By Susan Couso
It was about 2:00 a.m. on September 29th, 1907, when the safe at the Constantia Cattle Company Store, 7-miles south of Doyle, finally blew up with a thundering explosion.
The first two attempts failed, but on the third try, the dynamite did its job.
The notorious Bakersfield Slim Gang quickly grabbed the contents and loaded them into the awaiting wagon, along with goods from the store shelves. All-in-all, they got away with between $300 and $800 in cash, postage stamps, shares of mining stock, and store merchandise. They immediately split up the gang, and two men headed south with the wagon, towards Reno, Nevada.
Albert J. Hall, store manager, did not hear the explosions as he lived a good distance away. One man was sleeping nearby, and after he was startled awake by the ruckus, he watched the gang depart. Then he went to alarm Hall.
Hall got his Winchester rifle, saddled his horse, and sent a telegram to the sheriff in Reno before he gave chase. The night was very dark, but he followed their trail to Reno before losing it.
After the telegram arrived, Sheriff Ferrell and his men began their trip north to look for the thieves. They discovered the wagon and horses, but no one was near the site.
The infamous Bakersfield Slim Gang were notorious yeggs, who had been blamed for many heists, but so far, were all on the lam.
The first to be nabbed by authorities was Bakersfield Slim himself. He was arrested in November 1907, and for his efforts got 9 years in prison in Carson City.
Next came Ed O’Brien. He was arrested in Susanville in early 1908 and convicted of stealing a suitcase. While in jail, he confessed to the Constantia job and fingered the rest of the gang.
The five men implicated in the job were: Bakersfield Slim (alias William McVey), James ‘Smokey’ Hogan, Edward O’Brien, Martin Callahan (alias Slim Hays), and ‘Soldier’ Johnny, (alias A. Gleason, J. E. Kearney, Casey).
Soldier Johnny was the easiest to identify, as he had a ‘bum mitt’. The index finger of his right hand had been mangled in a previous job.
Ed O’Brien was paroled from San Quentin in return for ‘turning states evidence’ and went back to Constantia and worked for A. J. Hall in the store!
Smokey Hogan was arrested in Susanville, but he refused to confess and said that he was not Smokey Hogan. He was not convicted.
Martin Callahan ended up with an eight-year stint in San Quentin, and Soldier Johnny was the last to be picked up. He was arrested in 1910.
The little Lassen County town of Constantia was the downfall of the Bakersfield Slim Gang.
