The peaceful day of Sept. 7, 1893 was about to be shattered in the Wild West town of Delta by a burst of violence that would erupt as an attempted bank robbery came to a fatal end.

The notorious McCarty gang had set their sights on the Farmers and Merchants Bank on Main Street in downtown Delta. On the hunt for easy money, Tom McCarty, a former miner and rancher-turned outlaw, his younger brother Bill, Bill’s son Fred, and some other accomplices planned to stick up the bank. The gang, however, did not factor in Ray Simpson – the sharpshooting clerk of the hardware store across the street from the bank. According to the Delta County Historical Society, Simpson had brought his rifle to the hardware store because of a foreboding dream he had the night before.

The McCarty Gang rode into town from their camp in Escalante Canyon, tying their horses up behind the bank. Tom and Bill had prepared for the heist by spending the previous days casing the bank under the pretense of being ranchers interested in buying cattle land.

Coincidentally, Simpson was polishing his .40 caliber Sharps rifle on the steps of his shop across the street when the turmoil erupted.

Bill and Fred entered the bank with pistols drawn, holding tellers Andrew Blachly and H.H. Wolbert by gunpoint. In the meantime, W.R. Robertson, an attorney, was working in the bank’s back office. Blachley yelled to Robinson that the bank was being robbed, and Blachley refused to quiet. Fred shot him dead.

After the shooting, Bill and Fred frantically took a bag of coins and stack of cash before fleeing the scene. They quickly jumped on their horses with Tom and broke into a gallop. Ray Simpson was ready for them, though, and shot Bill as they rode away. Fred spun around and shot at Simpson, but missed. Then, Simpson fired at Fred, killing him too.

Tom rushed out of town alone, making his escape. While a posse banded together to chase after Tom, he was never found, vanishing into the lore of the Wild West.

According to the Delta County Historical Society, the Delta County Sheriff recovered the robbers’ two pistols and a 38.56 caliber rifle. The two robbers’ saddles, gear, and guns were given to Simpson. After Simpson passed away in the 1950s, his daughter had the guns sent back to Delta.

Today, what once stood as the Farmers and Merchant’s Bank is now Delta’s The Arts on Main gallery.