Harry Tracy

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Harry Tracy (1877-1902 was a outlaw in the closing days of the Old West. His real name was Harry Sevrin (Severin?). He is said to have run with Butch Cassidy and Hole in the Wall gang, and by the time he'd reached adulthood he was actively taking part in acts of robbery and theft. In late 1901, Tracy was captured, convicted, and incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary.

"In all the criminal lore of the country there is no record equal to that of Harry Tracy for cold-blooded nerve, desperation and thirst for crime. Jesse James, compared with Tracy, is a Sunday school teacher." -Seattle Daily Times July 3, 1902-

He escaped on June 9, 1902, shooting and killing Corrections Officers [1], [2], Frank Ferrell and three civilians in the process. His claim to infamy is the size and scope of the manhunt and the extensive media coverage of same. He evaded capture for a month, mostly taking refuge in the Seattle area. On July 3rd, 1902, he set up an ambush near Bothell, Washington, where he killed a Detective [3] [4] during a shootout. Tracy fled, took several hostages in a residence, and engaged other law enforcement officers in a shootout. During that shootout he killed posse members [5][6]. On August 6, 1902, Tracy was cornered and shot in the leg during ambush with a posse from Lincoln County, Washington, resulting in him being badly wounded. Sheriff Gardner arrived and surrounded the field Tracy had crawled into. Harry committed suicide to avoid capture in Creston Washington.

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[edit] References

  1. ^ Thurston Jones Sr
  2. ^ Bailey Tiffany
  3. ^ Charles Raymond
  4. ^ Deputy John Williams
  5. ^ Cornelious Rowley
  6. ^ Enoch Breece