TERRIFIC FIGHT ON A FLYING TRAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10127, 9 May 1896, Page 2 (Supplement)

TERRIFIC FIGHT ON A FLYING TRAIN.

BANDIT RIDDLED with shot.

Bakkhsfield, Gal, March 19.—The attempted train robbery early this morning near Goshen was most disastrous to the leader in the plot and his alleged accomplices. Dan McCall, the bandit who was last night believed to be wounded, was found dead by the side of the track, a victim of the guns of the deputies who guarded the engine. Four other men who are believed to have been in the conspiracy are ingaol at Visalia. Both north and south bound trains carried armed men, and there was no possible chance for McCall to succeed in his plot, even if his comrades had stood by him. The details of the battle on the tender of the flying train show that it was a thrilling encounter. McCall, deserted by his supposed partner, made a gallant fight, and the one-sided contest only ended when he fell from tho tender dying. W. \V. Wright was the engineer of the train, 19, an attempt to hold up which last night resulted so disastrously to the bandit. He says that when the train reached Goshen two deputies got aboard and showed a letter from the superintendent authorising them to ride on the engine. They said they were going to Tulare to meet the north-bound train, which, it was expected, would be stopped by robbers. There was not the least suspicion that thero were any robbers on their own train.

The two officers sat down on the coal in the tender, where the fireman had been shovelling it away, thus having their heads considerably below the level of the top of the coal. A few miles out from Goshen, when tho train was running between 35 and 40 miles an hour, the engineer heard someone on the tender utter a loud whoop. He glanced quickly around and saw a man standing on top of the coal with a mask on the lower part of his faco, and holding a pistol in one hand and a small rifle in the other. With these weapons lie covered tho engineer and fireman. Just then the robber appeared to catch sight of the two officers, and in a flash he lowered the weapons and fired both.

Without getting up the officers turned as they sat, and each fired a barrel of his sawed-off shotgun at the robber. The shots hit him, for he staggered, but did not give up, and fired at least one, and perhaps two, more shots. Then the officers reopened tho fire, and literally blew the robber off tho tender.

When the first shot was fired the engineer made a dive through the front window of his cab out on the running board, where ho stayed till the shooting van over, lie then returned, and offered to stop tho train if the officers wished; but they told him to go ahead and get to Tulare as soon as he could, as they were both wounded and needed medical assistance.

HOW THE PLANS OF THE TKAIX ROBBERS WKBK FOILED. Visalia, March 19. —Four men aro in gaol here charged with complicity in the attempt to rob the Southern Pacific train near Goshen, in which Dan McCall, the leader of the robbers, was killed and Deputies Daggett and Rood were wounded. They are : Oby Bntt, Si Loveran, Charles Ardoll, and John Haines. McCall was evidently tho loader in the scheme, and had his companions not betrayed him there is every reason to believe the attempt would have been successful. But his plans wore made known to the officers in detail, and they were thoroughly prepared, as tho result shows.

Sheriff Merritt, in an interview to-day, told of how he was first made acquainted with McCall'a designs. Voting Britt was his informant. The lad is 'JO years of age, and has been working with McCall for several months at the Hicks ranch, near Visalia, chopping wood. McCall, it is said, gradually took the boy into his confidence, and Britt pretended to consent to all of McUall'a plans. As soon us a time was definitely fixed for the robbery Britt notified the sheriff, who quietly preparod for notion. It was the intention to rob train 20, bound north, near Goshen, by digging it;, but, learning that the officers suspected something, McCall decided to rob 19, bound south.

McCall and Britt went to Goshen, and when near that station, hearing a buggy, containing two men, drive by, McCall thought they were officers, and ran to an embankment to fire at them. Britt, who was behind McCall, shot at him, the ball passing ovor his shouldor. The buggy had passed too far uwuy when McCall got to the embankment, and Britt told him his gun went off accidentally. McCall believed him, and together they waited for the train.

As the train was ready to pull out McCall got on the blind baggage. Britt made a feint to catch tho same car, but missed it purposely. He also made a feint to catch the next car, and McCall thought bo was on it, but he ran back to the station and telegraphed to Sheriff Merritt at Tulare that itlcCall was on the train. Britt was afterward takon to gaol. Haines, tho Salvation Army man that McCall expected at (ioshen to assist in the robbery, but failed to put in an appearance, was arrested at Taurus* this morning. He liven there, but has been (shopping wood for Hicks. McCall has worked much of the limo for four years past for Ben Hicks. He was a hard citizen when under the influence of liquor, but at other times was considered a hardworking and careful cmployi. For several weeks he had been attending church regularly, and spoke of joining somo church. Yesterday he spoke of religious matters to a fellow-workman, but at the closo of tho conversation proposed " swapping" revolvers. He said his was small, and he wanted a largor one. McCall was born at Santa Cruz, and his parents and brothers reside there also. His wife, from whom ho had soparated, and a son aifio live there.

Sheriff Merritt speaks in the highest terms of the plucky deputies. He know that himself and officors were watchod, and had to get out of town one at a time. Deputy Sheriff Iteed was on tho streets this afternoon, bis wound being slight. Daggett is seriously hurt. Tho ball entered in front, passing through the seventh rib on the loft side, and was taken out his back. The lung is injured. The robber, it is learned, was killed with a shotgun, both barrels taking effect in the abdomen. The shot passed through his right trousers pocket, shattering his knife, and entered the bowels, ranging up through the body.