Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-08-29
is HE ALIVE OR DEAD?
A STARTLING THEORY REGARD.
ING TRACY.


to it bearing the date Of Salem, the
l4th inst:
A highly sensational rumor has
gained currency here and though il
has as yet received no publicity through
the newspapers, it is retailed in Ger.
tain circles with persistency that
commands attention. The rumor i:
nothing less than that outlaw Harry
Tracy is yet alive. In other words
the body that was brought here last
week as that of the noted bandit, is
according to the rumor, the body oil
some other bad man killed in a fight
with officers or else it was body that
was "planted" with the design of fool
ing the public into the belief that
Tracy is dead. The officials who have
been approached in regard to the
rumor laugh at it as absurd. They
point out that the body was identified
by the prison officials and by some ol
the convicts. They argue also that
the men who were concerned in the
last campaign that led up to the sui.
eide Of the bandit are reputable citi'
zens of Washington, who could not be
fooled into believing that a planted
stiff" was the body of a bandit yei
alive. Yet stranger things have hap
pened and the people here are ready
TO believe anything about the outlaw
who made life so uncomfortable for the
authorities in two States for many
weeks.
In endeavoring to explain the pos
sibility that Tracy is still alive those
who accept the rumor say that The
bad man made it 30 unpleasant for the
officers Of the law and that his depre'
dations were such constant reproach
to the authorities OF two States that
despairing of ever capturing him, they
we're ready to enter into q compromise
with him whereby he should be al
lowed to drop out of sight forever and
the public would be satisfied by the
bringing in OF body that would be
officially identified as that of Tracy
The bandit was known to have ex'
pressed desire to become . law.abid'
ing citizen. Other bad men have been
permitted to come into camp and be
good. There was no hope of catching
Tracy. To continue TO hunt him
would only mean the sacrifice OF more
lives. It would not be unnatural il
the officers Of the Law would fix it up
with him 90 that he would be officially
killed while he would be very much
alive. The community would be rid
Of him as bandit and all the good
that his actual death would accomp'
lish would be brought about 80 long
a. the public believed him dead.
A circumstance that is quoted al
confirming the belief that Tracy ID
not dead is the fact that the body
which was received At the prison and
buried - that OF Tracy was mutilsted
by vitrol soon after it's being received
The explanation given was that thieves
might steal the body and place it on
exhibition. Now this explanation
seems absurd. In the first place, the
theft Of the body would be almost an
impossibilisy. In the next place, the
placing of it on exhibition would be
equivalent to acknowledging the theft
and would mean prison terms for the
body snatchers. The suspicious ele'
ment say therefore that the face wa.
destroyed with vitrol because the body
was not that of Tracy at all.
Another circumstance is pointed out
40 strengthening the view of the
skeptics. 1t is that there is q delay in
adjusting the reward. This it is said
is due to the reluctance OF the officials
to take advantage Of the circumstance
to reap any personal profit or to per
nit anybody else to do so, the sole OBJ
ject of the plan being to get rid o.
Tracy in the easiest manner possible
and save the face" OF the officials.
Another theory is that there hav'
been several Harry Tracys since th'
real one escaped from prison. Hi
deeds have excited emulation on ths
part OF daring and lawless spirits. Th'
man killed near Fellowes last weel
was one of these, and closely resemblet
Tracy. But there was go much dOub
about it that the officials FASTENED Il
destroy his features and hoped thus t
end an unpleasant chapter in th'
States history If it should be that th'
real Tracy we're yet alive. One thing
is sure; it is that the very day aftel
Tracy was supposed to have beer
killed a man describing himself a
Harry Tracy was operating in the vi
cinity of Medical Lake, Wash. HI
had all Tracy's methods. as we'll as hi
nerve and skill with firearms. Those
who accept the second theory ad
vanced by the skeptics say that tn,