The San Francisco call., 1896-03-21

city. Severe punishment of the men who
are supposed to be the prime instigators
of the affair is demanded. That the Off
GERS should have been informed in advance
of the proposed hold-up creates much
comment, and every one is eager to learn
how the plans of the robbers happened tc
be told in such detail to the Sheriff. A
CALL correspondent to-day interviewed the
gentleman who was first approached by
Britt, who gave the scheme away, and he
consented to tell the story, stipulatine
that his name should not be used. He
said:
"About ten days ago Britt came to my
boarding house and asked to see me. He
came into the sitting-room and told me
he nad a secret he desired to tell me. We
went out to the gate, where we could talk
WI thout danger of molestation. Britt re-
marked that he was stranger in this
community, and that he desired to do the
public great favor. He assured me that
by speaking be took his life in his hands.
He wanted me to tell the Sheriff the story
of a contemplated crime, but he wanted
me to go with him and introduce him to
Sheriff Merritt, so that his story would be
believed.
"Brltt said that Dan Mccall and Others
were going to hold up the Southern Pa
cifc train and that he had entered into
the conspiracy so that he could prevent
the consummation of the plan. Mccall
first told him that he could make money
easily if he had the right sort of blood III
him. Afterward the plot to rob the train
was matured. Britt said they were ali
sworn to secrecy and loyalty, the penalty
for any one who backed down being sure
death.
"Under the circum stances Britt was
very cautious about what he said. He
told me that Mccall was in constant COM
munication and consultation with ST Low
rem and Charley Ardell, and that it was
those men who furnished the guns and
ammunition. They kept Mccall braced
up all the time and gave him confidence
by telling him the best detective in the
Southern Pacific force was dead, meaning
Hickey.
Britt told me that it was Mccall who
tried to hold up Ben Hicks a short time
ago. Mccall also talked about the prob
able profit in holding up DIR. Patterson,
but Britt said he told him that the doctor
would have too much sense to carry much
money with him. | did not try to get all
of his story, but listened to enough to
convince me that he was telling the truth,
and l Immediately had him meet Sheriff
Merritt, to whom he told everything"
Arana, an old acquaintance of Dan Nc
Call, was seen by CALL correspondent to-
dav. He gave the following iacts about
the dead robbe-:
Mccall was 3s years old. He was born
at Santa Cruz, where he left his mother,
two brothers and son. boy of about Is
years. McCall's wife died several years
ago. He shot and killed man on the
coast before coming to this valley. The
man disputed land claim which Mccall
held, and it was shown in court that Nc
Call had killed him in self-defense. Nc
Call came to this valley with a tough citi-
zen, who was afterward killed in a row,
but he never got into trouble before"
Arana says also that Mccall was invited
by John Keener about year ago to go
north with him and assist in robbing a
stage in Calaveras County. Keener was
cutting wood with Mccall about month
before that stage robbery, in which Keener