The Springdale News from The San Francisco Chronicle
Springdale, AR
September 8, 1893
The strange fact has come to light that the daring burglar Anthony Dalton, who perished in the attempted outbreak led by George Sontag at Folsom Prison on June 27 last, was a college graduate. He had been sent up in 1891 for robbing Ladd's gun store on Kearny Street. Dalton was not his real name, of course, and that fact was known to Warden Charles Aull at the time, but who he was and what was his history remained a mystery. The Warden had even heard that he was a graduate of some institution. Certain gossips about the prison who had heard a chance word from the mysterious convict reported that they believe he was a graduate of Harvard but the Waden could never solve the mystery. The silent convict would under no circumstances reveal his identity and all that the authorities knew was that he was an educated man of remarkable taste and brilliant parts.
His last resting place is only identified by the number 2,538 inscribed on a wooden headstone.
Recently the remarkable story of the life of the mysterious man, who has almost been two months in his grave, for the first time became known. It is a story as strange as that of the "Count of Monte Cristo." His experiences even rival those of the notorious highwayman, Claude Duval.
Dalton was a graduate of the State University of Arkansas, of good family and at the time of his graduation of high moral standing. After his graduation he was engaged for sometime in a music store and for a good while he taught music very successfully, having large classes and being considered very superior in musical attainments. These another strange facts are told in a letter from Fayetteville, Ark., written by Charles J. Young, the greater part of the details of which were entirely corroborated yesterday. Mr. Young had read the story of the prison outbreak and the account of Dalton's part in it, together with the story of his burial alongside of the dead stage robbers, "Buckshot" Williams and Hy Wilson. Certain facts revealed in the story established the identity of the burglar and graduate. His true name was Albert Pike Dickerson. "He was 37 years old," wrote Mr. Young; "born in Washington County of one of the best families and was a graduate of the State University. He had taught music, worked in music stores and was always considered a moral young man."
Then Mr. Young tells of an act of bravery which resulted in a serious mishap and which, remarkable as it might appear, probably had too much to do with the college graduate turning burglar. This is what he says by way of continuation: "Some years ago during a fire he stayed on the roof of a burning building until he became overcome by heat, since considered unsound mentally." He then stated that Dalton became addicted to morphine and says, further, that he was in a gun store robbery before he came here, which leads to the conclusion that he must have had a weakness for guns and pistols. "Some years ago," continued Mr. Young, "he robbed a gun store in Springfield, Mo. but through the influence of friends he escaped punishment, after which he went to San Francisco. His mother has not even known that he was in trouble, not having heard from him for a long time." Thus it would appear that Albert Pike Dickerson, alias Dalton, has rigidly concealed his California crime and its consequences from his friends as he here concealed his identity. He evidently went to his death thinking that the strange facts would never be revealed.
The fact has now been developed that soon after Dickerson, under the name of Dalton came to this city early in 1891, he was for some months engaged as a gripman on the Hayes Street cable line. Then for a time he was out of work.
On the night of September 17 following, J.W. Pearson who lived at 533 Kearney Street over C.C. Ladd's gun store, heard a queer rasping and boring sound in an adjoining room which had been vacant for sometime. Pearson slept in room 40. He had been out late and did not reach his room until 2 o'clock that morning. The rasping continued till he could not sleep and he became suspicious that it was the work of a burglar. Accordingly he arose and peered within. There, stealthily engaged by the dim light of a tallow candle, was a man with brace and bit and other implements boring holes in the floor. The eyes of the two men met and each took in the situation at once. Pearson saw that he had intercepted a daring burglar and the latter as clearly saw that he had been detected. There would probably have been a tragedy at once but Pearson ran down the stairway to the street and loudly began to call for the police, his eye meantime guarding the doorway. Capt. W.Y. Douglas and Sergeant Flanders came at different times and made a search. Some others of the police force participated. At the last moment when they had almost despaired there was an awful crash, the sound of breaking glass and then another loud crash. The pursuers were on an upper floor and they realized that the hunted man must have fallen through the deep light-well and crushed through the skylight just over the office in the rear part of the store. Naturally they supposed him dead for he had fallen no less than 36 feet. They ran up to the attic where a long ladder reached up to the skylight on the roof. At the side of it was the deep air-well of shaft. The alarmed burglar had in his flight rushed up the ladder and apparently in the darkness had not noticed the well below. The latter swerved and he fell almost 25 feet before he met any obstruction. For 15 feet he swept the dust begrimed side and wiped it as clean as though washed by water. The other 10 feet was sheer and he struck on a wire netting over inch plate-glass at the top of the office. The fall of 25 feet to this point caused him to crash through the heavy netting, though it was held down by heavy staples, snapped the heavy plate-glass as though it was paper and went tumbling to the bottom. He struck on the corner of a solid walnut desk and the back of the heavy chair and the marks and deep scars of the collision are there yet, as was clearly seen yesterday when Mr. Ladd pointed them out. How he ever escaped death from the awful fall will never be known but Mr. Ladd thinks it was because of his having struck the heavy wire netting in a particular way. He said it was bowed and bent and perfectly fitted his body. When Pearson and Sergeant Flanders had taken in the situation they ran below and burst in the doors. Dalton was completely cowed. The pitch down the air well had been so sudden that it took the nerves out of him. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" he said; "I'll give up." Dalton had no explanation to give and nothing to say. A brace and bit, three candles, a rope, a piece of flooring and a saw were all found in the room where the borings had been made and were used as evidence against him. The first charge was for attempted burglary but later it was changed to burglary, though nothing had been stolen.
