The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1902-08-20

When Tracy came to the ranch Sun
day evening, Aug. 8, he was accom-
panied by young Goldfnch. was
working in the barn. The two went
into the house and when they did not
find any one at home came to the barn.
Then the boy was in the lead.
Tracy said, You had better tell them
who l am" The lad told us, and
from then on we were at his service.
He had his rife with him. He said,
"All three of you come along with me
for l have something for you to do"
OF course we went. He first had us
unsaddle his horses and feed them.
The other two boys had to go with
him, and he always walked behind.
In nearly every case where he went
he would say, Il guess had better go
behind"
He asked me closely as to the road
TO Spokane. The next thing he wanted
to make me trade horses with him.
He asked me what kind of horses l
had, and | told him a three-year-old
said he didn't want to trade if that
was the case He would wait at the
ranch until his horses were rested
They had Travelled a long way and
Were tired. He said, II believe in TAX
ing good care of my horses, because on
them depends my escape"
He fed them regularly and was very
l. hDyc SYN
the little shed just east of the black
smith shop and always had one sad
died. That evening, in order to get
revolver pouch, he went to my saddle
bag and cut off one side. He said he
would rather work at that in the
house, so he took us all in. He said
he would rather have us make it, but
we did not know how. In order to
carry his revolver he cut the front of
his shirt open at the top of the band
of his trousers and then put the gun
through that hole. That kept it con-
cealed.
He then made a cartridge belt, say
ing that he might have to use 1t
great deal while passing through this
country. After that was completed he
cleaned up his rifle. After his gun was
ready he said he would go out and
test the sights. He paced off sixty
yards and shot at a knot in a pine
board. The knot was not larger than
"a five cent piece, and he hit it in the
- center. When he returned to the house,
he handed me the gun and asked me
If had ever seen such smooth stock.
OF course all the loads were out OF it,
and Tracy knew that l could not do
him any harm.
He was always good natured and did
not seem to worry. When he was in
the house during the daytime, he
would sit in the corner of the kitchen
with his back to the wall. He could
see i'll nearly every direction and could
watch us. He would not sleep in the
house at night and said he preferred
the haystack, and he made my brother
sleep with him, while l slept on the
other side of the house.
No; we were not uneasy while he
was around the house, for we knew II
we did wh;@ he told us he would not
touch us. The young Goldfinch lad
was released after Tracy had told him
that he (Tracy) would kill my brother
and me if the lad told on him. He said
that to the boy several times.
He took a bath and shave while he
was here, but his rifle was standing
against the wall near him while he
was busy. He did not intend that we
should take him unawareS. After
breakfast was over Monday morning
he helped to wash the dishes and then
said he would go to work on the barn.
he said:
II want to do enough work to pay
for my board while | am here" lie
talked of his past history very little,
He told me how he and some one else
used to hold up people in Portland.
do not remember any of the instances
He told me that the stock of the gun
which he had was the one which had
been passed into the penitentiary to
him, but he said he put new barrel
on it some time ago. He said he got
his two horses from a sheep camp in
the Cascades, but he did not tell me
the name of the man he held up.
When he arrived here, he had some
-four and bacon and said he was about
out of food and that we would have to
stake him. He said that he was going
to Wyoming or Utah, and when be
told us about that he asked us about
every road leading from this point
We told him the truth in every case
for fear we might be found out. He
said he had killed three men, but thai
he was not guilty of killing seven. He
told a lot of funny yarns, but l do MOI
care to tell them.
He was always figuring on how hi
could hold up a bank. He said he was
$4,000 in debt and that he needed the
money right away. His plan, as h'
told it, was to go down through the
country to some little town, locate s
cashier of a bank, hold him up at thu
point of a revolver, march him to thu
front of the bank and make him shell