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Any of the above Books sent upon receipt of 10 Cents and add 2 Cents for postage, or any 10 Copies for $1.00, postpaid. 1. & M. OTTENHEIMER, PUBLISHERS. 321 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland HARRY TRACY* Tracy, the Outlaw, King of Bandits A NARRATIVE OF THE THRILLING ADVENTURES OF THE MOST DARING AND RESOURCEFUL BANDIT EVER RECORDED IN THE CRIMINAL AN- NALS OF THE WORLD. BY HARRY HAWKEYE. ILLUSTRATED. COPYRIGHT, 1908, BY I. & M. OTTENHEIMER. 1 & M. OTTENHEIMER, Publishers, W- Baltimore St BALTIMORE, MD CONTENT!. CHAPTER I. PAGB Harry Tracy 9 CHAPTER II. Tracy and the Hoboes 15 CHAPTER III. ^Tracy's First Escape from the Utah Penitentiary. . 32 ; * CHAPTER IV. ^Tracy With the Cattle Rustlers 42 CHAPTER V. rTracy at Cripple Creek 48 . CHAPTER VI. - A Mule Trai ; Hold-Up 56 ? CHAPTER VII. f* Tracy's Second Escape from the Utah Penitentiary 63 T CHAPTER VIII. ^' 'Genie Tries to Reform Tracy 74 >. CHAPTER IX. < Tracy With the Horse Thieves 78 CHAPTER X. Tracy Meets Merrill 88 CHAPTER XI. Automobile Hold-Up 94 7 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. PAGE Arrest of Tracy and Merrill at Portland 101 CHAPTER XIII. Tracy Plans Escape from Oregon Prison 108 CHAPTER XIV. Tracy Escapes from Oregon Prison 112 CHAPTER XV. Hands Up ! I'm Tracy 128 CHAPTER XVI. Captured by Tracy 136 CHAPTER XVII. Blood Hounds on the Trail . . 145 CHAPTER XVIII. The Duel .152 CHAPTER XIX. Tracy Captures a Launch on Puget Sound and Escapes 156 CHAPTER XX. Tracy Defeats the Sheriff's Posse > 164 CHAPTER XXL Bloodhounds Baffled by Tracy i 169 CHAPTER XXII, Out of the Toils Again 177 CHAPTER XXIII. Death of ^racy 181 8 Tracy, the Outlaw, King of Bandits CHAPTER I. HARRY TRACY. The unparalleled ingenuity, cool resourcefulness and desperate courage displayed by Harry Tracy after his escape from the Oregon Penitentiary, and while being hunted down by the militia, sheriff's posses and hordes ef other seekers for the large reward offered for his capture, dead or alive, have signalized his career as unique in the field of stupendous adventure and daring deeds, and will ever hold him in the lime light, on the stage of reckless bravery and tactful genius, as the KING of all the renowned outlaws in the history of tbe Harry Tracy was born in about the year 1871. The place of his birth has never been definitely determined; but it is reasonably certain that it was either Louisville, Ky., or in Dutchess County, New York. debut into tfee sefeher worid of XO TRACY, THE OUTLAW. was due more to the fault of another than to any in* herent criminal tendency so far as was known at that time; but once launched upon a career of lawlessness, he followed it to the end; all the while displaying those phenomenal traits of courage ard generalship, which had they been directed in < in:* els v,o - 1 ' with opportunity, have elevated him to t!u is ';"' nacle in the science of war. Little of interest or out of the ordinary is known of the antecedents of Harry Tracy; his firvt advent into the maelstrom of his subsequent adventurous life was his romantic attachment to 'Genie Carter, a beautiful girl whose home was near that of the embryo outlaw in the Ozark mountains near the Arkansas border of Missouri. Held in the leashes of an overpowering and abiding love for this beautiful daughter of the Ozarks, Harry Tracy was equal to any personal sacrifice whch in his ardent passion he conceived could in any manner con- duce to her well being and best interests. At this period of his career, Tracy was a youth just budding into full manhood. In appearance he was a magnificent specimen of physical develpment with t handsome face which bore all the indication's of indom- TRACY, THE OUTLAW. II metrical, with a play of muscle strong and lithe ao that of a young Bengal tiger. From constant exposur> attending a life of out door pursuits, his face was bronzed almost to the shade of an Indian brave a^d which supplied a striking setting for the keen blue-gray eyes before whose icy glitter hundreds of his pursuers later in his career were made to quail ar.d tremble. "Genie," said Tracy, as one evening they stood in a sequestered spot on the mountain top, "Genie, I see my finish here. I must leave my home and you, too, Genie. My home, perhaps forever ; but you, .Genie, will be true to me, and soon I will send for you to come to me where conditions of life will be more favorable to us both than they have been here." "But, why, Harry, why do you have to leive ir "' "Genie, there has teen a crime committed of which I am suspected. You know that I have never been guilty of a dishonest act ; but the toils are closing around me and there is no escape except by the exposure of the real culprit and before I'd do that I'd have my heart torn from me with hooks of red hot steel." "Oh, Harry, it cannot be so serious as you imagine/ 5 sobbed the girl, "stay Harry for my sake and meet your accusers. I know you a*re innocent. My heart tells me so. Others will know it too in time." TRACY, THE OUTLAW. to spare you that I am going. Can 10 robbed the';store?" he girl, sinking down upon one of the which lined the mountain path, "I see it my brother." . Genie," he said, "it was your brother and it by a mere accident that I discovered it. I was hunting along the river bank, just after day break last Monday when I saw your brother with another man unload the plunder from a boat. They carried it a little way from the river and buried it in a hollow just at the foot of the big oak tree near the white rock. Then they covered it over with leaves and dry brush and rolled small bowlders in amongst the brush. I was about to take a shot at thern and recover the goods ; but for your sake, Genie, I lowered my gun. Somehow, my finger could not work the trigger." Tears glistened in the young girl's eyes and looking foundly into the face of herJover, said, "then it was for my sake, Harry, that you did not shoot." "Yes, Genie, I could not cause you pain even though I will have to suffer much for it myself. They are now hot after the culprit and they have fastened the rob- bery upon me. It is a serious matter too; because in robbing the store the United States mail was taken. "But, Harry, is there no way that you can save your- TRACY, THE OUTLAW. IJ self except by flight. They will have to prove that you are the guilty one. Maybe both you and my brother will escape if you are wise and fight it out." "No, Genie/* replied Tracy, "there's no chance for me but to peach on your brother. My old man has sifted the matter pretty well and has heard all that is being said by the authorities and he says I'd better skin out if I do not want to be taken ; so I will have to go." "Then, Harry, I'm going with you," cried the girl, putting her hands upon his shoulders and looking up appealingly into his handsome face. "No, no, , Genie, that's impossible. Why, girl, ..I'm going to hit the pike. I've nothing now ; but I will have, and when I catch on I'll send for you. And will you jome," "I'd go to you, Harry, if I have to walk over Sa- haras of scorching sand. Wherever you may be and whenever you call for me I'll go. Now there," and the girl raised her face and pouted her pretty red lips, upon which Tracy showered a torrent of kisses. i "Yes, Genie, it is far better that I should go before I have to shoot a sheriff; for I am not guilty of any offense against the law and do not intend to be ar- rested." "Well, Harry, you may depend upon me to follow you to where ever your life may lead only do send 14 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. for me soon; for my life will be sad and dreary with- out you. But, hark what is that noise sounds like some animal crashing through the timber just there below the bend in the path." At this moment a mounted deputy sheriff sprang sud- denly into view and reining up his horse brought his rifle to his shoulder at the same moment crying "Halt ! Come, surrender, Tracy, or I'll fire on you." "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" pleaded Genie," he'll give himself up." "Like h~l, he will," hissed Tracy whilst at the sai.ie instant a shot rang out and the deputy plunged headlong from his horse, stone dead, with a heavy load of buck shot in his heart. "There is no question as to what I shall do now, Genie. You hasten home and I will visit the place where your brother has hidden the plunder. There may be something there that I may need to help me along in my flight. Good-by, darling." And taking the beautiful girl in his strong arms Tracy kissed her again and again, and then releasing her, gave her a gentle little push, saying: "Run along now and try to be as happy as you can until we meet again." - In another moment, Tracy was striding through the tall timber in the direction of the spot where the pro- ceeds of the robbery had been secreted. CHAPTER II. TRACY AND THE HOBOES, Finding a brace of revolvers together with ammuni- tion, some blankets and a few other articles useful to him, Tracy covered up the plunder in its hiding place, leaving it as he had found it and bent his steps towards the Missouri River. Overtaken by night, he built a fire in a dense portion of the woods and rolling himself in his blankets, spent the first of the many nights he was destined to sleep under the stars a hunted fugitive and outlaw. For several weeks he wandered through the woods. Early one morning, Tracy arose, refreshed from his sleep and pursued his way towards the sluggish and muddy waters of the great Missouri. Just as he emerged from the timber and in plain view of the' stream he heard the voices of several men which seemed to emanate from behind a slight eminence just' at the river bank and which concealed from his view the speakers. Advancing cautiously to the brow of the hiHoek, Wa 16 TRACY, THE 0UTLAW. eyes were gladdened by the sight of two dilapidated hoboes preparing a meal over the glowing embers of a camp fire. For a moment the hungry man stood watching the hoboes at their Culinary work while hiss nostrils were regaled with the delicious aroma of the coffee they were boiling in an old tomato can. For Tracy, the man of quick decision and prompt action, it only required a few seconds to determine his course. Besides being urged on by his ravenous appe- tite Tracy was beginning to feel the lonesomeness of his condition; for he was not yet accustomed to the long and lonely vigils in almost inaccessible ravines, caves and dense forests to which the exigencies of his later experiences condemned him. In another instant two dismayed and terrified hoboes were looking into the black muzzles of a double-barrel shotgun. "Come, you fellows, there " shouted Tracy. "For God's sake, don't shoot, Mister Officer. We'll go wid ye ! Jr cried the tramps, thinking that Tracy was an cffficer of the law fttuading up hoboes on gaoeral ; principles, "Oh, quit your squealinM" commanded Tracy; "I'm not going to hurt you. All I want is that grub you seem to have prepared with so much care for me." "AB r|ghV mister, o*iyiMf*g yo ~tf' shotted!]* 2RACY AND THE HOBQML iy l8 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. hcboes together. "Just come erlong and help yer- self." "I guess," said Tracy, "you fellows had better move off till I get through." This order was obeyed with alacrity by the two hcboes, who moved away to the water's edje, display- ing by their manner much relief when Tracy lowered his gun and laid it on the grass beside him, as he took his seat alongside the fire and began to help himself to the frizzling bacon, hot hoecake and nice coffee which the roadsters had prepared with so much antici- pated pleasure for themselves. Tracy eat ravenously, looking up from time to time and eyeing the tramps, who maintained their respect- ful distance whilst conversing together in an under- tone. "What are you fellows croaking about over there, anyway?" called Tracy. "If you think youVe got sense enough to know when you're out of danger, I don't mind if you come over here and take a bite yourselves; but mind you don't get funny and make any bad cracks or I'll feel tempted to see how far you can both jump with a toad of buckshot under .your *" Say, mister, we're all right/' said one of the ho* >fm?" appealing to his TRACY, THE OUTLAW* 19 "You bet, Hoke." "Well," rejoined Tracy, "if } i\ think you nave dis- cretion enough to head cff a shower of buckshot, you may come over and eat ; 1 r*t Keep on your own side of the fire." As the hcloes sealed f.ie'.riselves ty the fire and i?