Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-07-25

rest of the family dead on his return.
he then stood his rifle in n corner
and washed himself in the kitchen.
His eye happening to fall on Ande.-
son, he placed him in a chair out on
the back porch. It being time for din
ner Mrs. Gerrells busted herself with
its preparation and Tracy split wood,
carried water from the spring and
made himself generally useful. When
they sat down to eat, the desperate
seemed to have the lightest heart of
all and for two hours or so kept up a
flow of small talk and repartee that
showed the utmost unconcern.
After a while the SPECIAL engine went
by on the railroad in front of the
house. Tracy knew at once what was
up from seeing the armed men, but it
did not worry him in the least. He
continued telling his nervous listeners
about his adventures until it was seen
that men were surrounding the house
and then he made amusing comments
upon them. The women were some
what treasured by his GOODNESS and
watched for the deputies. too. Tracy
had spoken in fun of the very short
trousers he was wearing and had his
companion" looking out for an officer
whose clothes might be supposed Ito fit
him. He joked about the presence of
reporters, saying that all his efforts
We're bent on keeping away from inter-
viewers; he suggested a dance with
the youngest woman and showed not
the slightest sign of fear of the minions
of the law.
A photographer set up his camera
within plain sight of the house and
made himself ready to take a snap shot
of the coming battle. Armed men
were taking up positions in the dense
woods on each side Cd. the house and
more were scattered along the railroad
in front. A short distance in the rear
was the river, parallel with the track,
and a deep and rapid mountain stream.
and all the cleared space except close
to the house, was a tangle of under
brush and ferns as high as a mans
head.
At this critical time two unarmed
men, known to the family, came to the
house and asked if Tracy was there.
One of them would not take no for an
answer and walked inside the door but
one of the women having Tracy's re-
volver pointed at his heart from a back
room, convinced the man that they
were alone and the rash fellows went
back and informed the posse that their
bird had flown. This incident seemed
to suggest to the outlaw that he had
better leave, so he walked out the back
door to inspect the river and then
took Anderson back in the brush where
he tied him up securely. After bid
ding all good bye he %sauntered leis-
urely into the bushes, deceiving the
deputies by his GOODNESS, and gaining
~ AAfSA oOS oSlOoS WlC1G Tie WdC6I
was up to his neck and disappeared in
the forest beyond. The sheriff's posse
did not know of his departure until
the women came out and told them
and then the unfortunate Anderson
wa united and brought to the house
almost in a state of collapse. 81.
20 Tho ohio co uyoc foct or5 f,sso,.. l.4
Tracy's luck continued. At one point
he demoralized the bloodhounds by
scattering cayenne pepper in his foot
steps; at Others he threw them off the
scent by wading streams. With all
the force after him he made good his
escape and at midnight the crowds
around the newspaper offices dispersed
convinced that the officers had made
the worst failure of all.
By 3 o'clock Wednesday morning the
chase was renewed but without find
ing any clew. During this day and
the next there were all sorts of rum
ors and several false alarms, one of the
ldIter resulting IN a pursuit with
bloodhounds and all around Green
Lake, four Or five miles north of Sc
atte. But of course it came to moth
ing.
Meanwhile the willy Tracy had stolen
a horse near Renton and made his way
by lonely forest paths to a point heal
Kent, probably ten or a dozen miles
southwest of the Gerrells place. Here
he descended on a lonely cabin occu-