The Washington times., 1902-07-20


ing bandit in the annals of
American history-Harry Tracy.
For more than a month the bravest
and most daring guardians of the peace
in the far Northwest have been engaged
in the most difficult undertaking of their
lives, and have, up to the time of the
present writing, met with naught but
ignominious failure. Harry Tracy, who
has been rightly termed Americas first
and only Musolino," has startled and
thoroughly aroused the interest not only
Of the entire country. but of the whole
world by his reckless daring and Won
derful prowess in eluding the hand of
the law.
The lone man who held up all Italy
has Western double, who for pure
criminal ability and cold-blooded mur-
der has never had an equal on the Amer
lean continent. Even the terrible deeds
of the James gang, the Younger broth
ers, and other notorious h-nds of des-
peradoes and "man killers pale before
the recital of Tracy's shocking record of
murders and crimes of every hue and
description. Up to the time OF writing
his total number of victims is nine to
say nothing of the number of persons
wounded and the vast amount of prop
erty stolen and made of with.
Aiming for Canada.
Since his daring escape from the
Salem, Ore, penitentiary. the vicious
bandit has been steadily making his
: way northward toward the Canadian
border, whence it is evidently his in
tention to cross into the rugged and
sparsely-settled portions of British
Columbia. All along his course he has
eluded his pursuers by sheer daring and
bloodthirstiness. He has hesitated at no
crime, no matter what its nature. To
sacrifice the life of a fellow-man seemed
as nothing to him. Even his bare sub
sistence has been gained at the poin;
OF revolver. To all appearances he
knows no fear and is lost to all the
better impulses of humanity.
He has passed through well-settled
portions of the country where farm
houses were comparatively plentiful
and where his capture was imminent.
rather than go a few miles out of his
course and take to the mountainous
country, where he would have the of
ficers of the law at a decided disad-
vantage. All who opposed him were
struck down with the same mercilezs
and impartial hand. Breakfast, dinner
and supper were obtained by compelling
farmers to furnish food at his beck ami
call.
And now he has even gone so far in
the great game of hide and seek as 20
kill his partner, David Merrill. the man
who escaped from the penitentiary with
him and who. so far as is known, has
aided him all along in his hiding from
Justice.
Geronimo's Kind Offer Declined.
At the same time Geronimo, the fam
GUS Apache Indian chief, offered his
services to the Government to the ex-
tent of getting out upon the trail of
Tracy and attempting his capture. He
has offered to capture the convict and
deliver him. dead or alive, to the
authorities on his own responsibility.
But Uncle Sam is apparently wary in
regard to the offer of the Indian chief.
Fifteen years ago Geronimo led several
hundred Indians in an escape from
General Miles in Oregon, and the Gov
ernment was put to the expense OF
sI,VOV,UUU TO round up the band.
One dark, cold night early in February, |
1893, detachment OF policemen and |
special detectives started out to arrest |
pair of crooks in Portland, Ore. Thev |
had been hunting them for months, but |
in spite of the fact that the Portland |
police force is very efficient a long SER
1es OF daring hold-ups and robberies had |
been committed and the force felt that /
its reputation was staked upon the cap
ture of the two robbers, for they alwa-s |
operated together, and SO many of the r
victims had described them with such
minuteness that the police were certain |
all the Jobs were done by this one pair /
The detectives had worked hard on the
cases. ard finally came to the conclusion |
that the two young suspicious looking
fellows who occasionally frequented a
house on Market Street near First. were
the much wanted cu!prits They also
learned that the older OF the two was
David Merrill, who lived in the house
with his mother. brother. and stepsister.
a known crook. originally from Van
couver. Wash, tough, fearless fellow
who would put up fight and was a dead
shot. The other fellow was Harry
Tracy, of whom they knew little. ex-
cept that he was a tough customer and
as a good marksman.
Capture of Merrill.
One night posse surrounded Mer-
rilIs home and captured him. He was
desperate and attempted to put up a
fight The odds. however, were too
great and he surrendered, while his
mother. wild with excitement. insisted
that her son was no criminal and begged
the officers not to take him away.
Seeing that her pleadihgs were vain
she began to abuse them and finally de-
nounced Harry Tracy. who, she insisted.
had led her son into his waywardness.
Then she determined to be revenged
upon her sons pal. Her boy was in the
tolls already, and it was no more than
right that Tracy should share his fate.
He could be caught, she said, il the off,
GERS would follow her advice.
To this they readily consented. Mer-
rills arrest was kept a secret and Ira
cy was sent for, the message purporting 1
to be from his pal. Suspecting nothing. ,
Tracy came TO the Merrill home. when
Detective d. Weiner was introduced to ;
him as a friend of Ben Merrill, Dawes
brother. So well did Weiner play his ;
part that Tracy was not suspicious. He ,
readily consented TO go out for a short |
walk and show Weiner the neighbor-
hood During the stroll, however, some :
thing in the detectives manner made the I