The Elbert County tribune., 1902-08-14

| Spokane, Wash. Aug. 7.-Harry Ira
cy's race is run. The great man-hun'
| is ended. Crippled, bleeding, hopeless
of escape. the Oregon outlaw crept In
TO wheat field near Fellows Tuesday
night. made a last despairing effort to
bind up his wounds, then gave up his
long race with death.
| Placing a revolver at his forehead he
| pulled the trigger, and heavy bullet
shattered his skull At daylight yes
terday morning his body was found,
his stiffened hand still grasping the re-
volyer that ended his career Of crime.
| After battling the officers of two
| states, after a wonderful flight of near
ly 400 miles across Oregon and Wash
ington. Harry Tracy was hunted down
| by five citizens OF the little farming
town of Creston, but one OF whom was
n deputy. To them is to be paid the
| 5000 reward.
Sheriff Gardner and posse arrived In
| time to guard the wheat field through
the night. but the work was already
done. The outlaw was dead.
For two days and us many nights
Tracy held the family OF Farmer l.. B.
Eddy, ON whose place he was killed,
under subjection. Here again he
showed the qualities OF nerve and cool
Iuttt very
brought about his downfall Had he
not allowed G. l.. Goldfinch, an
eighteen-year-o boy, to leave the
ranch when he did, the story to-day
might be different. but the outlaw had
too much faith in estimating the terror
his words of warning would give to the
lad.
On Sunday afternoon Tracy came
across young Goldfnch and made him
show the way to the Eddy farm where
Tracy took possession. had n bath and
n shave, and even helped the farmer
and his men construct a hayrack in
the barn.
Monday evening Tracy permitted
Goldhnch to go, cautioning him on
pain of death not to tell what had hap
pened until Wednesday. Il was this
display of nerve, that had heretofore
made the outlaw apparently safe, that
this time caused his ruin. Goldfinch,
instead of being sufficiently terrorized
20 keep quiet. soon spread the news
and aroused posse.
The party TO which belongs the cred
II of corraling the outlaws was made
up of the following citizens of Cres-
ton:
O. A. Straub, deputy sheriff; DR.. E.
G. Lanter. Maurice Smith, attorney; j..
j. Morrison, railway section foreman,
and Frank Lillengreen. These men,
armed to the teeth. set out from Cres-
ton Tuesday afternoon about . o'clock.
They had fight with Tracy at the
Eddy farm. When the outlaw saw
them he jumped behind Eddy and
placed first the man and then his horse
between himself and the posse. He
commanded the farmer to lead his
Al. tafN, N,fr
under cover, he moved toward shelter.
When near the stable he broke and
dashed inside. He quickly re-appeared,
rifle in hand, and started on run
down the valley. Turning on the two
men, the desperate fired two shots,
but without his usual luck, neither
bullet taking effect. Without waiting
for further fighting. Tracy took 20 his
heels down the valley leading south
from the barn, heading for the brush.
The man hunters were OFF in pursuit,
firing as rapidly as possible. Coming
to a rock, he lodged behind 1t, and
resting his gun on the rock, began Il
fusilade. Eight shots in all were fired
by the outlaw, not one hitting Its mark.
Seeing that he was not succeeding, he
left the position and made a dash for
a wheat field not far distant. Just as
ne WIS itiu ie
falling on his face, and crawled into
the field on his hands and knees.
BY the time Tracy disappeared in
the wheat field 1t was getting dusk.
The pursuers did not dare 80 proceed,
as they did not know where the man
was. After holding consultation
they decided to surround the place and
wait for daylight.
Meantime Sheriff Gardner. with Po-
| llcemen Stauffer and Gemmrim of Spo-
kane, Jack O'Farrell of Davenport,
and other reinforcements arrived on
the scene, and they went into camp
around the field during the night
| Shortly after Tracy's disappearance
into the field the watchers heard shot
which sounded as though 1t came from
| the spot to which Tracy had crawled
| No Investigation was made, however
| until morning. but that shot Is sup
| posed 20 have been the one which sent
| the notorious desperate into eternity
Early next morning. as soon as it was
| possible for the hunters to see any
| thing going on around them. they en-
tered the wheat field. In few min
utes the party came upon the dead
body of Harry Tracy. lying amid the
grain, with his face turned toward the
sky His left hand, thrown over his
head, held a 4o-caliber Colts revolver
which had evidently inflicted the dealt
wound. The thumb of his hand wa:
on the trigger of the pistol. His righ'
! Observation-Disclosures