The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-10-02

he held Merrill to be the inferior,
they had come to words and agreed
to fight. They were to walk, back to
back, certain number of PAGES and
then turn and fire, but Tracy. fearing
treachery on Merrill's part, stopped
short Of the agreed number of steps.
and, turning, deliberately shot the 9TH
er In the back.
At Olympia Tracy visited q fishing
camp in the neighborhood and held up
the camp. making five men prisoners
and pressing into his service a naph-
tina launch which lay at anchor there.
leaving two Of his prisoners tied up
on the shore while the others were
compelled to man the launch and take
him out toward Tacoma. The launch
crew gave the alarm as soon as he
departed, and Tracy within a few
hours was trailed to a clump Of tim
bef.
The sheriff of the county, Edward
Cudihee. noted man-hunter, was alb.
sent, but his chief deputy. ".Iack" Will
liams. took up the pursuit, ard with
a posse surrounded Tracy's retreat,
only to have the outlaw slip through
his fingers. after having added one
more murder to the list by the killing
of Detective Frank Raymond and
wounding Williams himself.
When Tracy renewed his flight
tloodhounds again were put on his
track, but the crafty outlaw had pro.
vided; himself with red pepper. and
this he s;rewed over the ground as
he passed, with the result that the
dogs had their noses filled with pep.
per and were thrown off the scent:
until Tracy had time to get to water,
where he obliterated his trail effec-
tually.
Cudihee took up the hunt when he
learned of the disastrous defeat OF his
deputies. and promptly with the return
of the Sheriff, Gov. Mcbride of Wash
ington ordered out the Washington
National Guard and set 200 soldiers
on the chase in addition to the numer
GUS bands of county and state officers
who already were hot on the murder
er's heels.
The story Of the pursuit of the out
law after this is long and exciting
one, only few incidents can be CIV
en- here Tracy was run to earth on
July 10 in a thicket near COvington
on Green river, but when the pursuers
were sure they had him he burst
through the lines. and after two IN.
terchanges of shots slipped away, leav:
ing one wounded deputy behind him
The trail then was lost for two
days, and when picked up called for
another outing for the bloodhounds
and Indian traclers. but with the
same results. Then Tracy was lost
for four days, till an old-time criminal
seeking a share in the reward in
formed the sheriff's officers that Tracy
had submitted to a surgical operation
performed by one of his companions
with a razor. but the nature of the
wound that was so treated was not
known. There was a long break in
the hunt thereafter, and it was but
few days ago that he was heard from
moving toward the point in eastern
Washington where he was run down
at last.
Tracy's real name, or at least the
u; fo}I ic t0
been Carr. AS a boy of II years in
1890 he was arrested in Dillon, Mon,
where he spent his boyhood for steal
irg a keg of beer, and his record ever
since has been criminal. In 1897 he
appeared in Cache county, Utah, in
company with a robber named Dave
Liant, and the two together commit
ted many thefts, the burglary of a
store in Cache county finally causing
the arrest of both and their conviction
and sentence to the Utah penitentiary
for terms of eight years.
Tracy escaped by taking revolver
away from a guard and marching the
guard out Of the lines of the prison
work before he released him. He next
was connected with two notorious
bands of young robbers in Colorado.
In a fight between officers and the
Robbers Roost gang, headed by
George Curry. Tracy and a companion
shot and killed deputy sheriff named
Valentine Day, but both were wounded
and their capture followed.
They were taken to Aspen, CAL,
and placed in Jail, but in a few days
overpowered the jailor and regained
their freedom. That was in June,
1897, and for the next two years Tracy
kept out of Jail, though wanted in sew
eral states.
His conviction to the Salem peni5en-
tiary was obtained in April, 1899, for
robberies committed in Portland in
February of the same year. When
he began his sentence of 20 years in
Salem prison he was registered as %
years of age. Tracy was a powerful
Ll.,-L of rofl,o, c1iohf hJ1i1d