else's spreadsheet.
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So if Debt got you in a chokehold like a 14th century tax collector, go to pdsdep.com slash historically for a free assessment.
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At around 9.30am, dressed in totally inconspicuous fake beards and moustaches that fooled precisely no one, the brothers began their legendary heist.
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The gang tied up their horses in a nearby alleyway and approached the two banks with their guns drawn, once again in broad daylight.
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It shouldn't come as a surprise to you
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that five Gandalf lookalikes walking aggressively towards the local banks while wielding Winchesters and revolvers scream suspicion to the townsfolk.
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Also, I forgot to mention this before, but the Daltons literally grew up in this town.
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Everyone instantly recognized them.
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Nice beard, Rob.
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Love the stash, Emmet.
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Wait a minute.
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You guys aren't.
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The Dalton brothers are robbing the banks!
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With their covers blown before the heist even started, war it spread like wildfire.
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And mind you, this is the Wild West.
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No insurance policy if your precious gold gets stolen from the bank.
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If your gold is gone, it's really gone.
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In the eyes of the townsfolk, the Daltons weren't just robbing the banks, they were robbing the townsfolk.
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The people rushed towards the banks to check if the rumors were really true.
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Gosh darn Delhi, they really are robbing us.
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Anyone brought a gun?
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You know why it's important to scout a bank before robbing it?
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This is why.
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There was a hardware store right next door to the banks, practically overflowing with firearms and ammunition.
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Launch people from stable owners to shopkeepers rushed into the hardware store quickly arming themselves with rifles, pistols and shotguns.
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Within minutes an angry heavily armed mob awaited the robbers outside.
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Meanwhile the Daltons were blissfully unaware.
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The trio inside the condon bank, Grat, Dick and Bill rushed into the vault that was by sheer luck open.
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Unfortunately the gold was in a secondary safe within that vault that was locked with a 10 minute timer.
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That wasn't true by the way, the manager of the bank made it up.
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But the Daltons, in their Omega brain, believed the guy and decided to wait 10 minutes for the safe to unlock.
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Seriously?
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None of you has the bright idea to just try to unlock the damn thing to see
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if what he says is true?
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And none of you starts to feel a bit anxious that the streets are eerily quiet?
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Okay.
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On the other side of the street, Emmett and Bob Dalton were a bit more successful.
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They tied down the officers and customers and forced the employees to yank the vault and safes open.
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Instantly they put the gold and cash and sacks on their back.
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And just like that they were ready to move out.
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They grabbed the officer and using him as body cover they slowly walked out the front door.
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Their plan was to cross the street, meet up with Gret and together head back to the horses.
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Not sure how they would get through the crowd, but yeah.
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Before they got to leave the bank though, a banker hiding outside emerges from cover and starts to unload his revolver towards the duo.
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Big bro, I don't think going this way is a wise decision.
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Perhaps we should retreat through the back door instead.
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You make an excellent suggestion little bro.
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By utilizing the back door and avoiding the main street, we minimize the chance of us getting shot.
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Let us retreat back into the bank and try this new plan.
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Back to the trio, while they were patiently waiting for the safe to open, they heard the volley of gunshots at the opposite side of the street
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and rushed out of the vault to see what was happening.
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Knock knock and they also got a volley of gunshots flying through the door and windows.
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I know we are actively getting shot at and the longer we wait our window to escape gets narrower, but I really like gold.
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At the National Bank, Emmet and Bob kick open the back door and with a new body shield escape into the alley.
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A young, courageous lad jumps from behind the corner, whips out a revolver and orders the two Daltons to surrender.
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Umm, no?
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You surrender or we will shoot.
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No, my righteous heart and God forgive me, I cannot let you wo- We don't have time for this, let's go.
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Bob and Emmet then made their way to the end of the back alley
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and peeked over to spot the massive crowd unloading their guns into the Condon bank.
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They also spotted an older male holding a Winchester, intensely aiming at the front door of the National Bank.
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It was clear that he was trying to get the jump on the two brothers
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when they would eventually reveal themselves at the front door for the second time.
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Love the enthusiasm, but their building has some more doors, pal.
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Holy cow!
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Don't pick up that gun, fella.
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The third victim of Bob Dalton dies to another headshot.
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The officer who was left outside on the sidewalk saw the two civilians getting shot
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and ran over to the next door hardware store to score himself a rifle too.
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He then took the nastiest angle in all of shootings history and waited for the Daltons to cross the street.
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But then, and I swear to god I don't know how Bob keeps doing this,
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somehow he notices the slight reflection of the gun as he crosses the street and at an impressive 200 feet away, he taps the officer in the head.
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How do you keep doing this?
