The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-07-18

body of the escaped convict, Dave Mer-
rill, who was killed by his pal. Har-
ry Tracy.
The body is undoubtedly that Of
Merrill, and he was killed at 6 o'clock
Saturda morning, June %.
The body was found by Mrs. Mary
Wagner and her 1~2-year-old son of
Napavine yesterday afternoon, who
will claim the reward Of $2,750. While
picking berries they discovered the
corpse thrown over a log and jammed
between two tree stumps a few feet
off the main road. The sheriff guard
ed the corpse last night and this
morning the coroner is bringing it in.
A bullet hole is plainly seen in the
back and also in the wrist. Another
is believed to be in the neck. Three
1890 Winchester shells were found,
one behind a cedar tree at the a
side and two about 10 feet from the
corpse. The indications are that Ira
CIV fired the first shot from behind a
tree and then completed the assas-
sination of his dying pal and brother
in-law.
The sheriff will permit no one to
touch the corpse until the arrival of
the coroner.
Tracy first told the story that he
had killed Merrill the day that he
-. =. 1o~4nod 1o,~oh IN Cooft1o
July 2. .
Near End Of His Rope.
Tracy's career is nearly run. He
has fought doggedly and persistently
but the forces of organized society
are too strong for him to combat. If
he does not die within a day or two
from a bullet he will die on the scat
fold in merited punishment for crimes
| committed.
After the exchange of several shots
with deputy sheriffs near the Coving-
ton sawmill Tracy ran to the south
of the railroad track and hid himself
alongside a wire fence. Here he re-
NAMED until daylight when he worked
south towards the county road through
a dense jungle of brushwood. After
travelling about half a mile he struck
a road leading towards the east, back
of the Covington station and follow
ed this a distance of three miles to a
junction with two other roads at a
place locally known as The Forks,
Here he met a farmer by the name of
Zacker.
Information From Farmer.
81 am Harry Tracy" said the out.
law, land I want you to tell where
these roads go to and all about this
country. If you ever tell anybody
you met me I'll come back and blow
your head off,"
The farmer complied by giving al
the information he could about the
country and was allowed to depart
A few minutes later, however. Zackel
met Dave Morgan. of Black Diamond
who was riding towards Covington OF
horseback. e..
To him Zacker impaired the where
abouts of Tracy and urged him t.
inform the sheriff's posse at Coving
ton as quickly as possible. Morgan
rode to the town at whirlwind speed
arriving at IL o'clock. A posse of l.
deputy sheriffs, under Jim Woolery
had meantime arrived at 9 O'clOcl
from Auburn with the bloodhound
and searched the neighborhood TO
Tracy without any particular success
though the hounds followed the trai
to Sluice creek, where Tracy had evi
IDENTIFY waded some distance. Sheriff
Cudihee arrived at II o'clock and as
sumed charge of the search.
l Hounds Break Away.
Immediately upon the receipt o
, Mcrgan's information the posse wit
the exception of Sheriff Cudihee too
the road indicated and travelled raj
idly eastward. When about 200 yard
from the forks the hounds took u
the fresh scent and in their excite
ment tore themselves loose from thei
leashes. setting after the outlaw /
full cry. The deputies with arm
ready for instant use deployed in tn
timber and followed the hounds dow
' the slope of Covington creek to tn
railroad track, three-fourths of a mil
distant.
Tracy was only a short distance
:, advance. At no time in the histOI
Ct his flight did he exercise MOI
fully the shrewdness that has mac
him noted. He had not only
match his wits against the keen ar
experienced man-hunters who followe
but he had also to battle the instinc