The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1902-07-18
! uunuuuussssussuuI
THE STORY
OF TRACY

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The murderoun, devillsh es-
capaecs OF Harry Tracy cover
ms the period since he escaped
from the oregon penitentiary
at salem. June 4. have not been
egualed In the remembrance
Of living man. Within a short
sir weeks thia paragon Of Grim
inality haR killed seven men aud
MANNED for life two others. The
lives u three guards a the
Salem penitentiary were sacri-
feed. three officers % the law
were brutality murdered n tbs
very gates Of tho city Of seat
Tie. and the other day the de-
Composed body or Merrill was
found In the lonely woods Of
Lewis county, thrown in a heap
oehlnd n ies by this Tracy.
who shot him. but under what
circumstances the murderer
alone knows.
From a newspaper standpoint
uhef. has probably never been
a bigger story. Locally there
- H~fHf ttHH *a4 H@afi1h ~
which the whole people became
so intensely Naturalization OK
cited. The boldness OF the out
laws exploits paraiysef a
peaeefui community. his wanton
murders have terrorised. and
his repeated escapes from I'M
der the murxlss Of rifles have
caused afnanemsnt mingled with
regret and censure.
In connection with the recent
tragic advent OF Harry Tracy
into the lives o. law-sbidlnx
cittxsns. 10 must be said that
not one detail OF hia many dos.
pFrafe esrarsde~ has been Kept
from the people. and IN not one
Instance has the news been de-
lsyed. In making thls assertion
the star IL speskink for Itself
alone. Not hoartfuilr, not
esot.ssiesily. but truthfuiiy. IA
any one who has followed the
Tracy story can affirm.
There are but two papers In
Seattle fbcth EVENING" that
published extras dnrinx the
time Tracy was in the vseinity
" tHE tNla
on the sftsrnoon % July !.
the Htnr threw on the street an
extra In which q full account
Of the fsarfui battle at notheii
was given. n tnid Of the killing
of Detective Raymond. % Ever.
ntf. and % the woundinx 81
Deputy Sheriff williams. tsiHht
thousand stars were sold In and
about seattle on that occasion.
before the other evening paper
Was even ne<n. Nearly an hour
after the esar's sxtrs had ap-
pssrsd, the ether paper wss
pesused with 3 dupiieats Of the
story.
The star followed with tive
EXTRAS In which Traey's move
menss Immediately subsequent
20 the nethsli tragedy we're re-
lated. The outlaws seizure %
a hosse and hts reilnquishsnsnt
Of IL On. the Hothali road, and 3
Mite later his aenaaffonaf f51e
inso town with Johnson On the
lumber wagon. were duty pub
ilshed. The star brought the
eB-eonxiel down to the Van
Horn house tn another extra.
and then In thrse athers follow
inx In euink succession the muir
defa % Howiey and officer
Bresse were announced. IN each
ana every one Of these editions
details we're siysn correct
~. ~ Afterwards proved. and
there WAS not one Of them that
was not on the street At least a
half an hour before the other
evening paper appeared with
the Same nsua
The Star published fourteen
extra editions on July 8. and
every one Of that great number
was In advance Of the ether
paper that was trying TO SGT
the facts.
ON July Z the ssms order Of
things was recorded, and In the
twelve extras published that
day IN. movements Of the man
hunters we're accurately given.
The story was told % the out
laws hold-up OF Ranch~r Fisher
Mt Maple Lear. where Tracy
changed his garments for those
OF the farmer. This extra was
on the street~ an hour before
the other paper. and when the
latter did appear, Il had the
stars story.
On Sunday mcrnIro the
greatest scoop 81 ell occurred.
The star had . rsportsr al the
sheriff. office ell niqht. and n
A. 20 o'sIeek In the n1ornins the
office wac tsiep honsd ths re-
msrksbie story Of Traey's hold
up Of the Johnson family at
Port Madison. II was not until
& o'cioek that the other paper
uot the story and By that time
the star had been on the streets
three hours and had sold a 900
ooplss. The ethsr paper did not
appear.
The record holds good In re-
snrd 10 every issue of the Star
since July :, except one on the
day on the finding OF Traoy's
boat under the wharf At New
ellis mill. in south Seattle.
THE other pnper was on the
street In that instance ten min
utes before the star, which was
owing 10 the fact that the star
Al the time was working ON the
Charles Gerrclre story. which
the other peper knew nothing
about In fact. the star pub
iished the marvellous account Of