^an to partake of inan.ts < i the fca r t, Tra:y had al.out fmif-h^d h'. : -.nmarinq; in v- O :e you fellows acr.ial :t'jd around -the:- e parts '* n ' c-J ""racy "K':cw every foot c, f ground f^r five hu::-,lre-d miles arour.d, ' answered the hobo who rejoiced in the eupho- nious cognomen of Kansas Hoke not because he was a product of that State, but having perpetrated seme miner offense in his native city of Boston some years before had drifted out to Kansas, in which State he was first initiated into the technique of hoboism a::d from which he derived his sobriquet of "Kansas Hoke." "Who be you, mister, may I ask ?" said the hobo known to his familiars as "Hungry Jim." "Yes, you may ask," answered Tracy, "and I don't mind telling you, as you may be of use. to me; but mind you don't do me dirt, for this shooting iron has just sent one fellow on his long cruise, and it's always 2O TRACY, THE OUTLAW. ready f j bark at the least suspicion of treachery. I am Tracy and a fugitive from the law. The Sheriff's after me for the robbery of a store and potting of a deputy sheriff. This announcement whilst enhancing the enforced respect of the hoboes for Tracy, seemed also to estab- lish a bond of fellowship ; for they themselves, al- though insignificant fish in the great pool of crime, were no strangers to the grasp of the law's long arm. "Do you fellows know about where we are just now?" "Yes," replied Hoke, . "we're on the Missouri, not far from Kansas City at least, not as far as we'd like to be, pardner." "Why, what's the matter with Kansas City? I've never been there, but I've heard it's a good town," said Tracy. "The town's all right, but the climate's ui-iiealthy just at this time for us, eh, Jim?" - "Yes" said Jim, "we left for our health." "Robbing a hen roost, I suppose," sneered Tracy. "Why didn't you fellows do something worth while and get some dough, instead of browsing around on the banks of muddy rivers and on roadsides and living out of tomato cans? Get some dough and live like men. When I get my wad I'm going to Oregon. I TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 21 guess that's far enough away from the Sherirfs of Mis- souri. Then I'm going to prospect fot; mines. You fellows have traveled some. How far is it from here to Portland, Oregon, or Seattle, Washington?" "Distance ain't measured by miles these days," re- plied Kansas Hoke; "depends on how you go. By Pullman plush it's three days ; by drawhead reserved seats it's thirty/' "Well, I don't know much about your professional terms for travel, but I'm going by Pullman plush, as that's what I take you to mean by a first-class ticket and a Pullman berth." "That's it, pardner, and a good way to travel, too, when a feller's got the scads," replied Hungry Jim; "but, you see, we are not bank cashiers just yet, and we have to hot-foot the pikes and ties when makin' a getaway." "If you 'fellows and the whole pesky tribe to which you belong had the nerve of a singing mouse, the bank cashiers wouldn't have a chance to get away." "Yes, that's so," chimed in Kansas Hoke. "If we had a bank to pull on we .might be sailing about the river in a steam launch, with glad hunting togs and silver-plated shotguns like those guys down the river what we saw last night in their camp. Oh, but the 2 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. juicy steaks they was a-^roilin', and the wine was a-flowm' like the rapids of old Niagara, eh, Jiiti?" "You bet," exclaimed Hungry Jim, smacking his lips at the remembrance of the good cheer at the camp. "What camp is that .'" asked Tracy. "Don't know/' replied Hoke. , "Some swell guys, though Out hunting and fishing, I reckon." "How many?" asked Tracy. i "About eight," replied Hoke; "one old guy and a bunch of young fellows all togged out in style, I tell you, and all kinds of grub and booze We got this bacon, flour and coffee from 'em. I got chinnin' with the cook, while Jim he swiped the grub." Bending forward, his beat the guards into unconsciousness, kin^ "Between the ponderous blows he dealt them * She/ had ink'rcated him and his companions and JpS TRACY, THE OUTLAW. that he would leave them with something to ruminate over in the future. He then bound and gagged the Sheriff and took his departure, well supplied with arms and ammuniton. Another large posse then took the field, and Tracy was again captured while alone and asleep in the woods. For about ten days Tracy was held in custody at the penitentiary, when one morning he suddenly sprang upon a guard, took his gun, clubbed him nearly to death, and again made his escape. After this escape Tracy made his way to Colorado Springs, where he was joined by two other desperados, and then began a series of hold-ups which startled even that community, accustomed as it was to border out- rages. Their last and boldest robbery before a posse was organized to capture them was the hold-up of a saloon, in which they robbed the proprietor and all the inmates. Learning that the Sheriff, with a strong- posse, was after them, the bandits sought refuge in a cabin a few miles from the town. They were soon located, however, and Sheriff Conrad, with his pom, appeared at tlie place and made a search on ;the out- side of the premises, but which revea ed nothing sat- isfactory. Emboldened by the belief tint Tracy and his companions had left the place, f!ie Sheriff preached the cabin to int(* r ^ iV " .cr in 01 ORE- OOTEB.W. 39 to ffet what in formation he could concerning the move- ments of the outlaws, but no sooner had the door been pushed open than the posse was met with a fusillade from the inside, and Sheriff Conrad fell dead and another officer dropped mortally wounded. The posse fired one volley into the cabin, killing the owner and Tracy's two companions, and then took to their heels without entering the cabin. When they had run far enough away to insure safety to themselves from Tracy's flying bullets as he stood in the open doorway firing at their retreating forms, they settled down under cover of the timber and opened up a harmless fusillade upon the cabin, during which Tracy walked leisurely off into the brush. Tracy next appeared in Montana, where his various robberies followed one another in rapid succession. Paradoxical as it may seem, Tracy possessed a curious sense of friendly obligations a system of ethics pre-eminently all his own when considered in relation with his other traits of character. He took queer fancies to people and often selected from among his victims some who later on became beneficiaries of his other depreciations, as in the case of the farmer whose rig he returned with more than money enough to reimburse him for his losses. It was to this peculiar trait o* the peerless outlaw that a young man named 40 TRACY, THE OUTLAW, Kelly was pardoned by the Governor from the Mon- tana Penitentiary. Tracy had held up a saloon, se- curing a large quantity of cash and some jewelry. Amongst the pieces of jewelry captured was a watch belonging to the barkeeper. Kelly knew that Tracy had held up the saloon, and asked him for the watch, stating that he was a friend of the barkeeper and wanted to give him back his watch. Tracy gave the watch to Kelly, but when the watch was found in his possession he was arrested for holding up the saloon and sentenced to five years in the penitentiary. Several months later, Tracy having learned of the mishap to Kelly, prepared a sworn state- ment in which he admitted having held up the saloov. himself alone, and he gave such a minute and circum- stantial description of the hold-up that it carried con- viction to the mind of the Governor, who immediately signed a pardon for Kelly. Tracy was evidently a man of fair education, vhich, coupled with a brain of marvelous subtlety and a wonderful faculty for observation, gave him a great advantage over the ordinary criminal in all of hh oper- ations. At this period of his career he was described as a splendid specimen of manhood, rather tall of stature and of closely knit, athletic build, Reticert with strap TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 41 gers, he was always jolly and cheerful, even to the verge of exuberance, when in the company of friends, and he was ar especial favorite with the fair sex, wherever he was thrown arrongst them. He could be extremely courteous in speech and manner, and evinced a marked fondness for children, to whom he was un- varyingly attentive with his caresses and little gifts. But, notwithstanding these exterior signs of an affable disposition, to the practical observation of the expert physiogtiomist there lurked in the cold glitter of his gray eye and broad, determined jaw a sleeping demon which to awaken spelled instant death. His resource- fulness was without precedent, his cunning almost sug- gestive of supernatural aid and the vicious bark of his ever-ready rifle and revolver as fatal as the sudden stroke oi a blind rattler in July. CHAPTER IV. TRACY WITH f HE CATTLE RUSTLERS. Tracy next appeared in Southwestern Montana as a member of a gang of cattle rustlers and horse thieves. The leader of this gang when Tracy first joined it was a half-breed Indian, but soon the members of the gang, all of whom were fugitives from the law like Tracy, recognized in his splendid physique, utter dar- ing and recklessness in the face of danger and phe- nomenal resourcefulness* in every emergency a new leader, and the half-breed chieftain, Shortatl, was sup- planted by Tracy. Shortairs wife, a young Indian woman and daughter of a chief, was considered a belle of no mean pretcn- tiena a* bellas go in that part of the country. I course of time the squaw became enamored of Tracy, and did not fail to betray her preference in many ways, and to which Tracy was not slow to respond, although in all his ramblings he had never forgotten Gue Carter, who wat awaiting hi* tall amidst the mitia* life in the bosom of the TRACY ESCAPES ON HORSEBACK. 43- 44 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. The gang at this time made their headquarters in a rambling log structure on a remote ranch. From this point they made their raids and brought their plunder until disposed of. . One clear and beautiful night the gang returned from a raid, secured their plunder, put up their horses and in a short time had given themselves over to a wild debauch, which was generally the culminating feature of a successful raid. Demoniacal shrieks, hor- rible oaths and blasphemous boasting sounded in harsh dissonance with the serene stillness of the beautiful Tracy, always wary and abstemious when necessary. had kept his appetite for drink under perfect control. He had become tired of the gang and decided to desert: them, taking Shortall's wife along with him. About his waist Tracy wore a belt full of ammuni- tion and from which two formidable revolvers swung in holsters. Tracy took Shortall's wife and hastened with her to the corral, and, leaning his rifle against the fence, started to saddle and bridle his horse. Just as Tracy was pulling the saddle girth, Shortall, who missed his wife, rushed around the corner of the corral, and, taking in the situation at a glance, uttered a wild In- dian yell, at the same time raising his revolver; but TRACY, THE OUTLAW 45 the vicious bark of Tracy's revolver rang out first, and Shortall fell with a bullet scjuarely planted between his gieaming eyes. T'le noise of the shots attracted the attention of two f the inebriated revelers, who a moment later ..eared at the end of the conral just as Tracy sprung t the saddle, reached down and lifted the woman to the horse and started at breakneck speed for the rugged country in the distance. The drunken. rustlers, seeing ' 'ecd'ng corpse of their companion lying where it ha 1 fallen beneath the unerring aim of the bandit chief, sent a hail of bullets after the fleeing couple ; but their shots went wild, and soon Tracy and his enamorata were beyond range of the rifle. But this escape was not destined to be accompanied with the same good fortune which usually attended the bold attempts of the favored* outlaw. .The faithful horse, weakening under the heavylpad and exhausted from the high speed to which he was constantly urged by the relentless prodding of spurs staggered and fell in his tracks. "Well," said Trac,. 