The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1902-06-18
ACROSS The COLUMBIA
GONyICTs New REACH WASH
INGT0N.

Team and Wagon to Expedite
Escape-Rifes Intimidate
Boatmen.
Vancouver, Wash, June 15.-
Adding the theft of another team to
their already long list of crimes,
Tracy and Merrill. the desperate
outlaws, between Friday evening
and tonight made their way through
Clackamas county, across Multno-
nah from the CIackamas line to a
point opposite Fishers landing,
crossed the Columbia, and now,
just a week from the time of their
escape from the penitentlary at Sa-
lem, are in the neighborhood of
Fourth Plain, Washing.
ington county, with another posse
on their track, another sheriff in
charge of it, and three detectives
from Portland as reinforcements.
As it was in the beginning. it is
now; they will either be captured
or killed, or make their escape.
Merrill is now on ground with which
he is thoroughly familiar, having
.been born in Clark county and
brought up in Cowlitz, and is thus
better situated than while in Ore
gon. The country is much the
same, formed of low-lying hills, cut
by. ravines, and oyergrown with
underbrush and scrub frs which
afford the best kind of cover. AS
the men are armed with 1880 Ri
hes and have an abundance of am
munition, it does not seem likely
that the desire to capture them will
burn any more feree1y in the
breasts Of their new set of pursuers
than it did in those of the posse
that laid down its arms and gave
up the fight at Barlow Friday after
noon.
From all the circumstances in the
case it seems that Tracy and Mer-
rill have been going pretty much
their own gait, irrespective Of those
who come after them. Supplied
with bacon at Grayes' ranch Thurs
day, they were able to proceed with
out the necessity of revealing their
whereabouts, and there was plenty
of cover in the brush between
Graves and the Willamette, for
which it is now clear they were
heading. About midnight Satur-
day two horses were taken from the
barn of W. Randall. mile and a
half east of New Era and five miles
above Oregon City, hitched to a
wagon and driven away. There is
no proof that Tracy and Merrill
stole them, and the authorities are
not likely to accumulate any, for
the convicts have several things to
answer for which are more serious
than borse stealing. Randall traced
the team to mount Pleasant, just
south of Oregon City, lost the track
and found it again, below the city,
through which the outlaws had ev-
identity driven without worrying
much about pursuers. The track
led across the unguarded Clacka-
mas bridge at Gladstone, where it
turned off on the road to Portland.
Randall returned to Oregon City for
Sheriff Cooke, who telegraphed to
Salem for the bloodhounds and
started for Portland forthwith.
That was clue No. 1. The second
was not delayed.
George Sunderland and Walter
Burlingame were enjoying a quiet
boat ride on the placid waters of
Columbia Slough about 1890 o.
clock this afternoon when two gem
tlemen appeared upon the bank,
pointed rifles at them and asked
them to come ashore. They had
been on the slough about long e.
nough, SO they complied, and SO
grateful were they to their new
found fliends for asking them a.
shore that when the latter called
for food it was cheerful1y given.
The men with guns ate, and re-
quested Burlingame and sunder-
land to row them across the river.
It was impossible to get from the
Slough to the river ia the boat, so
The new arrivals suggested that a.
mother boat be found on the river
shore, and that Burlingame and
Sunderland should find it, mean
while carrying about 80 poande of
ammunition whiehthe visitors had
W5sb them in saeas The sugges-
tloz1 seemed reasoaab1e, and was a.
dopted without argument. W. w.
Paddock, d young man of the Sun
desland. .Buriingame party, was in
vftsd along by tbs footpads, and ac-
eepted the invitation.
nTrRPTNs NARRew Escape.