Harry Tracy
Encyclopedia
Harry Tracy was an outlaw
in the closing days of the Old West. His real name was Harry Severns.
He is said to have run with Butch Cassidy
and the Hole in the Wall Gang
, and by the time he'd reached adulthood he was actively taking part in acts of robbery
and theft
. On March 1, 1898 Tracy and 3 accomplices engaged in a gunfight at Brown's Park Colorado in which posseman Valentine S. Hoy was killed. Tracy and an accomplice of the Brown's Creek gunfight were captured but escaped in June 1898 from the Aspen Colorado Jail In late 1901, Tracy was captured, convicted, and incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary
.
With fellow convict David Merrill he escaped on June 9, 1902, shooting and killing corrections officers Thurston Jones Sr., Bailey Tiffany, 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, Washington
area. On June 28, 1902 he killed his partner Merrill {found July 14}. On July 3, 1902, he set up an ambush near Bothell, Washington
, where he killed a detective, Charles Raymond, and deputy John Williams during a shootout. Tracy fled, took several hostage
s in a residence, and engaged other law enforcement officers in a shootout. During that shootout he killed posse members Cornelious Rowley and Enoch Breece. On August 6, 1902, in Creston, Washington
, Tracy was cornered and shot in the leg during an ambush by a posse from Lincoln County, resulting in his being badly wounded. Sheriff Gardner arrived and had the field that Tracy had crawled into surrounded. Tracy committed suicide to avoid capture.
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
in the closing days of the Old West. His real name was Harry Severns.
He is said to have run with Butch Cassidy
Butch Cassidy
Robert LeRoy Parker , better known as Butch Cassidy, was a notorious American train robber, bank robber, and leader of the Wild Bunch Gang in the American Old West...
and the Hole in the Wall Gang
Hole in the Wall Gang
The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang was a gang in the American Wild West, which took its name from the Hole-in-the-Wall Pass in Johnson County, Wyoming, where several outlaw gangs had their hideouts. The Gang was not simply one large organized gang of outlaws, but rather was made up of several separate...
, and by the time he'd reached adulthood he was actively taking part in acts of robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
and theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
. On March 1, 1898 Tracy and 3 accomplices engaged in a gunfight at Brown's Park Colorado in which posseman Valentine S. Hoy was killed. Tracy and an accomplice of the Brown's Creek gunfight were captured but escaped in June 1898 from the Aspen Colorado Jail In late 1901, Tracy was captured, convicted, and incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary
Oregon State Penitentiary
Oregon State Penitentiary , the first state prison in Oregon, United States, was originally located in Portland in 1851. In 1866 it was moved to a site in Salem and enclosed by a reinforced concrete wall averaging in height...
.
With fellow convict David Merrill he escaped on June 9, 1902, shooting and killing corrections officers Thurston Jones Sr., Bailey Tiffany, 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, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
area. On June 28, 1902 he killed his partner Merrill {found July 14}. On July 3, 1902, he set up an ambush near Bothell, Washington
Bothell, Washington
Bothell is a city located in King and Snohomish Counties in the state of Washington. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The population was 33,505 as of the 2010 census...
, where he killed a detective, Charles Raymond, and deputy John Williams during a shootout. Tracy fled, took several hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s in a residence, and engaged other law enforcement officers in a shootout. During that shootout he killed posse members Cornelious Rowley and Enoch Breece. On August 6, 1902, in Creston, Washington
Creston, Washington
Creston is a town in Lincoln County, Washington, United States. The population was 236 at the 2010 census.-History:Creston sprang up with the arrival of the Central Washington Railroad in 1889. It was named so because of its high altitude, because it is the highest town in Washington state...
, Tracy was cornered and shot in the leg during an ambush by a posse from Lincoln County, resulting in his being badly wounded. Sheriff Gardner arrived and had the field that Tracy had crawled into surrounded. Tracy committed suicide to avoid capture.
External links
- http://gaslight.mtroyal.ab.ca/gaslight/htracy.htm
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084052/