The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-08-08

J body az the same tin!e the reward Is paid
| ton has announced that he viii net IN ac.
| cordCncc with the decision Of the ga en-
Authorities Ia paying the Reverb,
TRACY AN OLD OFFENDER.
One dark. cold night early IN February.
1893, detachment q police Rnd two
special detectives started out to arrest
two crooks" In Portland. Ore They had
been hunting them for months loag
( scr!es Of "holdups had been committed
md the force felt that It's reputation was
staked upon the capture Of the two robbers,
for they always operated together The
detectives had worked hard on the cases
end 1nally came TO the conclusion that two
| young suspicious appearing fellows who &C
clsionaily treQreuted a house on Market
stree, near First were the much wanted
culprts Thc' also learned that the oder
m the two was David Merrill. who lived
! in the house with his mother. brother aud
| StepSSt,r. q known "crook orig ndily fUm
| Vancouver, Wash, q tough fearless fellow
! Uhc would fight The othor fellow Wns
Harry Tracy, NJ whom they knew little, 81.
/ ccpt that ne was a tough" and dead
/ shot.
rhis was The police plan Of action: When
! the mouse was entirely surrounded one Of
! the detectives was 10 lurck on me front
I Guor in tine belief that n he culpIits were
| insde ,heX would hurry ont the back way,
] which Of course. thcv had guarded heavily
/ The knock was promptly answered by the
woman Of the hOusc Merrl's m"ther. Al
/ most at the same muUrnt David Merrill
! opened the back door whore he found hIM
| self looking into the muaIes Of rcvolyers.
! jumping back. H. locked the lc0r bat an
! officer vas already In from the front ~
the hack door was soon rccpened by Mrs
! Merritt, who declared thar her SON was not
| In the house
The house was searched from bottom to
! top, but no dark corner held either of the
men, The officers were beginning to doubt
| the evidence of their own eyes when ono
Of them noticed that Mrs, Merrill, who FOL
! lowed the scarehcrs and watched their
! every movement, was very nervous when
| they were Ia q particular room SO back to
| that room they went for an extra search
! In sheer desperation one Of the men began
pulling open the drawers Of an Old-fash-
Toned bureau, finding only dresses aud or
| binary personal Effects until the last
drawer; but as IT was pulled open. curled
mp in II was David Merrill, revolver tn
hand, belt of cartridges at his side, and
making the most " his cramped position
! to got the drop" on the officers The
rendered. His mother. Wild with rage, in.
/ sisted that her son was no criminal. Soc.
/ Ing that her pleadlngs were vain, she began
| Tracy, who. she Insisted. had led her son
! into his waywardncss. Then she dete,-
mined to- be revenged upon her sons friend.
Her boy was in tho coils already and It was
his fate He could he caught, she said, II
the officers would follow her advice
WOUNDED A DETECTIVE
Morrlll's arrest was kept secret and
Tracy was sent for, the message purport-
Ing to be from his friend Tracy came to
the Merrill home. when Detective d.
Weincr was introduced to him as n friend
OF benjamin Merrill. Davids brother. So
well did Wencr play his part that Tracy
was not suspicious lie readily consented
to go out for short walk aud show
Neincr the ncighburhood
Something In the detectives manner made
the outlaw mistrust him. They were walk
Ing near n railroad track aud locomotive
waI slowly passing,
see lhat trAtuf' asked Tracy.
Wei, sucs III take IL. So long" And
away he started.
81 guess you won't" replied weiner,
reaching for his revolver.
Tracy was right about It. though for
he lenped into the cab, but not until he
mad taken shot AT the detective. Putting
his pistol TO the engineers head he com
inAnded MIN TO pull out with all speed
ieRNlng Weinor wounded, The news was
tsiephohSd ahead, a crowd gathered along
tne waeS So, ana when Tracy LEFT the engine
he was downed ard turned over to the ofn
GERS.
Tins these desperate criminals were
) landed IN the Portland jail, lodged In sepa-
rate cells and recorded In prison archives
OF tho city
Harry Tracy, 25 years of age. feet 10
lhches tau, weight leo pounds, light gray
eyes, light hair aud monstache. etc"
II inches tall weight ieo pounds etc"
/, Win other personal description but only
shad"Wy record OF their past career
Ihns safely landed II may be supposed
, t ,nad tne authorities were net long In at
they were not, Two months later they
: were tried and speedily convicted or rumer.
i Gus GUS rohberles ON the evidence OF their
muns VICTIMS; who positively Identified
Them. Merrill was sentenced 10 thirteen
/, Auars ont Tracy s attempt to Kill the detec.
; i've cost him seven more,
STORY or THE ESCAPE.
ir"ey ana Merrill were finally landed q,
Z Salem Warden Jones underestimated the
resoureetulness and daring OF these two
prisoners and trusted too confidently IN
me strength OF the prison. At all events
ne d'd not attempt to separate the TWO
/ men, who continued month after month 90
labor In the stove foundry Of the prison.
the morning of June .. promptly at ?
oV'pok the prisoners were paraGed To their
NntNus WORKSHOPS and set to their daily
A TASK This Is done so regularly In svary
prison that the guards regard ii as a Nh
, routine they do mechanically. Nothiug
~ .9pn Is more surprising than to be
g Wu uIon suddenly 10 do the very work
lhey are put there for. No ole Of many
, VINO We're In the foundry seems 10 nave
seen NhAt occurred. Certain IL is mar
saey aqd Merrill walked to their places
Y as usual Certain It is that so,neSvnere
. near the places In witch they worker
werss TWO NO, large rides loaded and ready Tor
, Work, Tie two prisoners could nor have
carried lhe guns from their cells No
! oae seems 10 have seen them seize these
! anes; but Just as the foundry squsd was
] about 70 he turned over TO work shot
rang out and Farrell fell dead
g the stove foundry Is aext 10 the wait
a yard surrounds It aud thirty feet from
, me wall is the dead line" Guards are
sWtoned upon the walls armed vita
heaVy rides 10 shoot any luckless or reck,
lesS prisoner who crosses thar line Tracy
and Merrill rushed 20 the yard. Followed
hy the guards who had paraded the foun'
ay gang 70 Its work Near the door
Frank lngsham, life convict, undertoos
: 70 stop them, only TO receive ride ball
Reaching, the yard Tracy, whose shots
seldom fail nred at every wan guard IN
sight, One OF the bullets killed :. r. n
Jones, guard, aud his fall made every
other guard IN the place hesitate 10 ex.