Promoting interest in the history of Tulare County and preserving the heritage of our area for future generations

We thought you might enjoy reading an article from Los Tulares. This was published in our December 2011 issue (No. 255).

Who Was Vic Wilson?

By Leland Edwards

Photo: Vernon "Vic" Coke Wilson March 18, 1882. [Courtesy of R.G. McCubbin Collection]

On September 9, 1892, Southern Pacific Railroad Company Detective Vic Wilson led a posse from Visalia into the Sierra Nevada in search of Visalia outlaws Chris Evans and John Sontag, who were wanted by the authorities for murder and train robbery. The elusive fugitives had successfully avoided all attempts by lawmen and reward-seekers to capture them, and disgusted Southern Pacific officials had assigned their ace detective in Arizona to go to Visalia, locate the outlaws and arrest them. Wilson was determined to complete his mission successfully, but he had no idea that his determination would cost him his life.

Vernon Coke Wilson was born to Dr. Samuel and Allison Wilson in Surrey County, Virginia, on May 1, 1858. At the time his family enjoyed a prosperous and prominent social position and economic security. As a result of these favorable circumstances, young Vic (his nickname because his initials were V.C.), received a better than average education for that time and place. However, when Vic was 17 years of age, he had difficulty finding employment because of the depressed economic conditions in post Civil War Virginia. Consequently, he migrated to Texas where his uncle, Richard Coke, was the state governor.

Vic soon secured employment as a clerk with the Houston-Texas Railway Company. In 1876, he enlisted in the Texas Rangers as a private officer. When in ranger service he fought hostile Indians on the frontier and confronted the outlaws which at the time infested the state. An example of this was when he was wounded in a gunfight with the Seely Harris gang. While he was recuperating from his wound in Eagle Pass, Harris sent him a challenge to meet outside of town. Wilson accepted the challenged and brought Harris’ bullet-pierced body into town in a cart.

Wilson was promoted to corporal in 1877; but due to necessary downsizing of the force, he was discharged in late 1878 or early 1879. He then obtained employment as a check clerk with the Houston-Texas Railroad Company and later he became a conductor with the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company.

In 1885, Vic was appointed to the federal position of Deputy Collector of Customs with his headquarters in Tombstone, Arizona. In 1890, Robert Paul (a former resident of Visalia) resigned from his position as special officer for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company in Tucson to accept a presidential appointment as U.S. Marshal for the Territory of Arizona. Wilson applied for Paul’s vacated position and he was appointed to it on March 1, 1890. His area of responsibility was Arizona and New Mexico. His base of operations was in Tucson.

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About Us!

The Society

In 1922, a group of people interested in the historical preservation of the original Tulare County organized Tulare County Historical Society. Much of the credit for that project must be attributed to Miss Gretchen Flower, a long time Tulare County Librarian at that time, and to George W. Stewart, who was known as the "Father of Sequoia National Park." For a time the Society prospered, but interest and membership gradually declined.

The Society was revived in 1943 and the group then identified three general goals. 1) Preservation of the past of original Tulare County 2) Construction of a museum, and 3) Observation of the Centennials of both Tulare County and Visalia. Adolph Sweet was elected the first President of the Tulare County Historical Society in October 1944. Several hundred people from all parts of the county attended the meeting in the old Visalia City Auditorium.

Today, the Society has accomplished its original goals set forth in 1943. We continue promoting interest in the history of Tulare County and preserving the heritage of our area for future generations!

Tulare County

Alpaugh - Badger - California Hot Springs - Camp Nelson - Corcoran - Cutler - Dinuba - Ducor - Earlimart - Exeter - Farmersville - Goshen - Ivanhoe - Kaweah - Lemon Cove - Lindsay - Miramonte - Orosi - Pixley - Porterville - Posey - Richgrove - Springville - Strathmore - Sultana - Terra Bella - Three Rivers - Tipton - Traver - Tulare - Visalia - Waukena - Woodlake - Yettem