The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1902-06-18
Hercss the Columbia
Continued from page I

l. :
got into buggy by themselves,
land the remainder of the, party
|drove off in a large carrya1l, pulled
| by two black horses. The rideWas
an exceedingly dusty one, aud for
the first two miles every buggy
passing was halted to know iftheir
occupants had any tidings of Tracy
or Merrill, but none of them had
met the convicts on the road. Dri-
yer Herbert Leiser whipped up the
horses again, and just as some
lthickly wooded timber rose in view
/ there was enap and part of the
harness broke, and after mending
lit with rope the pose started a.
gain,
Vancouver. June I6.-That the
posse led by Sheriffs Cooke, of
Clackamas, and Marsh, of Clark,
have surrounded Tracy and Merrill
in the Fourth plain country back
of Vancouver, is the news brought
here at2 O'Clock yesterday after
noon. The two sherifs think that
they have their forces SO disposed
| that the two outlaws cannot escape
| this time, and the closing. in pro-,
tcess has already begun.
Tracy and Merrill appeared at
the cabin of rancher named Pc.
ties, about four miles back of Van
leouver at.6:3o this morning, boupd
and gagged the proprietor, stole his
clothes and some loose garments
which were in the cabin. Then
they went away, leaving Peties 1y.
ing on the ground. He was found
by passersby an hour later and told
his story.
After going a short distance from
Peties cabin, Tracy and Merrill
stopped and changed clothing forthe
ones they had stolen. The discarded
garments including their. prison
shoes, were found by members of
the posse, later il the day. Among
the garments found were several
taken from DR.. White, who was
held up by the convicts in Marion
county. This establishes positively.
that the posse is after the right
men.
The country in which the convicts
now are, is. brushy, and affords am
pie opportunity for hiding. Des-
pite this fact, is is now thought
their capture is only a matter of a
few hours. Reinforcements have
been sent for
MRS. JONES FED THEM.
Mrs. Edwin Jones, who lives a
bout a half a mile from Liester's
Point, reports that early yesterday
afternoon two men armed to the
teeth, called at her house and asked
for something to eat. The men en-
tered by the front gale and both
seemed tired and sleepy. Both were
ragged and dirty and the taller one,
Tracy, wore overa1ls that were bad
y torn. Merrill stood outside aud
Kept guard while Tracy solicited
lood.
4 He told a hard-1uek story, say
ng they were unfortunate and na.
ives of the state of Washington.
Mrs. Jones gave them a roll of but
.er, some -four, knife, fork and
spoon and nearly half loaf of r
bread. Tracy asked for some bak-
ug powder for cooking bread,
which was also given. Mrs. Jones
asked him to come i'll and eat, as
she was cooking dinner at the time,
but he refused. She was consider
ably alarmed at their appearance
and asked him if they were not
Tracy and Merrill. At first he e.
vaded the question, but at last
made a clean breast of the matter
and acknowledged that they were
thesescaped convicts.
He then grew communicative
and told her something about pris-
on life. He said the penitentiary
was hard place to live and that
hey had not tasted butter in three
years, that all convicts we're fed on
was bread and lard.
Mrs. Jones ventured the remark
hat she hoped none of her boys
would ever reach the penitentiary, +
md Tracy said amen. Dinner was
about ready, and Mrs. jones was
her husband, who was
cutting wood near by, to arrive at
my time, but he did not come TN
ii the desperadoes had gone. i
While the conversation was GO
ng on between Tracy and Mrs.
tones, Merrill was talking and jok-
ng with her two little sons, Paul
md Peter. He carried sack, and
when asked by the children what
he sack contained, told them it
var flied with ora sShoDners tTra-j