On September 22 he was held to answer in default of $10,000 bail by Judge Rix of Department 1 of the Police Court. Some time later he was tried before Judge Murphy of Department 10 of the Superior Court, was found guilty of burglary in the first degree and sentenced to five years in the penitentiary. Throughout the trial Dalton denied everything. He denied that he had bored the holes or that he knew nothing whatever about any attempted burglary. In fact he would say nothing beyond this.
On November 13th Deputy Sheriff Costello left with the solid, imperturable man on the Central Pacific train to convey him to Folsom. He had a giant to deal with for Dalton stood 6 feet and a quarter of an inch in his stockings and was plainly an athlete. Nevertheless Costello had an idea of the prisoner would give him no trouble. He therefore did not attempt to pinion his legs or put what is called an Oregon boot on him. All he did was to manacle his wrists. Everything went well enough till the train reached Alder Creek, beyond Sacramento. There, while the train was booming along at a frightful speed, the desperate man spring from his seat and precipitated himself through the door and off the platform. It was all done so quickly that Costello was completely dazed. Cold and hunger, however, at length drew him to the house of a farmer near Placerville. He had been unable to get his shackles off. The farmer saw them and while the escaped prisoner was eating the farmer reported him and he was recaptured.
On December 1 he was finally incarcerated in Folsom prison to begin his sentence. There he was set down as a native of Missouri aged 29. Warden Aull considered him desperate and instructed the guards to look out for him. It was surmised that he had probably committed many crimes before he came to California.
Dalton speedily became the friend of "Buckshot" Williams, who robbed over a dozen stages in three months, and of such desperados as Charles Abbott, Hy Wilson and others. When George Sontag, the notorious train and express robber, was sent up from the Visalia, he, Dalton and all the others mentioned became fast friends. These were the desperate prisoners, it will be remembered, who on June 27 made the break, and capturing Lieutenant Frank Briare made him lead them past Gatling guns. At that time Dalton displayed all the desperate characteristics of the most hardened outlaw. "I'll look out for you," he said, as he held a pistol at Briare's head while he and the others forced him to lead the way. But Briare at length jump down a precipice and escaped. Guards with guns came from all directions and the prisoners were forced to hide in the rocks. They fought like tigers and in the fusillade that occurred none of the prisoners pumped lead from their Winchesters faster than did Dalton. But they could not succeed. Dalton, Williams and Wilson were shot to pieces in the same hole in the rocks, Dalton receiving 20 wounds and Sontag, Abbott and others receiving injuries which were all but fatal.
The next day the college graduate who had turned burglar lay along-side of Williams, the dead stage robber, and Hy Wilson, noted for many crimes, and only numbers mark their graves.
It was at the State Industrial University that Dalton, alias Albert Pike Dickerson, received his degree. Doubtless the news that the student has led so strange a career and met so tragic a fate in California will cause this much a surprise in Arkansas as it has here. It is believed, however, that Dickerson may have committed other crimes since he started on his downward career. These would undoubtably add to the remarkably strange story of his life which has just come to light.