'the hor ,, is done for. There's nothing left for us now but a battle. Let us get be- hind these rocks here alongside the trail. If I don't clean 'em out from that point of vantage I'm not the Tracy I usetf to be." 4* TRACY, ram Saying this, Tracy led the squaw to the little barri- cade and awaited the approach of pursuers, the sound of who,se horses' hoofs were distinctly audible in the distance . When the pursuers reached the spot where lay the fallen horse they stopped for a few moments, then, blind with rage and disappointment, they looked around in every direction without discovering any signs of the fugitives. For an instant the muzzle .of Tracy's rifle might have been seen peeping over the crest of a rock from which it as quickly disappeared. Why Tracy did not epen fire is a matter of conjecture. Probably he thought they would go away without discovering him, and in this way he would not expose the squaw to the danger of battle. "They've escaped on foot!" yelled one of the pur- sucrs. "We'll follow them intp the foothills. We must get that Tracy, for if he escapes with that squaw he will train her to get him all the ammunition he wants and some day hell come back when we are least look- ing for him and clean us all out." As soon as the sound of their horses' hoofs died away in the distance Tracy and the woman started back to the corral, where all was as still as the tomb, the re- maining outlaws, having succumbed to the effects of their debauch, were lying around in a profound TRACY, THE UTLAW. $% drunken stupor. Meanwhile, the men wh* had 6l*rte4 to seek the fugitives in the foothills soon gave up the chase, and were returning to the ranch while Tracy was busy saddling and bridling fresh horses in the corral. Just as Tracy was leading the two horses from the corral the pursuers rode up, and in an instant two tongues of fire, with a sharp ring, "shot out from the muzzles of their rifles, and the squaw fell prone upon the ground, writhing in the agony of death. Quick as a flash, and with, that unerring aim which never failed him, Tracy opened fire with both revolvers, and the two bandits tumbled from their saddles dead. Tracy lifted the squaw in his arms, carried her to a corner of the corral, where he laid her out on a pile of dried grass, and, reloading his guns, he gently patted the cold cheeks of the dead woman, gave her one last, searching look from his cold, steel-gray eyes, which for a moment seemed to light up with a flash of sym- pathy, then vaulted into his saddle and galloped CHAPTER V. TRACY AT CRIPPLE CREEK. Several months later found Tracy in Cripple Cm. with -plenty of money and neatly appareled H fashion of "civilized life. He was here kiu Harry Ward, a quiet, retiring sort of a young man, a hale-fellow-well-met, polite, affable and liberal in hi.. expenditures, though not riotous. When not frequent- ing the numerous gambling houses of this great mining camp he was often seen on the streets, accompanied by a young girl, tall and willowy, and whose beautiful blue eyes and fresh complexion constituted a type of female charm well calculated to engage the attention of the hetejrc^Rotie population of the noted camp at tb*t time. Exactly wba& em4 kmv Genie Garter joia^d Tracy, if ever known, ha* nev$r appeared in any of the annals dealing with the adventures of the great outlaw; but the inference is that after leaving the rustlers* ranch Tracy committed one or a series of robberies, netting ten a Jraadeoare ram, and be Ham dofci&d to keep U* MOOT* mx-MKTTY MfciiffAfc JO TRACY, TH OUTLAW. pledge to Genie and sent for her to meet him at Cripple Creek as Mrs. Ward. Lacking only early opportunity, but in every other way fitted to adorn the highest spheres of polite so- ciety, 'Genie kept herself in almost rigid seclusion in Cripple Creek, and was rarely seen except in the com- pany of Tracy ; but on one occasion some unlooked-for emergency called her from lodgings and she saun- tered out alone. It was in the early evening*. The streets were all brilliantly lighted and the gambling dens were just beginning their operations for the night. As 'Genie threaded her way through the motley crowd on the main thoroughfare a dapper little fron- tier dude, to whose self-made reputation for "utter badness" clung the tradition of countless graveyards, wa* led by his inordinate vanity into the fatal folly of casting- an impudent glance at the girl as she passed ene of the gilded saloons which lined the roadway. Looking neither to the right nor left Genie paid no attention to the insolence of the man until her ears were assailed by a gtoTs insinuation which brought the blood tingling to her ehaeks. Slopping suddenly, and without^ a moHit&t's hesitation, Genie faced her taunting assailant and delivered him a ringing flap square in th* face. Faammg with anger and diwrnrited lyjlMfa^^ ACY, TH1 miTLAW. ft masher bundled up his wrath and sought refuge in the saloon, where he became loud in his denunciation of the woman who had thus humiliated him and of the fellow Ward who was her husband. This man had at one time held an office as deputy marshal in a bad mining camp, and the number of desperados that he had brought to bay was one of the leading features in his litany of braggadocio. Half an hour later Tracy walked into the saloon where the ex-deputy marshal was still venting his ire in fearsome threats against Tracy. "See here, Mister Bad Man," said Tracy, quietly walking up alongside of the ex-deputy at the bar, "FU see you in the morning when your jag has worn off, and if you think your nerve is as stout as your hot air would imply you'll find that I'm as good a subject to test it on as any other you have ever run up against," Tracy was armed, but made no attempt to shoot, although the ex-champion of law and order reached for his gun, which, however, was quickly taken from him by the bystanders, and Tracy walked quietly out of the place. Early next morning, just as the rising sun was painting the -hill tops with its crimson glow, Tracy came strolling along dowr the main street towards the same saloon. The e^-deputy, whose debauch had $3 TRACY, THE OUTLAW about spent its force, was just leaving he was hailed by Tracy. "Now's your time, Mr. Bad Man!" cried Tracy, and while the ex-deputy, who had drawn his gun and was making a frantic effort to get into the doorway of the saloon and shoot from cover, Tracy's arm shot out, a loud report followed, and the ex-deputy's corpse went to swell the population of the numerous graveyards that his heroism had founded among the mining camps of the wild and wooly West. Tracy, in this instance, and the only time in hi^ whole career, for some unaccountable reason surren- dered to the authorities without a fight. Perhaps it was upon the advice of Genie, who, believing that the evidence of the many persons who heard the threats of the ex-deputy against the life~of Tracy would exoner- ate him without a trial, but such was not the case. Tracy was locked up and indicted, with every prospect of conviction, for murder. The dead man had a num- ber of influential friends who exerted every effort to bring Tracy to trial and secure his conviction. During the short time- that Tracy was confined Genie was with him as often as the rules of the prison would permit, and during one cf these interviews, watching her chance, a dark, ominous-looking object was slipped between the bars by the devoted girl, and the outlaw GENIE AIDS TRACY TO ESCAPE FROM JAIL AT CRIPPLE CREEK. Page 53. |4 TRACY, TfitS OVTLAW. was again a match for a whole regiment of militia airct an army of Sheriffs with their pcsres. During Genie's visits Tra through the Lars of his cell door, his operations .being ,1 :rcm the eyes of the" ja'.lcr by Genie's skirts, lie held dexterously w"ih this end in view. ns read - for "Now, if you will be perfectly quiet remarked Tracy, "and offer no useless resistance no harm will befall you." Tracy proceeded to disarrc the man, and adjusting a pair of hamlcujs ar.ct leg : rons, which he took from the wall outside, he gagged him with a stick of wood and then left the jail without further hin- drance. Once free, Tracy hastened to-a" secluded spot some distance from the jail, where he found Genie await- ing him with two horses. For a moment Tracy stood ..clasping the girl to his breast, kissing her and gently stroking her beautiful tresses, which sparkled like spun jold in the rays of the rising sun. "Good girl ! Brave girl, Genie, and now let us turn our backs forever on this cursed place." TRACY, THE OUTLAW. * 55 A moment later then horses' hoofs were beating the joyous notes of freedom on the surface of the hard roadway leading out of Cripple Creek. CHAPTER VI. A MULE TRAIN HOLD-UP. Several days after leaving Cripple Creek, Tracy sold the jaded horses to a ranchman, and they then plunged recklessly on foot into the stretch of wild territory leading to the Green River Country.. For several weeks they wandered through this wild country, now winding through deep canons, now traveling on moun- tainside, and always avoiding any direction which might lead them to the habitations of men. In time, however, the hardships began to bear heav- ily upon the girl, although she uttered no complaint; but her fast* failing strength and lagging footsteps were 0ot tost upon the watchful eye of Tracy, who bit usual daciei vee%es when once an kka took of hit mind determined to adopt a plan wMch, although entailing a topomry separation, woul4 afford Genie an ppottunity to return to chili* zation, where she could recuperate her strength and 'livt ia a manner sate befitdag the tea trdy coast** 09 nCf TRACY WAITING FOR THE MULE TRAIN. Page 57- 58 - ^b%eir, THI "Genie, we'll strike for a trail leading from one of the big mines, and then you may leave ^the rest to me. I'll get you out of this. You shall go to Denver with plenty of money and rest up. I will put space enough between me and the posses which will surely follow to insure my safety, and then- we will join again.' 1 The November nights were getting cold and the fugitives suffered much from exposure, sleeping out in the frosty air, with no cover but that afforded by the broad expanse of the starlit skies. In a few days they reached a narrow pass in the mountains through which the mule trains carrying provisions and other merchandise to the Yellow Lode Mine were in the habit of passing. Here they waited for the vagaries of fortune to throw something in their way. Nor did ffiey have to- wait long only a day when Tracy, from a prominence formed by a jutting point of rock, sighted a mule train slowly winding along towards them through the pass. "Now, Genie," said Tracy, "they will soon be along, and while I hold tjjem quiet from my position here on this rock you search them ana their baggage for meney jid take all in sight." The outfit consisted ot two men besides the driver and the guard, who was an ex-deputy marshal and a lawrably. knowu for tried courage. MULE TRAIN HOLD-UP. Page 59. 