Bismarck daily tribune., 1902-07-10
THE DO|NGS Of TRACEY
Remarkable Career of Convict Tracey
Since He Escaped from the
Oregon Penitentiary.
Harry Bringhurst Writes the Tribune
of the Terror that Tracey
Has Caused.
With Large Price on His Head and
Many Officers After Him, He is
Still at Large.

Seattle. July S.-(Special.) )-Since
the day that three desperadoes were
lynched on one of the principal
streets of the then village of Seattle
nearly twenty years ago. there has
been no such excitement as has pre-
vailed during the sojourn of convict
Harry Tracy within this county of
King. Doubtless your readers are ia
miliar with the main facts, but the
mans successful flight has been so I'M
precedented and his sudden appear
ances and escapes so tragic and start
ling, that something more in detail
may prove of interest.
To begin with, Tracy and Merrell
escaped from the Oregon penitentiary
at Salem on June 8; having found two
rifles that had been secreted for them
within the walls, killed three guards
and badly wounded a convict who
tried to stop them. They got away
from bloodhounds, officers and mill
tia, forced the lonely ranchers to give
them food and clothing and on the
18th. compelled a man to row them
across the Columbia liver near Port
land, and about sixty miles from their
prison. In Washington they were
hunted with new vigor and had at
first some difficulty in making head
way, but by keeping to the forest trails
and getting the drop on the settlers
in the few cabins visited. they made
another hundred miles to the north by
the 18th. In all this time their prlr-
suers never actually came up with
them. although experienced man hunt
ers, from as far away as Idaho We're
on their trail.
In the early morning of July 2
Tracy appeared alone at South Bay
on Puget Sound near Olympia, held up
six men who were there, had two OF
them tied up and forced the other foul
to take him away in a gasoline launch
But he did not do this until they had
furnished him with good breakfast
and change Of clothing. After dark
that night he landed at Meadow Point
about seven miles above the center OF
Seattle. and disappeared. On the boat
he talked familiarly with the men and
even told them a very improbable tale
of having killed his partner Merrill
but never relaxed his vigilance.
The boatmen reached Seattle about
seven o'clock and told their story. Of
ficers went out at once from here anC
from Ballard, without finding any clue
The next morning early Tracy was
seeen walking along the line of the
railroad which runs eastwardlJ
through the northerly suburbs ant
then up to British Columbia.
One party of deputies and two re.
porters. went up Lake Washington tt
head him off, reached the town o.
Bothell and came back along the tracl
in the pouring rain. Reaching a sus
picious looking cabin in small clear
ing, they decided to examine it and ap
preached the place through a lot o
big stunps, having divided thei
forces. They were right in their sur
nises; Tracy was there and firing from
behind a stump, disabled reporter
instantly killed a detective from Ever
@ett, jumped down a high bank and dis
appeared. In escaping through th
brush he took shot at the Othe
party. who never SO much as saw hin
and dangerously wounded one of ou
deputy sheriffs. Here was a posse {
six men with half their number dea
or wounded, but if any body was d.
mora1ized it was not Tracy. He quicl
liz made his way to the country roa
where he fell in with farmer on hors
back, it was only necessary to prese1
his thirty-three Winchester and in fly
minutes he was flying down the roa
and the countryman was walking bae
h to BotheH.
With the unerring instinct for co
ering his trail. he abandoned the hor
as soon as he met a man in a lig
wagon. and he hid the horse so VIZ
that it has not been found yet Jum
1 ing into the wagon he told this farm
that he was a deputy sheriff hot on T
trail of the escaped convict and fore
4 the man to drive at top speed for s
attic.