The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1902-06-20
EX-CONVICT HELPED
TRACY AND MERRILL
Officers Convinced Harry Wright
Assisted COnyicts TO
Escape.
REWARD FOR HIS CAPTURE
Evidence Disclosed by Letter
Written In Sympathetic Ink
Wright Last Heard
of In Salem.

PORTLAND. ore. June is.--some
strong evidence has been obtained
pointing TO Harry Wright. an ex-con-
Wet. as the man who smuggied into
the penitentiary the guns with which
Tracey and Merrill killed three guards
and wounded convict Ingram, and
kept the other guards at bay while
they effected their escape. Wright
was discharged from the penitentiary
May 20 last
| so thoroughly convinced ace the o.
fiecrs thar Wright was concerned In
the plot 10 llberate Tracy and Mcr-
r1ll that reward ef $500 has been Of
tered for his arrest and telegrams TO
hold any one answering wrIghts de-
scription have been sent 70 the po-
Hce departments In all the principal
cities on the Pacific coast.
The police are ALSO looking Tor Chas.
Monte. another ex-convlct whom they
say was In Salem few days before
the break inquiring Of one OF the
prison attendants II Tracy and Mer-
rill we're s,ill working In the foundry.
ESCAPE cLEvERLY PLANNED,
That the escape was carefully and
dexterously planned IL apparent from
some sensational disclosures that
have just been made.
! More than year before the escape
Merrill wrote letter 10 his half
sister In this city There was moth
ing unusual In the wording Of the
leplstle 10 far as the prison officials
could gee. and they allowed II to so
to its destination.
However. II turns out thas what
was 10 the naked eye u blank nalf
page Of paper was in reality sheet
fully written with sympathetic Ink.
Merrill had used an invisible chemi-
cal which only required n little heat
ling 10 bring the words out sharp and
clear The letter requested Miss
Mary Robinson. Merrilrs half sister.
to be prepared to receive one Harry
Wright. then an inmate Of the prison,
who was to be discharged on or about
MAY %. 1902,
SISTER ASKED TO HELP
The young woman was directed to
furnish Wright with sufficient money
to enable him TO purchase rifles and
ammunition. which Wright would see
were delivered TO the writer merrill
and his pal, Tracy) In case she ala
not have the funds she was asked to
get Wright gun somewhere.
At the time of Merrlrs conviction
his half brother appeared against
him. and his evidence Is said to have
carried considerable weight In bring
ing about MerTills incarceration At
any rate the prisoner Is said to have
made the threat that II he ever got
free the first thing he would do would
be to find the brother and kill him.
Fearful lest ne should carry out his
threat Miss Robinson turned the let.
ter over To the brother. VINO, In turn.
gave II to Attorney n. r. Giltner OF
this city, who still has the letter In
his possession, Mr.. Giltner made a
copy OF the epistle and sent II to the
superintendent Of the state prison, but
whether the letter was received Oe-
fore or after the escape OF the pris-
oners Is not known here.
Wright is the man who stole a team
OF horses near Salem about a week
before the escape The team was
brought to Portland and sold to a
livery man, and II is thought that with
the money thus obtained the guns and
ammunition were bought, and that |
Wright then carried them to Salem |
and deposited them In the penlten-
tiary foundry. Wright is known to
have been on good terms with Tracy |
and Merrill, and the fact that he was |
seen in this city with Monte, who
later acted suspiciously In Salem. is
looked upon as extremely incrmnat-
ing points against the two ex.con-
viots.
WHO HARRY WRIGHT is.
Harry Wright was sentenced to two
years in the penitentiary in this city |
June II, 1900, on conviction of burg |
larry, He is a native of Michigan, His
height is given at feet S% lnches
weight, ITO pounds; complexion, light; |
hair, brown. He has dim cut scar
and pit scar on the left side Of the |
forehead; two small brown moles on
the right neck, and three pit scars on