6O TRACY, THE OUTLAW. As the train approached the men saw Tracy, who was sitting on the projection of rock in full view, with his rifle concealed close beside him. Tracy's manner and the reckless daredeviltry of his exposed position was well calculated to disarm suspicion, and the quarry came creeping along in serene ignorance of what was in store for them. Just when the men of the train approached within a dozen paces of the bandit he suddenly threw up two revolvers and cried out in a tone which left no uncer- tainty as to his determination to be obeyed : "Halt there ; throw down your arms and dismount, all of you!" Quickly realizing that there was no wisdom in oppo- sition, the men did as they were bidden. "There, now/' continued Tracy, "line up there along- side the road, all of you, and hold your hands up." At a signal from Tracy, Genie began the search, going through their pockets and deftly examining the packs until all the available money was gathered in. During the search the guard, taking advantage of a moment when it seemed that Tracy's attention was oc- cupied with Genie's' work, made a move as if to re- claim his gun, which was lying oi_ the ground a pace or two in front of him. Quick as a flash a shot rang out and the guard's TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 8* arm fell limp by his side. Tracy had driven a bullet through his elbow. "The next time I shoot," shouted Tracy, "it won't be for your wings. Now, look out !" Then, calling to Genie, he continued : "Collect their arms, Kid, and bring them all to me." "This is hard lines for four old-timers like us to be held up by a pair of tenderfeet," groaned the wounded guard, ruefully. "I like that," retorted Tracy, roaring with laughter. "That's right, pardner, we've tender feet all right, and when you come to look for us you'll find us limp- ing along over the cobblestones of New York, blow* ing your dough in the tenderloin with all the other tenderfeet." "Well," said the dejected guard, "it may come our turn some day to do the laughing." "Yes," answered Tracy, "it may if you keep a civil tongue in your head and don't get too fresh." And there was something in Tracy's tone and the glitter of his eyes that warned the guard of impending danger and caused him to fall into a sulky silence as Tracy fumbled with the trigger of his gun. Jumping down from the rock, Tracy cut tfte harness of the mules into stout thongs, with which he bound the men securely, while Genie, at a convenient dis- 62 TRACY, THE 0UTLAW. tancc, kept thrm well covered with a rifle. He then proceeded leisurely to count the money, which amount- ed to $2,300 in bills. After securing the money in a sack he helped himself to a liberal supply of rations , and then made off for the mountains, expressing the hope, not untinged with a color of sarcasm, that the gentlemen would spend a pleasant night. CHAPTER VII. Tracy's next advent was in Provost, Utah. He was cleanly shaved, well dressed and presented an appear- ance generally in marked contrast to that of the un- kempt and ferocious bandit who held up the mule train on the trail to the Yellow Lode Mine. Contrary to his usual habits, Tracy was indulging somewhat heavily in drink and in one of the saloons which he frequented he encountered the guard, Willis, whose elbow he had shattered in the mule train hold-up. Willis, humiliated and chafing under the jeers of the aloon habitues, who had heard how four heavily armed men were held up by ont man and a boy, was himself indulging excessively in fiery fluid of the red- light district. , Notwithstanding, however, the changed appearance of Tracy, and the besotted condition of -Willis, the dis- comfited guard, the latter recognized him, and, slip- ping out of the saloon, notified the Sheriff, who imme- A} TftfcCY, f HE OUTLAW. diately organized a posse and laid in wait fr^ Tracy to come along. Shortly after nightfall, Tracy left the saloon and strolled, along towards the spot where the Sheriff and his posse were waiting in ambush. Just as Tracy got abreast of the ambuscade, the Sheriff and his posse sprang out, covered him with their rifles and ordere'd him to surrender. Stupefied in a measure from the effects of his overindulgence, and taken by, surprise, Tracy was not able to draw his -weapon before two of the guns of the deputies went off; but whether from fright or deliberation is not clear, though the circumstances would tend to establish the former theory, as the men's guns were almost -under Tracy's nose when they were discharged, and one shot missed him entirely, while the other just grazed his head, stunning, however, and affecting his capture without further bloodshed. Tracy was bound while uncon- scious and carried to the jail. His trial, conviction and sentence to a term of ten years in the Utah Penitentiary followed in rapid suc- cession. Tracy's reputation for desperate courage and in- genuity in devising means of escape had preceded him to prison, and the officials, prompted by the fear of some sudden coup by the resourceftri bandit, sub- TRACY, THE OUTLAW, 6$ jcCted him not only to the closest surveillance, but to the severest discipline. For the first time in his career Tracy found the lines of restraint drawn around him ta a discriminating degree, and he chafed under the petty tyrannies of men clothed with a little authority, % whom he felt to be in every characteristic which makes for manhood far inferior to himself, outlaw as he was. From day to day he was subjected to the bravado, galling insults and brutalities of insignificant public servants, who kept him shackled at a safe distance and continually under cover of their guns ; yet who would not in solid battalions have approached within ten leagues of him had he been in his own free element* the plains, the mountains and the timber, with his trusty rifle, resting in the hollow of his arm, ever ready for action. A few hpurs only after his commitment to the peni- tentiary Tracy was knocked down by a club from be- hind by one of the guards for a slight breach of dis- cipline. From that time on Tracy's life was one of constant rebellion against the prison authorities, and most of his time was spent in solitary confinement, de- prived of such meager fare as the prison provided, and permitted only sufficient bread and water to keep afe in his body At such times as he was out of the dark cell and put to work he was sedulously separated SBAClf, THE OUTLAW, from his fellow-prisoners, lest he should devise some plan and with their aid execute a general delivery. So great was the apprehension inspired by Tracy's personality in the minds of the officials that a standing order was given to shoot him dDwn upon the least sign of an attempt to escape. In all probability it was not the idea of Tracy's escape which so terrorized the officials, but rather what might happen to them if ever the band't once found himself in position to ma!:e battle. In their secret hearts they would no d :bt have been translated with joy could Tracy only hive vanished into thin air and escaped with the smoke through some of the tall chimneys of the shops. Then, indeed, each official could lie inHe* his own fig tree with nobody to ma!:e him afraid. For two years Tracy lived under this terrible regime, btrrcd out from the solicitude or sympathy of the whole world except that of his faithful Genie, but Tracy was unconquerable. Every day of harsh treat- ment tended more and more to embitter the bandit against the social order which fostered, as he viewed it, a system of such injustice even agai >st a convicted criminal. His fertile mind ! ad ever beer active formu- lating plans for his escape, but the odds were too great against him, until one morning, after a des- perate battle with the jf&ards, he was stricken down TRACY, T IE OUTLAW. 6/ with the butts of guns and dragged insenci^ie into the dark cell. The same evening one of the guards who had never taken part in- the bad treatment of the outlaw ap- peared at the little aperture in the door of the dark cell with his allowance of bread and water. "Say, Tracy, come to the door," softly spoke the guard. For the first time since his imprisonment Tracy's heart began to beat high with hope. From the kindly and reassuring tone of the guard he instinctly felt that some unseen hand had begun to work in -iiis behalf. Moving cautiously to the door, Tracy turned his ear to the little hole, and in a hurried whis- per the guard said : "Tracy, I have good news for you. Here is a note for you and some matches which will enable you to read it. Bend every effort to get out of this cell, and conduct yourself wisely when out, for a short time. I am your friend." Eagerly seizing the note and waiting till the little opening in the door was slammed to, leaving the ceil in Stygian darkness Tracy lit his matches, one by one, and read: "Dear Harry: You can trust the man who handt you this. Be prudent and patient Submit, for the 68 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. time being, to anything that happens, for freedom is in sight. I have secured a powerful ally. You w!! 1 have a chance soon. Until then, bide your time, will try to see you when you are released frcn l 1 . dark ceH. "GEXIF. " A few days later on a demure-looking little y. all in black, appeared at the prison and jisked to Harry Tracy. She presented a few lines frr m influential state official, which was instantly re and secured for her the coveted pr out some misgivings on the pa"t of the who had her closely watched during the ent view, and which precluded the possibility clandestine passage of arms to the bandit thr bars of his cell. But 'Genie's womanly tact anc genuity was equal to the occasion, and she succeeded without betraying her secret to the guards, in convey *4ng to Tracy the information that a skilled la whom she had enlisted in "her cause would shortly serve upon the warden a writ of habeas corpus, based upon an error in the indictment u jn which the pris- oner had been convicted. When the writ was served upon the warden, and it became a question as to who was to accompany the prisoner to the court at Provost, consternation reigned amongst the officials, who dodged behind one another TRACY, THE OUTLAW, . 69 like the members in the suite -of the. Shah of Persia, when on his visi|; to England, he asked the jailer in the Tower of London to take one of his retinue and hang him so he could get a practical demonstration of how the gallows worked. "I don't care to take any risks alone with this man/' said the warden. - "If he's got to go to court we'll need a heavy guard." "Oh, that's all right," said the Sheriff, a vainglori- ous individual with a reputation for border hardihood and bravery which he -had wrested from an adven- turous career with hobos, but who had not been up against Tracy, as had the prison officials, "Fll take him. Just give me one guard and I guess with the aid of good, stout leg irons, handcuffs and these guns hanging in my belt we'll land him all right." Tracy was brought to the prison office, where the irons were snapped upon him after he was allowed to arrajThimself in a ehep suit of citizens' clothing. Mindful of 'Genie's admonition, Tracy conducted himself with marked docility in fact, affected a mien of stupidity, which was attributed by the official! to the breaking down of his indomitable spirit, and which was hailed with great delight and a refreshing seme of relief by these valiant guardians of the law. When the Sheriff and the guard with their prisoner 70 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. entered the coach in which they were to make the journey to court, they seated themselves in the middle of the car, placing Tracy by the window on the same seat with the Sheriff, whilst the guard sat on the seat facing them. The car was unoccupied save for the presence of one passenger, who occupied a seat at the far end in front. A few minutes before the train started a man and woman came into the coach, apparently strangers to one another. The man took a seat immediately behind the guard. Once or twice the woman walked up and down the aisle, stopping each tirrue and looking at the prisoner, as if impelled by curiosity. "Is that a crazy man ?" asked the woman. "No, ma'am," replied the Sheriff, "just a prisoner going to court. He's far from crazy, but a bad one, all right." "Too bad/ 1 sighed, the woman. "I hope he won't get, loose. If he does I'll get off this car in a hurry myself." "No danger of that," gnickcjvd the Sheriff, opening up his coat and patting the stocks of his big revolvers. "He wouldn't get far away if he did get loose^ Just the suspicion of a smile rippled across the out- 71 kw's %t as tbi Sheriff chuckkd over his obtuse witti- cism. "Well, I suppose Pll be safer near you, sir," said the woman, seating herself just behind the Sheriff. "That's right, ma'am/' rejoined the Sheriff, writhing with pleasure under the flattery implicated in the wom- an's reliance upon his valor. "Jist you sit where you are and we'll look after you all right, eh, Yairo?" "Sure thing," grunted Yairo, the guard. The train pulled out, and while running to the next station the woman, fitting sideways in her seat, kept the Sheriff in a lively conversation, which seemed to both please and flatter him, as the woman was unusu- ally attractive and very .entertaining. Just before the train reached the, next station an almost imperceptible glance of significance passed between the woman and the man, and at the same time the woman rested her arm on the back of the Sheriff's seat, holding in her hand a handkerchief in which was concealed a small vial. The man made a similar move towards the guard, without attracting his attention, as he seemed to be preoccupied with his own 'thoughts perhaps the re- nown and gk5ry awaiting his part in the successful delivery of the prisoner to the court. All the while the conversation between the Sheriff and the woman was growing in animation, when a sweetish sickly odor ft TBACY, THE OUTLAW. began to permeate the car. In an instant Tracy had divined the cause and turned his face to the window and holding his breath to keep from being overcome by the deadly fumes. The woman's handkerchief was now within only a few inches of the Sheriff's nostrils, and the eyes of the guard on the opposite side were drooping and his lower jaw was gradually dropping down upon his chest. Just as the train began to slow up the Sheriff began to show signs of stupor, when the woman, with the quickness of a cat, threw her left arm around his neck and pressed the saturated hand- kerchief hard against his mouth and nose. By the time the train had come to a stop both the Sheriff and guard were limp and lifeless in their seats. "Tardum Junction !"