Foiled Train Robbery Erupts into Violence

Over the years, Tulare County has been known for many things - like its fertile soil, its abundance of water, and its beautiful Sierra scenery. Unfortunately, there was a time when the county had a well-deserved reputation for something far less pleasant - train robberies.

Locals like Christopher Evans, John Sontag, the Daltons and other outlaws did their best to burn these crimes deep into the pages of Tulare County history.

From 1889 to 1898, Tulare County experienced at least five train robberies or attempts. People were killed, and property was taken and damaged. These violent acts put the county on edge and the rest of California and beyond on alert.

To make the point, in the September 12, 1896 issue of War Cry Magazine, a Salvation Army worker who had just arrived in the county for a new assignment, commented, "We landed all safe in the country of train robbers and where the devil does so much shooting."

The name "Tulare County" had become synonymous with train holdups!

But not all robberies were successful. In one holdup attempt, no money was taken, but news of the shootout was heard throughout California and beyond.

In 1896, Dan McCall worked as a woodcutter at the Hicks Ranch just north of Visalia. He had come to Tulare County from Santa Cruz a few years earlier. Obie Britt, a co-worker and also a wood chopper, had come to the county from Texas.

Woodcutting was hard work and one day McCall asked Britt if he was interested in getting more money for less work. He went on to explain that he was planning to hold up a train. Britt listened to the older man and soon a plan was in place that involved attacking a Southern Pacific train out of Goshen.

As the date approached, Britt, who was hesitant all along about the scheme, got cold feet. He secretly met with Tulare County Sheriff Alfred Merritt and shared the details of McCall's plan. Then the sheriff put his own plan in place.

In the afternoon of March 18, 1896, McCall and Britt began walking to Goshen to prepare for the evening heist. They hid along the Southern Pacific tracks about two miles south of Goshen (near Tagus) waiting for southbound train #19 to arrive.

As the tender car approached, McCall jumped onboard at the rear of the car, but unknown to McCall, Britt did not follow. McCall climbed onto the coal tender and moved forward. As he did, he surprised Tulare County sheriff deputies, Earl Daggett and Vic Reed who were both hiding in the coal in front of the tender. The two officers were on the train as part of Sheriff Merritt's plan to surprise McCall.

When the armed McCall saw the officers he yelled, "Hold up your hands," at which time the two surprised lawmen and McCall began exchanging gunfire on the moving train. McCall's bullets hit Reed in the left arm near the shoulder and Daggett took a serious hit to his right side. In the exchange, the two deputies both fired their shotguns, and fatally wounded McCall who fell from the tender onto the ground from the moving train.

After the shooting ended, train engineer William Wright stopped the train, but Reed told him to continue to Tulare to get treatment for the seriously wounded Daggett. In Tulare, a .41 caliber bullet was removed from Daggett's body. He recovered and recuperated at the Grand Hotel in Tulare. McCall's body was recovered along the tracks and taken to Visalia. Both Vic Reed and Earl Daggett recovered from their wounds.

Further interrogation of Britt, who was never charged, revealed that Visalians Charles Ardell and Josiah Lovren were complicit in the train robbery plot. Both men were arrested.

At trial, Ardell was acquitted, but Lovren was found guilty of conspiracy for supplying the guns to McCall. He was sentenced to life in state prison.

The train robbery attempt and subsequent trial was big news, and reported widely throughout California. The county was well on its way to becoming known as the center for train robberies. Dan McCall is buried in the "public ground" (pauper) section of the Visalia Cemetery.