Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-08-16
Most Daring Bandit in American History

- - - -
I instead Of allowing themselves to be
taken. held up the pursuers aud .Ouh
possession Of the horse and buggy.
leaving the officers to walk back horn.
Several times the fleeing ConviC.4
dropped In unlimited to meals at va.
rious farm houses. where they made
no pretense OF cOncealing their identi
| ty and even boosted Of their exploits
Hospitality that was not freely glen
was taken anyway and usually any.
thing else they wanted that was easy
to carry. Anyone who resisted vas
bound and gagged. Occasionally some
one of the pursuers got an occasional
glimpse of the ConviCts. but all that Is
known of them during the first few
days of their fight was what was re.
lated by residents at whose houses
they had stopped for food.
On Sunday afternoon. June Is, they
forced a boatman to row them across
the Columbia river into the State. OF
Washington, near Vancouver, Merriir1
boyhood home. The country was now
thoroughly aroused, and 1t was becom.
| ing one of the most remarkable flights
in the criminal history of the great
Northwest. The pursuit was pushed
with more vigOr but Httle success. Ths
marshy nature OF the country made
the bloodhounds almost useless. Tha
sheriffs along the line to the northward
organized posses and secured he
country, but the elusive desperadocs
were always ahead OF them or easily
escaped through their .ordons wdCn
surrounded.
II was near Vancouver that more
bloodshed was added to their long
! list. though they themselves did NJ:
commit the crime. william Morris, a
member of the pursuing party, vas
mistaken for one OF the convicts by an'
other member of the party. He was
fired upon and seriously. though 10.
fatally. wounded.
Avoided the Crowds.
Avoiding the railroad and skirtirg
the larger towns. where they knew
that large forces OF heavily armed
men lay In wait for them, the fugitive
! continued another 100 miles almost
due northward through the only tn!ck
| ly settled strip of country IN that par.
Of Washington.-that along the line al
the Northern Pacific, the. only line con
Meeting Portland with Puget Sound. Al
any time they chose they could have
gone a few miles east and been lost
among the foothills Of the Cascade
Mountains, absolutely free from pur
suit.
His Name in the Pot.
Some tine during the night of July
Harry Tracy arrived at Olympis
alone. How he spent the time be
tween his arrival and sunrise of th'
following day he alone can tell, but h,
certainly made his way to the wac
front and long before the mist la
cleared up over the little fishing cam
Of the Capital City Oyster Company, q
South Bay, Tracy appeared on III
scene. A couple of men were prepaI
ing breakfast in a tent near the shor
, of Puget Sound. while gasolen
launch lay a few feet away. The bai
dit calmly announced that his nam
was in the pot" and when he toll
them what his name was they did nc
dispute the fact. When the meal wa
prepared he requested the men
stand quietly In full view at the bac
Of the tent while he partook of SON
coffee. bacon and fried potatoes. Du
, ing the meal he inquired about tn
, launch. When told that II belonged
, Captain Clark, a Seattle electrician
! the employ OF the company, Tracy o
$ dcred that the captain be sent for.
1 The captain. installing the summon
for the customary call to breaktas
, entered the tent, sat down and bega
:, to eat. Knowing that hunger Is pal
ful to some men, Tracy did not distul
!, him, while the captain, on the otd
" hand, thought the silent. none /;
= handsome, fellow with the ride VI
" some friend OF his men, and asked I
", questions. Through with his me-
;, Captain Clark rose from ,he pla
- board table and idly thrust bis han
= into his pockets.
-, Take your hands out OF your poe
=. cts" commanded the hitherto sIie
Il stranger
" who are you?" demanded the "a
:. tain.
a Tracy"
=. That ended the argument. At nj
!, the captain thought Il was all prlc
, cal joke set up by the men. but 1t W
r. not many moments before he real!z
- the truth. Tracy explained that he
- lied upon the launch TO take him
~