- shouted the brakeman, poking his head in the door for an instant and as quickly withdrawing it. "All ready now!" cried the woman, and in the flash of an eye the man had abstracted the keys from the pocket of the somnolent Sheriff and the shackles fell from Tracy's limbs. In another second the Sheriff and guard were handcuffed- together and the irons adjusted to a leg of each one. For just one second Tracy grasped. the woman in his embrace and kissed her affectionately. "Go," said Tracy to the man and woman; "go^to the front plat- TRACV, THE OUTLAW. 73 form and hide me from view while I make my way out by the rear," and quickly disarming the guards, the bandit, covered by the forms of the man and woman, made his way to the rear platform and stepped off, a free man once again, jUvS* as the train pulled out. OIAPTER VIII. 'GENIE TRIES TO REFORM TRACY. "Well, 'Genie," said Tracy a week later, when they met in Carson, Nevada, "I'll have to get to work soon now ; funds are running low." "Harry, dear," said 'Genie, throwing her arms around the bandit's neck, caressing him fondly, "I have been thinking seriously of late*. I fear this reck- less life, will not terminate in anything good for us. We are no sooner out of one difficulty than we are in another. Why not let us go to some place far away v from here, where we are unknown, and begin life anew?" "What With, 'Genie, dear?" laughed the bandit, drawing the girl to him and kissing her repeatedly. "Why, with this, Haccy," replied 'Genie, laughing, as she produced from her bosom a large roll of bills. "We are not broke yet. I had plenty left after p aying all the expenses of your escape." "Good, 'Genie. I had no idea you were s rich* Well, j#st as you say, d^ar. No man evr owed so TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 75 much to a woman as I owe to you, and whatever will ma&e you happy I will do." "That's right, Harry,, and if you will do as I say all will come out right in the end." "But you have not yet told me, 'Genie, how you engineered my escape." "Well; sit down here, Harry," said 'Genie, drawing him to a sofa in the cozy room of the hotel where they were stopping under an assumed name. "Sit here and I x will tell you all. When I reached Denver, where you instructed me to go, I made the acquaintance of a rich lady, who took a fanc> to me. She was largely interested in mines and was a shrewd speculator. She induced me to venture what money I had in a mining enterprise and in a very short time my little pile had increased to seven thousand dollars. Then 1 heard of .your misfortune and determined to secure your free- dom." "Dear 'Genie," murmured the bandit, his voice trem- bling with emotion, a phenomenon utterly foreign to the outlaw, who was never known to lose control of his feelings except in his intercourse with 'Genie, and that only at rare intervals and under stress of great excitement. . "Yes, and night after night, for many long months, I tossed in my bed trying to , think of some plan by 76 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. wliich your escape could be effected/ 1 continued tile jftrl "Eld you ever write to me?" asked Tracy. "Yes, several times, but I did not dare say anything tliat would have been of use or serve to inspire hope." "You might just as well not have written. I was always in disfavor, and those brutes would not permit me to receive any mail," said Tracy between his clenched teeth, a cloud of malignant hatred sweeping over his countenance at the recollection of his treat- ment. "But anyway," resumed 'Genie, luck came my way at last. One day I met an old friend, Jack Rawlins, who helped you to escape. He was broke and running in hard luck. I befriended him and he was grateful. (i L thought I could trust him, and when I unfolded my mind to him he entered enthusiastically into my project to free you and outlined the plan which led to the suc- cessful issue. We went to Provost, got the best lawyer attainable, who found in your case a loophole to work the habeas corpus arid the rest you know." "He's a good fellow, that Rawlins, and game, too. He'd make a fine pal for me, 'Genie, were it not that I'm going to let you steer the schooner now." "Do you mean that, Harry ?" "Of course I do, 'Genie. Why, little girl, you are \ TRACY, THE OUTLAW. /7 a marvel'of ingenuity and fidelity, and if the devotion of a lifetime will repay you for your goodness yoia can count on me." "Never mind, Harry, dear, to feel that we are once more together and that you love me is reward enough for all I've done." "But I fear, 'Genie, we are not safe here." "Well, let us leave here and move around until we find a safe place to settle," returned 'Genie. "Yes, let's go to Idaho. There are ranches there to be had in isolated sections, where we will be.safe from pursuit." CHAPTER IX. TRACY WITH THE HORSE THIEVES. The fllowing day Tracy purchased two horses, and he and 'Genie set out on their long journey, which lay through a very rough and rugged country. For a few days they rested in Lewiston, Idaho, but as their ap- pearance there seemed to excite some suspicion they continued their route into the Snake River country. Here they found in a rich valley an old deserted ranch, of which they took possession with a view to settle down to farming and stock raising. But, alas ! for all human calculations which conflict with the impelling power of firmly fixed reckless habits. Soon Tracy be- gan to appear in the small settlements of that section, where he was not slow in making the acquaintance of other border desperadoes, who lived by frequent depre- dations upon the farmers and horse faisers of the country surrounding. Among Tracy's new associates were two horse thieves of local notoriety. These two men, Morgan and Wallace, took up their abode with 7? TBACY AJCD THE HORSE THWVZ3. 80 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. Tracy and 'Genie at the ranch. Then began a series of bold and frequent raids, the stolen horses being brought to the ranch in process of disposal. The long log house on the ranch was peculiarly adapted to this nefarious business, as it was so situated against a gigantic rock that it was entirely inaccessible from the rear, whilst creep ravines at the side afforded ready means of quick escape to the Snake River by pathways along which the stolen stock could be driven in an emergency and spirited away. Emboldened by continued success, the band repeated their raids at such short intervals that the farmers were threatened with utter ruin unless the depredations were checked, and the officers of the law had been entirely unable to cope with the superior dash and cunning of the daring robbers. In sheer desperation, the farmers and cattle men organized a strong vigi- lance committee, and one day appeared in full force In front of the ranch and demanded to see what stock was quartered in the corral, "Well," replied Tracy, "if you think you'd like to stay with us permanently you might jump over my fence/' The leader of the vigilants hesitated before making another move, as there was something in Tracy's tone which Sid not seem to stimulate his courage much. TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 8l "If you don't let us see those horses now," shouted the leader, "we'll see 'em later, and maybe it won't be so good for you." "Yes," yelled Tracy, "and if you -don't put space between you and this place in pretty short order I'll help you along in a way that won't be so good for you." For a moment the party hesitated to move, when Tracy stepped into the doorway and threw up his rifle, when 'Genie seized his arm. "Oh, Harry, don't shoot. They'll go away. It will only make it worse for us all," pleaded the girl. While Tracy was gently pushing- 'Genie aside, how- ever, and before he could get his gun in position again, the party had turned their horses and were on a dead run down the valley. "I see our finish," said one of th6 robbers. "They'll go now, get reinforcements and come back after us in a big body." "Well, if that's the case," growled Tracy, "I'll take a shot at 'em yet. Thev're hardly out of range." But they were," and Tracy's shot was ineffective. In a few hours the vigilants, led by a man named McEwen were back again." This leader, not knowing the utterly reckless man he had to deal with in Tracy, and relying upor the formidable strength in numbers a TRACY, THE OUTLAW. of his command to awe the robbers, rode up to the corral fence and shouted: "If you fellows don't "surrender it will go harder with you when we get you." In reply to this summons Tracy shoved his gun bar- rel out of the window and fired. McEwens' horse at the same instant threw up his head and caught the bullet intended for his rider. Immediately McEwen fell from the horse and was. safely shielded by the corral fence before Tracy could cover htm again. Then followed a fusillade on both sides, the bullets of the posse pattering harmlessly against the logs of the house, whilst two of the posse fell desperately wounded before the deadly aim of Tracy, who fired whenever he saw a head bob up from the protecting cover of the boards strung along the bottom of the fence. Night was coming on and 'Genie occupied herself in collecting such articles of food and clothing as the band would need in their flight, which they decided to make under the cover of darkness. As night spread its somber mantel over the valley two of the robbers crept out of the house and into the corral to saddle the horses. When the horses ^ere saddled Morgan and Wallace led tiieir horses into the ravi&e and waited there for Tracy and "Genie wfeo ap peartd shortly "afterwards *n tfce ow?l Sfcsrfeely kad TRACY &AVES HIS GIRL. Page 83. 84 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. they led the horses out of the corral and mounted whei? the animals became frightened, and before they could be gotten under control dashed out in full view o.f the posse. Instantly a volley Vang out. 'Genie lurched in her saddle and was about to fall when Tracy leaped his hoise to her side and lifted her to himself. . /Genie was mortally wounded, a bullet having -passed through her breast. "Oh, 'Genie, are you hurt?" burst from Tracy's lips as he put spurs to his horse, and plunged into the ravine. "Yes, Harry, dear, they've got me." "Oh, 'Genie," groaned the frenzied outlaw,"don't die; do not leave me. There's nothing in life for me without you, 'Genie." Dismounting at a little bend in the ravine, Tracy laid Genie gently on the ground. The tender expression m his face had vanished, the veins swelled like ropes upcft his forehead, his teeth were set and his steel-gray eyes - sparkled like basilisks. In a few short seconds the dove- like gentleness which his grief had brought into play made way for the ferocity of the wounded tiger. Tracy was himself again, the bold and fearless outlaw. Rush- ing back into the open, he confronted the posse, which had started in pursuit, and *lie falling forms of his pursuers before the vicious bark of his repeating rifle TBACX, ^HK OUTLAW. 