The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-03-06
The Tracy Murder Trial.


murder of Mary Reilly in September
took place at Smethport last week
We COPY from the Miner
On the evening of the 18th of last
September, Mary Reilly, young lady
of this vicinity, daughter of Andrew
Reilly, well to do farmer of Heating
township, was i'm Smethport making
calls upon some of her young associates
and had been visiting at the store OF
Miss Mary Tracy, a sister of the unfOr-
tunate young man who now stands
charged with this awful crime and
who, if shown to be guilty must surely
pay the penalty of his foul deed with
his life. When leaving the store OF
Miss Tracy she was accompanied by
Miss Belle Mullin, of Smethport, with
whom she was to spend the night.
The two young ladies, fast friends and
former schoolmates, were on the way
up Main street arm in arm, and about
the time they were passing Hamlin's
hardware store 1t was remarked by
Miss Reilly that she heard footsteps
coming behind and she feared they
were being followed. They then
quickened their steps, hoping to reach
the Mullin residence before being over
taken, but in this they were doomed to
disappointment and poor Mary Reilly
to death, for when just opposite the
gate leading from the street to the
house they were overtaken and a pistol
shot from the inhuman villain laid
Mary Reilly bleeding and dying upon
the sidewalk with bullet in her
brain.
Suspicion very soon began to point
toward Andrew Tracy and it was
found that he had hastily fled the
country, for what reason no one could
tell. This seemed to fix the crime on
him and but few hours had elapsed
ere the whole country was up in arms
determined to hunt him down and
bring him to punishment. In u day
or two thereafter word was received
that he had been seen in the neighbor-
hood of Portville, in New York State,
and Sheriff King went on at once, Sc
cured him and brought him safely to
the Jail in this borough. These are
few of the facts I'm the case, sufficient
only to recall to the mind of the reader
this great tragedy-the most cruel and
inhuman ever committed in this part
of the State.
When young Tracy was brought into
court Tuesday morning he was asked
to stand up and District Attorney
Smith read to him the bill of indict-
ment found by the Grand Jury at the
September sessions against him.
When he had finished the somewhat
tedious document he asked what he
had to say, whether guilty or not
guilty, to which interrogatory Tracy
In clear voice sufficiently
to be heard all over the Court
room, "NOT Guilty."
The work of selecting a Jury was
then commenced and at noon of Tues
day the entire penire of thirty-six men
had been exhausted and only nine
jurors secured. The court directed
Sartwell to summon twelve adj
ditional jurors which was soon done
and the work of selection went on
until four O'clock when it was an
that q full pannel had been
secured and sworn.
Tracy's plea of "not guilty" was
withdrawn during the trial, and a plea
OF guilty of the killing" made in
stead. An attempt was made to prove
the prisoner insane which failed. A
large amount of testimony was taken
proving conclusively the guilt of the
prisoner, which for want of time we
are compelled to omit.
THE FINALE.
The argument was commenced
Friday morning, and was completed
at twelve minutes after four O'clock in
the afternoon. District Attorney
Samuel w. Smith opened the argu-
lnent for the commonwealth, and was
followed by Hon. w. w. Brown.
The defense was then most ably repre-
sented by A. B. Richmond, Esq, of
and Col. G. B. Curtis, of
Erie. Hon. M. f. Elliott closed the
case i'm a speech of an hour and half,
which was the most powerful legal
address that has been heard i'm Nc
Kean county for long time. When
he had concluded, the judges of the
court consulted together less than fre
when Judge Williams an
nounced that they had agreed on
finding of MURDER IN THE.FIRsT
DEGREE.
The prisoner throughout the trial
no signs of feeling, and no
whatever I'm the dreadful
drama being enacted about him.
When the finding was announced, he
not the slightest emotion
nor did he evince any spirit of bravado.
The sentence will not be rendered
until the April term.
Thus closes the second act of this
most horrible drama, and there vet re-
mains but one more-the execution of
young man who in an
,vil hour permitted himself to be led
70 far by his passions as to deliberately
murder one of the fairest and purest
.reatures on earth.