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The two then quickly dash the street, their gunfire masked by the insane gun volley being unloaded into the condom bank.
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In that bank, by the way, the trio occasionally shot back to make sure the crowds didn't start to feel comfortable enough to enter the place.
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But aside from that, there wasn't really much they could do.
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Worse even, Bill got shot in his arm and was bleeding like crazy.
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Bill!
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Dick!
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Forget the gold!
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We stay here one minute longer and we'll be dead before that save opens!
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Stash your pockets with cash and get ready to dash away!
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Then, surprising the townsfolk, the trio all jumped out of cover, shooting back, forcing the crowd to take cover themselves.
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Using this window of opportunity, the crew ran out the side door, dashing towards the horses.
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What in Cornsdale Denny is happening in my town?
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Alright, just a bit further lads.
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If I'm not mistaken, my brother should be just around the corner.
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We'll make it, I'm sure of it.
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Nani?
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Bakanaga, come on!
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Let's get out of here, now!
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Where's the darn money, you mongrels?
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And where's my brother?
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Before that question got answered though, the townsfolk caught up at the end of the alley.
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My sweet lord.
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Fire!
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Bob was the first to receive judgment.
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First by a round hitting his head and a second round piercing his heart, leaving him dead on the spot.
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Bill, with one arm heavily bleeding, attempts to mount his horse, but he too gets mowed down by the angry townsfolk.
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The youngest brother Emmet, together with Dick on the other hand, managed to slide on their horses and dash away.
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But Emmet, looking back, Dick bro!
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Emmet turned back instantly and attempted to mount his brother on the back of his horse.
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But before he could do so, he was struck by a buckshot round in the back, leaving him too in the dirt.
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Dick continues to escape away, but doing so catches a couple bullets in his upper back.
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He was found dead two miles west, still on top of his horse.
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A couple miles more west, another brother of the Daltons, Bill Dalton, was waiting with additional horses to assist the gang's escape.
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But after getting tired from waiting, he went home, learning later of what happened of his brothers.
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Each gang member, aside from one, got killed.
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The one who survived?
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The one with 23 gunshot wounds.
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Emmet Dalton.
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He was in a life threatening situation, yet managed to survive the shootout.
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He was nursed back to health and sent to prison for the rest of his tiny life.
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Though he did get pardoned 14 years later, where he then turned to being an actor.
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Notably he played as a bandit oddlaw.
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Once a bandit, always a bandit, eh?
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And that is how the notorious Dalton gang met their demise in Covifil with their poorly planned, overly ambitious double heist.
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Emmett was asked in his later life why the gang did such a ridiculous stunt.
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And he answered that while his older brother wanted fame, they were most afraid of a certain deputy marshal named Heck Thomas.
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He had been hunting the gang to such extent
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that they felt forced to pull up such a big stunt to make enough money to leave the territory.
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And they were right.
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Bill Dalton, the last Dalton criminal, was ultimately hunted down as the brothers predicted and shot dead in a shootout with the marshals.
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And so one question remains.
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What must their mother be thinking at home?
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice English speaking skills by engaging with an entertaining and informative YouTube video titled "The Dumbest Heist in History." You will focus on understanding dialogue and historical context while enhancing your vocabulary. By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to narrate intriguing stories and describe events clearly, making it an ideal practice for both casual conversation and storytelling in English.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Notorious: Famous or well-known, typically for a bad quality or deed.
- Accomplices: People who assist in a crime or wrongdoing.
- Heist: A robbery, especially one involving a great deal of money.
- Foolproof: Something that is so well planned or designed that it cannot go wrong.
- Cattle rustlers: Thieves who steal cattle.
- Immortality: The ability to live forever; in this context, it refers to becoming famous in history.
- Financial stress: Pressure or anxiety related to financial difficulties.
- Wanted poster: A public notice that seeks the arrest of a criminal.
Practice Tips
To make the most of your learn English with YouTube experience, try these shadowing techniques while watching the video:
- Pause and Repeat: After each sentence or phrase, pause the video and repeat what you've heard. This helps with pronunciation and retention.
- Match the Tone: Pay attention to the speaker's tone, especially during exciting parts of the story. Mimicking their enthusiasm can improve your expressiveness in English speaking practice.
- Record Yourself: Use a recording device to capture your shadowing practice. Listening to your recording can help identify areas for improvement.
- Focus on Vocabulary: Take special note of the key vocabulary and phrases. Try creating sentences of your own with these words after watching.
By implementing these techniques on a shadowing site or during your personal practice, you'll experience the benefits of shadow speak effectively. Consistent practice with such engaging content will not only enhance your vocabulary but also boost your confidence in speaking English.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.