8 soon told the story of his deadly aim. Several of the pbsse were killed, and the rest, panic-stricken, turned and fled. . Tracy stood firing after their retreating forms with deadly effect until his rifle and both revol- vers were emptied. Then, returning to 'Genie, he took her in his arms and asked : "Are you strong enough, darling, to lie in my arms and ride away from here?" For answer she only partly opened her eyes and whispered : "Kiss me, dearest. I'm going. I feel the chill around my heart. It is growing dark. I'm dying, Harry. I love you, darling. ' Don't grieve for me, but for my sake look to your precious self. Promise me, dearest, that ^ you go to our old home in the Ozarks and kiss my dear old parents good-by for me." Tracy strove hard to choke back the sobs that were rising in his throat, and was about to speak again, when a little movement shot through the frame of the beau- tiful girl like the tremor of a dying bird and 'Genie, the unselfish, devoted 'Genie, was no more. "I don't see that anything more can be done now, Tracy," said Wallace. "We'd better move on." "Never mind me," answered Tracy." "Go along you two if you want. I'll stay here just leave me a horse." All night the bandit remained by the body of the 85 TRACY, fHE girl, sitting at times with his head burkd between his knees and then again pacing to and fro, muttering and mumbling curses upon the heads of those who had brought this- sorrow into his life. Every now and then he would stop and kiss the cold lips of the dead girl. Then the tortuous winding* of the ravine would echo back his hysterical laughter as he fondled and kissed the stock of his rifle and thanked tfie inanimate weapon for the work it had done in avenging the death of all that he held dear on earth. Morning broke with a heavy mist hanging like a funeral pall over the valley. Tracy, unmindful of hunger or the chill of the mist, still kept his vigil over the lifeless form. All at once he arose as if beset by a sudden inspiration, and, lift- ing the body of the dead girl in his arms, strode rapidly down the ravine in the direction of the river to a point where, in a cluster of large rocks, there was a small natural receptacle or intercice, which might have sug- gested the kindly handiwork of nature in providing a mausoleum for the fair young girl in the heart of this wild and desolate country. Here Tracy laid to rest all that remained of this tender flower of the beautiful Ozarks. Then, rolling small bowlders into the entrance until the interior was securely sealed and safe from the depredations of prowling beasts of prey, Tracy re- turned to his horse, leaped into the saddle and rode THE OUTLAW, 8^ away, an embittered' man, with the venom of hatred ranking in his heart. The only influence for good which had ever entered into his life was gone. Tracy's heart had shriveled in the tears he shed for 'Genie. All faith in humanity had been squeezed from its throbbing ventricles. Tracy was alone aloof from all the ties of earth, forever- more king of outlaws. CHAPTER X. TRACY MEETS MERRILL. '.I/racy was next seen in Lewiston, where his sojourn was of short duration, having been brought to a close by an encounter with a gambler, whom he shot and killed in a fight, growing out of a dispute over the division of spoils captured in a crooked game of cards from a drunken paymaster of the United States Army. The marshal of the town, upon learning of the kill-' ing, organized a posse to capture Tracy, but Tracy, with his usual audacity, walked out of the saloon just as the marshal and his force were entering, and, mounting his horse, rode out of Lewiston, never to return. For the next few months Tracy sought refuge in the Arapahoe country, consorting with gamblers and outlaws like himself, preying upon the Indians and leaving a lurid trail of bloo^ 1 wherever he went. His reputation as an infallible arksman, together with a firmly fixed superstition in the minds of all who came in contact with him that he bore a charmed life, in- v spired a degree of terror which largely contributed to his immunity from pursuit and arrest in that section. 88 TRACY, THE OUTLAW, 89 Tiring of his life in the wilds, Tracy decided to try his fortunes again within the confines of civilization. and with this end in view he set out for San i- - where he arrived in May, 1898. When Tracy first appeared in the gilded haunt the San Francisco tenderloin his appearance was n changed. He had allowed his moustache to grow and he was well dressed, and no one would ever have sus- pected that a young man of such retiring manners and reserve was the dread bandit who had terrorized every section of the far western country in which he had op- erated. One night, while Tracy was sitting in- a~ saloon at a table remote from the bar, two men who were standing at the bar became engaged in a dispute about some change thrown on the counter by the bartender. One of the men was a flashily dressed and well-kept looking young man of the gambler type. The other was a brawny, weather-beaten fellow, apparently of the seafaring class, and was well under the influence of drink. "That's my money," said the brawny sailor as the gambler swept the change from the counter into his pocket. "Not on your life," replied the other. "It's com- ing to me from that last round." yo Tafccy, THE "You're a Bar/' angrily retorted the tailor, "1 or- dered that last drink and paid for it, and that's my change, and if you don't give it to me I'll spoil that pretty mug of your'n/' cried the sailor, at the same time rubbing his clenched fist under the nose of the sport. Quick as lightning the gambler's fist shot out and the sailor was knocked sprawling on the floor. In an instant he was on his feet again and lunging wildly at his assailant with an ugly-lcoking knife, the gam- bler retreating all the while before the enraged seaman to escape his vicious thrusts, until he reached the wall and could back away no fuither. For a second things assumed a very critical aspect v for the gambler, when suddenly a crashing sound was heard, followed by a cry of pain, and the sailor dropped to the flopr like a felled ox. Tracy had jumped from his chair, and, seizing it by the back, brought it down with terrific force on the seaman's head. In the twinkling of an eye the sailor was relieved of all his money and valu- ables and then unceremoniously dragged from the saloon and flung into the gutter of an alley at the rear. Ai ^r the sailor was disposed of the gambler walked up to Tracy and said*' TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 01 "Good for you, stranger. My name's Dave Merrill. Shake." "It's a pretty close call you had" said Tracy, taking the man's extended hand, "and I don't know that it was any of my business to butt in, but I never could stand to see an unarmed man attacked by another with a weapon in what should be an even fight." "Well, I thank you anyway, and may I ask your name, if you oon't mind telling?" "Well, it atm't always wise to tell one's name, espe- cially where it appears on a good many warrants for arrest, but I guess you are true blue and I don't mind trusting you, especially as I'm strange in this burg and am glad to make a friend. My name is Harry Tracy." This was the beginning of the intimacy which sprang up between these two desperate men, leading to a series of unprecedented crimes, and the death of Merrill at the hands of Tracy. From this moment they entered into a compact, like two hungry lions, to hunt their prey together. Merrill, whose depredations had been more on ths rder of petty thievery, soon had hie ideas broadened under the masterful tuition of the experienced and hardened bandit. A number of schemes were suggested by Merrill to J TRACY, THE OUTLAW, secure money, but in ~very instance they only elicited from Tracy a contemptuous growl or a little laugh of good-natured derision. "Why, pal," remarked Tracy, "it's easier and. safer, too, to play for big stakes than for chicken feed. Of course, there are times when conditions do not admit -of any choice, but in a town like this the opportunities are manifold. ,Do you know of a safe fence?''' "Yes, the safest on the coast," answered Merrill. "Well, then," said Tracy, "I have a trick in view. I was thinking it over today while down on the docks. All I need is a pal, and I guess you'll do. There's a lot of silks just unloaded from a Chinese vessel in a warehouse at the docks and they are haulingjt to the railroad for shipment East." "Now watch me," said Tracy the morning following this conversation. "Come with me and we'll make the acquaintance of ne of the drivers of--fcho.se drays that are hauling" the stuff." They set out towards the docks, and seeing a driver rotsrsijig f rm the freight, yards with his empty dray, thsy accosted him and asked him if he would have timo fc> do a little job for them after hours that even- ing if he was well paid for it. They needed some haul- ing done and his dray was just the right thing. , rlad of a chance to make a neat little sum extra, TRACY, THE OUTLAW 93 the Unsuspecting driver consented, and to show good him a dollar on account, at the to a Saloon to have^a drink. Th.:; o last of the driver for several hours. Once in tl:e lack room of the saloon the drugged liquor did the rest, and in an incredibly short time the big man was sprawling' on the floor in a heavy stupor, while the two robbers divested him of his working clothes. A little later Tracy, arrayed in overalls and pniper, was driving from the warehouse with a load of valuable silks and on. his way to the fence, with Merrill following close behind. This haul netted the pair nearly $3,000. CHAPTER XI. AUTOMOBILE HOLD-UP. For several weeks Tracy and Merrill kept up a lively pace amongst the saloons and gambling places of San Francisco. Tracy's ventures in the gambling line wfere always marked by the same recklessness and boldness which distinguished his operations in his more daring exploits of robbery. "What's your limit?" called Tracy across the table one night to the dealer in a faro bank. "The roof," answered the dealer. "Well, here goes for the roof," quietly remarked Tracy, piling up on one card all the checks he had before him. This time Tracy won, but his big play was not destined all the time to run his way, and one day found both himself and -Merrill broke, with all their diamonds and glad togs in pawn. "It's time for us to get a move on us," said Tracy, "and replenish our exchequer." "What are the chances?" asked Merrill. "We'll know more about that when the trick's pulled off," replied Tracy. 94 AUTOMOBILE HOLD-UP. 95- 96 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. "Ail right," said Merrill, "I'm with you." That night the two men attempted to rob a wealthy Chinaman in a dark street, but the terrified Asiatic, instead cf stopping and holding up his hands as com\ manded by the bandits, took to his heels and fled, fol- lowed by a .bullet from Tracy's revolver, but which missed its mark, owing to the darkness. The noise, however, soon attracted a large mob, which pursued the bandits to the railroad yards, where they boarded a train that was just moving out and escaped from their pursuers. A few hours after leaving San Francisco the bandits left the train, both sober, but ravenously hungry. "I'm going to. see if I can strike someone who will trade me some grub for one of my guns," said Merrill. "I guess not," said Tracy. "It's a poor mechanic that'll sell his tools in any straits. I'd let my duds go first, but I won't do that, either." "Yes, but we've got to eat," groaned Merrill. "Oh, curb that appetite a little while," grumbled Tracy. "Watch me. I fix all that. There'll be some- body along here before long looking for an investment and we'll show him a sa.fe place to deposit his surplus wealth." "I'm awfully hungry, though," muttered Merrill. SttfcCY, THE OOTt&W. 8E "Well, so am I. Did you ever try a Rocky Moun- tain course dinner, Merrill?" "No," said Merrill. "Well, do you want one," asked Tracy, smiling a little contemptuously at his partner's ^vident lack of self-restraint. "Yes, indeed, I do," answered Merrill eagerly. "What kind of a dinner is that?' "Why, I can get you one. Just take up your belt a few holes," snickered Tracy. "Oh !" groaned Merrill, as his face lengthened out with disappointment. "Hist !" said Tracy, suddenly seizing Merrill by the arm, "here comes an automobile, just loaded down with dinners. We'll hold it -up. Squat down till they^ get near us. Then we'll rise and something will be doing." "But that's pretty risky business, right here in full view of the station," ventured Merrill. "What the h 1's the matter with you?" snarled Tracy; "got cold feet, huh? That's fine talk from a * man with an empty stomach." Merrill said no more. In a few moments the auto- mobile had approached to within a few paces of where the bandits were concealed. "Halt I" shouted Tracy, springiuj out into the road 98 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. and covering the party with both revolvers. The auto- mobile contained two ladie^, two gentlemen and the chauffeur. They stopped immediately and threw up their hands promptly in response to Tracy's harsh com- mand. "I beg your pardon, ladies and gentlemen, but we are collecting funds in the interest of the Society for the Suppression of Stock Gambling and hold-ups, and if you will only be good and not interfere with us in the discharge of our duty no harm shall befall you, but if any of you make an outcry or a move I won't be responsible for your continued good health." "Oh, please don't hurt us ; you can take all we have/' cried the ladies. "Come, Merrill, hurry up and collect the dough." As Merrill approached the machine one of the men made a motion as if to lower x his hands. "Look out, there !" roared Tracy. Terrified by the ferocious tone of the robber, the man stiffened his arms skyward until they were as rigid as the horns of a mountain goat. "Get down and out, all of you/' shouted Tracy, "and line up. Now, hurry up there, Merrill. That dinner's waiting for you." In a few seconds Merrill had relieved the party of all their money and valuables, amounting to a good TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 99 rouna sum. One of the men, with a quick motion, thrust his hand in his inside vest pocket when he thought Tracy wasn't looking at him and tossed a fat roll of $800 in the tall grass just behind him. "You pick that money up and bring it over here to me/' yelled Tracy, "or I'll make you look like a Switzer cheese full of holes!" "I'll bring you the money," groaned the man. "Please don't shoot." "How are the roads around about here?" asked .Tracy of one of the ladies. "Very good," answered the lady, trembling with fright. "You needn't be alarmed, lady ; we don't hurt worn-* en," said Tracy, and the same time, moving around and" examining the machine. "I don't T .iow whether I can run this machine or not. My long suit for travel is a saddle." "You're not going to take the machine, are you?" asked Me/rill in surprise, his mouth wide agape. "Ain't I though ?"_retorted Tracy. "Just watch me." Tracy then ordered the party to precede him a short distance off the road into the woods, and there he tied the men securely, and the women he fastened to the trees, using thongs stripped from their clothing. Climbing into the automobile, Tracy started off at IOO TRACY, THE OUTLAW, full speed northward, never stopping until the motive power had been exhausted. "Now for that dinner, Merrill," laughed Tracy as the bandits left the machine and struck out across country. Tracy and Merrill wandered about in this section of the country for several months, holding up banks, sa- loons, stores or whatever else came to hand. Close-pressed by officers of the law who had begun to awaken to the numerous depredations committed by the two bandits, they sought refuge with a gang of horse thieves at an isolated ranch, where they remained for several weeks, until one day Merrill became involved in a dispute with one of the gang, and this precipitated a fight in which Tracy cleaned out tke whole gang, took what arms, ammunition and valuables they had and started for Portland, Oregon, the home of Merrill's mother and sister. The Merrill's were natives of British Columbia, but removed to Portland on account of the bad repute in which the family was held on account of the crim- inal exploit* of the son and Brother, Dave Merrill. CHAPTER XII. ARREST OF TRACY AND MERRILL AT PORTLAND. The fall of 1898 found the two desperadoes in Port- land, Oregon, at the home of Merrill's mother, where Tracy first met Mollie Merrill. The Merrill's received the two men with great hospitality. They were both well provided with money, and for some time the town was not startled by any of the desperate adven- tures of Tracy and his partner. During' this period Tracy paid marked attention to Merrill's sister, and in a short time won the affection of the young woman and they were married. After his marriage Tracy went with his bride to live at the rooming-house of a Mrs. Ryan, to whom he represented himself as a locomotive engineer on the Puget Sound night run. There was a restaurant in the house, and there Tracy and his wife took their meals, though oftcner than otherwise he carried his wife's mea^ tr her in 101 103 .RAY, THE OUTLAW. their room, which gave rise to the rumor that she was a woman in delicate health. % In appearance she was slim and sickly looking, though it afterwards became known that her ill-health was more feigned than real. Tracy denied his wife nothing. "No luxury is too good for her," he often said to Mrs. Ryan when she met him carrying to his room the nicest delicacies that the restaurant afforded. For several months this sort of life continued. Tracy was not very active in crime at this time, although he committed several minor rob- beries at night, but his absence from his rooming-house was neither commented upon nor wondered at, as his ostensible employment as a night engineer naturally allayed all suspicions. In the winter of 1899 Tracy and Merrill began to feel the want of money again, and then began a series of daring hold-ups which terrorized the whole city. All kinds of stores and street cars were held up in broad daylight, after Tracy's bold method of pro- ' cedure. The robbers would enter a store, and while Tracy held the occupants lined up, Merrill would go through the cash drawers and secure the booty. Desptiring of capturing the perpetrators of these , THE OUTLAW. IOJ numerous daring deeds by any ordinary meai.j, a large force of detectives was assigned to the special duty of ferreting out the mystery. Finally two detectives, Ford and Cordano, stumbled on to a clue and sus- pected Merrill as probably one of them, and located him at the home of his mother. Then they proceeded to make a capture. Just after supper one evening a large force appeared at the Merrill home. Some one of the officers knocked at the front door. Always on the alert, Mrs. Merrill fussed around a while, and then called out : "Who's there ?" This was the preconcerted signal warning the men of danger. Tracy and Merrill were both in the front room when the officer knocked, but immediately upon receiving the signal from Mrs. Merrill ran to the back of the house. Several of the officers were at. the back door, while . the others were at the front waiting to be admitted. "I'm an officer; open the door," answered a voice from the outside in reply to Mrs. Merriirs inquiry, "who's there?" "AH right/' replied Mrs. Merrill, but she made no move to comply. r0$ TRACY, THE. OUTLAW "Break the door in, Jimmy/ 1 cried the voice from outside probably that of a high official with a fat salary which he didn't care to trade for a crown in the harper's loft. "Not on you tintype," answered the man addressed. "I've got a wife and family, too." "Coward!" ejaculated the first speaker. "If you don't, I'll get someone who has grit enough to do it. But for my rheumatism I'd break that door in my self." "Yes, I see you/' muttered the other one. Just then the back door fell in with a loud crash. A dozen men had battered it in with a pi-ece of heavy timber. The officers rushed in, and, seeing no one but Mrs. Merrill, ran through to the front and opened the door, letting the others in. "I don't see anyone here but the old lady." said De- tective Ford. "They must be, hid aw?y -somewhere," replied Of- ficer Cardano. "Well, let's search/ 1 said Ford, They began by trying the door of a little room form- ing a wing to the main structure. This door wa TRACY, THE OUTLAW. IO$ "Open that door, old woman!" shouted Cordano. "You'll have to do it yourself," replied Mrs. Merrill. The timber was again impressed into service, and the door fell in splinters. "Surrender!" shouted a dozen officers, all crowded together and peeping into the room from around the door jamb. "Oh, go in ; there's no one there to hurt you/' piped Mrs. Merrill. Assuring themselves that there was no one in the room covering them with a gun, the officers strutted in, revolvers in hand, and began to ransack the place, stripping the bed, peering under it and exam- ining the windows to see if anyone had escaped by that way. Pretty soon they gave up the seci ch, when someone suggested that they look in the bureau drawers. One by one the drawers were pulled out, and when they reached the lowest one there they found Merrill, all crouched up and in such a position that he could not use his gun. "Surrender or well shoot !" shouted a doaen officers, poking their guns in the man's ribs. "I gness I might as well give up," said Merrill. Meanwhile Tracy, who was in a room up stairs, jumped from the window into the yard. the officers wk> saw &&* but 106 THACV, THE OUTLAW. no attempt was made just then to do it, as Tracy carried his guns in his hands ready for action. "Don't take my boy !" plead Mrs. Merrill. "He has committed no crime, but when the lot of you went into that room after Dave I expected to*see you all carried out dead, but I guess you got the boy at a disad- vantage." "That'll do, old woman/' snarled Fa 1 "Why don't you go after Tracy?" sneered Mrs. Merrill. "He's not all bundled up in a drawer now." Made furious by the taunts of the woman a number of the officers started in pursuit of Tracy, but the bandit, fleet, of foot, outdistanced them, and, reaching the railroad tracks, he sprang upon the steps of a pass- ing engine, leaped into the cab, and covering the engi- neer, yelled : "Pull that throttle wide open and get a move on or I'll blow your block off!" Suddenly the train stopped, and Tracy's fury, now thoroughly aroused, roared: . "If you don't start this' train at once I'll shoot/ 5 "I can't," plead the engineer. "Somebody .has used the emergency brake. I'd move if I could." Tracy was quick to realize the situation, and satisfied that the engineer was telling the truth, he jumped from the engine and struck out for the town, when TRAGY, THE OUTLAW. IO/ someone fired a shot which struck him a glancing blow on the head, stunning him and causing him to stumble and fall. When Tracy recovered he found himself in a .cell at the jail.' CHAPTER XIII. TRACY PLANS HIS ESCAPE FROM OREGON PRISON. Great precaution was taken by the Sheriff to keep Tracy and Merrill from having any intercourse with one another during their confinement for fear of a jail delivery. Both men were convicted and sentenced to terms in the penitentiary, Tracy to 20 years and Merrill to 13. One day the jailer opened Tracy's cell to take him to court for sentence. The moment the door was opened Tracy whipped out a revolver, of which he had in 'Some mysterious manner obtained possession, and ordered the jailer to unlock all the cells. "Do as I tell you," hissed Tracy, "or I kill you." "All right, Tracy, I'll open the doors," and the jailer began to fumble with the keys as if reeking the right ones. Seeing a deputy sheriff and several other of the jail attendants standing in jthe corridor a few feet away, the jailer suddenly fell to the ground, which gave the others an opportunity to open fire on Traey, T08 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 109 which they did, but without cifect. Tracy then dodged around the corner of the corridor, but in doing so slipped and fell, and before he could recover himself and get his dread gun into action several men pounced upon him and he was soon overpowered and disarmed^ The following day Tracy and Merrill were taken to the Oregon State Penitentiary at Salem. The two convicts, by some incomprehensible stu- pidity on the part of the prison officials, were placed in the same cell. For them nothing could have been more acceptable than this. Immediately the two convicts began to plan for an escape. They made the acquaintance and won the friendship of Harry Wright, a fellow-convict, whose term was shortly to expire. Tracy made lavish promises of recompense to this man and w r hich he later on fulfilled to the letter if he \vould agree to aid in his and Merrill's escape. "Get us Winchesters and plenty of ammunition and all h 1 can't hold us here," said Tracy. Wright promised to carry out any plan which Tracy might formulate. At this time Tracy and Merrill were working in the stove foundry. "Here is a letter to my wife/' said Tracy to Wright. "When you are free take it to her. She will trust you IIO TRACY, THE OUTLAW. and raise what money you may require for the arms and other expenses. It will be worth $5,000 to you within a year if we succeed. Another letter was written by Merrill to his sister, Mrs. Mollie Tracy, in Portland. One page of this letter, advising her as to the details of the plan and preparing her for the visit of Wright ,was written in an invisible ink, which when subjected to a chemical, known to the woman, became clearly distinct and legible. This letter passed inspection by the prison officials and was received by Tracy's wife, who care- lessly omitted to destroy it, and in some way it fell into the hands of the authorities, who communicated wkh the superintendent of the prison, causing Tracy to abandon this project for a time. But Wright, who was sincerely enlisted in behalf of the men, determined^ carry out the plan without the aid of Tracy's wife, who was kept under constant surveillance by the police. A few days after the discovery of the plot as re- vealed by the letter to Tracy's wife, Wright; stole a horse and buggy in Salem and drove it to Portland, where he sold it, devoting the proceeds to the pur- chase of rifles and ammunition. He then returned to Salem and secreted the arms near the prison, awaiting a favorable opportunity to TRACY, THE OUTLAW, JII place them in one of the pattern cases indicated to him by Tracy. One dark night Wright climbed up on a wagon shed which was built up against the north side of the prison wall on the outside. From this shed he gained the top of the wall and let himself down with a rope ladder unobserved by the guards. Hastily entering the foun- dry, he deposited Ihe rifles and ammunition in the pattern case. He then made several marks here and there, with chalk, calculated to catch the eye of Tracy, which was the sign agreed upon to advise the conspi- rators that the guns were at the place designated. Wright was aided by an ex-guard, whom he had,' for a consideration, interested in the scheme. This man, being well acquainted with all the prison officials, had no trouble to ascertain, in a casual- way, where Tracy and Merrill were working, and he learned that they were still at their old places in the stove foundry. Wright succeeded in evading the guards, and gain- ing the outside of the prison, left Salem that night, confident that everything was done to insure success. In this he was right. CHAPTER XIV. TRACY ESCAPES FROM OREGON PRISON. One morning in June, 1902, according to custom, the prisoners were marched out to their different shops. Tracy and Merrill were taken to the stove foundry, where a guard named Frank Ferrell was stationed on duty. Immediately upon entering the foundry Tracy no- ticed the secret marks in chalk, and making a dash for die pattern case, seized a rifle and shot Ferrell dead. The other guard ran away, thus saving his life, although Tracy fired at him as he retreated, but another knocked the rifle up, diverting his aim. For this Tracy shot the convict, wounding him severely. By this time Merrill had possessed himself of the other rifle, and all of the guards were chased out of the foundry. The two. men then rushed out of the foundry by a rear door and dodged behind a pile of boxes and began firing at the guards upon the wall. Two of the guards fell wounded into the yard. By this time the guards were thoroughly demoralized, and none of them men. 114 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. Tracy hunted up a ladder, and by its aid the men reached the top of .the wall. Here they espied within ' range a guard named S. I. Jones, whom Tracy shot and instantly killed. All the other guards on the wall sought safety from the rapid fire of Tracy and in a few moments the bandits had full possession of the wall. When they saw that they were in no further danger from the rifles of the guards they leisurely pulled the ladder up from the inside and lowered it on the out- side of the wall, from which they descended to free- dom. After advancing a short distance from the ladder they encountered two other guards, Tiffany and Ross, whom they promptly disarmed, and used them to cover their retreat, keeping up a running fire at the guards who had returned to the wall. When they were, as they supposed, far enough away to dispense with the two guards as improvised breastworks they turned them loose, but Tracy suspecting that they were going to follow them, shot Tiffany dead, and Ross saved his life by falling and feigning death. At this point there was a creek well bordered with low brush. Into this brush, which afforded them ample concealment, the men disappeared, and made gpod their escape. TRACY, THE OUTLAW . In a short time the whole population had been in- formed of an escape by the ringing of the prison bell and the news which had passed rapidly from mouth to mouth. All sorts of wild rumors were current. Some had it that there had been a general delivery, that all the convicts had escaped and nearly all the officials murdered. The excitement was intense. The citizens rushed for their homes and locked them- selves in. The confusion in ,the penitentiary was no less marked. None of the officials or guards dared go near the shops. Finally, upon the suggestion of a trusty convict, an expedient was resorted to wKich no doubt prevented a general rising and more bloodshed. This convict offered to go to the shops with a flag of truce and advise the others to go to their cells quietly, as the prison was surrounded by armed men and that any attempt to escape was doomed to failure Those of the convicts who may have contemplated Baking advantage of the occasion to escape changed cheir minds, and they all returned to their cells. Meanwhile the telephone wires were kept busy con- v.ying the news to different Sheriffs and the Gov- ernor of the State, and immediately large posses, under Sheriffs Durbin and Colboth, together with a company of militia, were on the scene. Jl6 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. Large rewards were promptly offered for the cap- ture, dead or alive, of the outlaws, and the country was flooded with printed notices of the escape and the reward, together with a minute description of the fugitives. From time to time the rewards were increased until eventually they amounted to about $8,000. The outlaws remained concealed in the bush until well after dark, when they entered the town in search of clothing and horses. They loitered about in the less-conspicuous neigh- borhoods until quite late, when they met a man on his way to his home. They stopped him, took his money and clothing and terrified him to such a degree that the man went to his home and did not dare come out again to report the robbery until late next morn- ing. The robbery of an expressman's office supplied them with whatever other clothing they needed. They then broke ihto the barn of another citizen, stole two horses and saddles and rode out of town. The boldness of these proceedings completely non- f l:i* -Fed the officers, who never once imagined that they would have the hardihood to penetrate right into the town so soon after their esca>> out little they knew of Tracy's audacity and nerv*-. All track of the outlaws Laving been k> blood- TRACT, THE OUTLAW. H7 hounds were brought into requisition the following morning at daybreak. It was not until about noon that the dogs were able to take up the scent, which they got from the.. clothing that the bandits had exchanged with the first man they held up. The hounds, soon lost the scent, however, and were then taken to the penitentiary, H-here they were given the blankets which the men ,td used, hoping in this way to familiarize them with :ne scent Again they started on the trail, but with the same results as the first attemjft, and then^the pursuit with the hounds was abandoned. At 4 o'clock on the morning after the escape the outlaws appeared at the r-bin of a woodchopper, about fifteen miles from Salem. i'j -y asked for breakfast, which was* furnished them. The woodchopper had hea 1 nothing of the escape, but from the numerous questions which he was asked about the surrounding country, coupled with the fact that the men were heavily armed, his suspicions were aroused, and, concluding that all was not right, he went to Gervain, a station nearby, on the Southern Pacific Railroad, and imparted the information to the agent, who, having been. informed of the escape, com- municated immediately ^ith the authorities at Salem. The posses repaired at once to Gervais, calculating IlS TRACY, THE OUTLAW. to remain there that night and resume the hunt in the morning". Although Tracy and Merrill knew that their pur- suers were in the village, they came boldly out of the timber and paraded through the town, purchasing such supplies as they needed and passing to and fro within arm's length of their pursuers, who were sitting about in groups and boasting to each other of what they were going to do to Tracy when they ran up against him. After laying in their supplies the two outlaws stalked leisurely out of the town. Just as they reached the public- highway they met another posse coming into the village. Two of the posse, prominent citizens, were m a buggy. Tracy and Merrill got the drop on them, made them throw down their guns, robbed them of all they had in money and valuables, and, after appropriating their arms and ammunition, made them face about and do the ' goosewalk till out of rifle range. Then they jumped into the buggy, drove back into the village, through the main street and out of town. There was no resistance offered :>*- attempt at cap- ture made. When the citizens saw the posses they conjectured the close proximity of the outlaws, and fled to their homes, locking and bolting their doors. TRACY, THE OUTLAW. A short distance out of the town the outlaws aban- doned the horse and buggy and settled down for the night in an open space from which they could com- mand a good view in every direction. As soon as day broke they took to the timber and returned to the woodchopper's cabin, where they again took breakfast. "I guess by this time you -have discovered who we are/' said Tracy, as the woodchopper stood in his doorway. "Yes," said the woodciroppe.r, "I know now." "Yes, and the posse in Gervais know that we were here for breakfast yesterday," rejoined Tracy. "Yes/' replied the woodchopper, turning pale with fright, "but I didn't tell them. I didn't know who you were then, and when I went into the village I hap- pened to mention to the station agent that I had to come in town a little ahead of time for supplies, as I had some company that I didn't expect and my grub had run out." "Oh, that's all right/' laughed Tracy; "don't make any difference. They'd know, anyhow, that we're around, for we held up one posse last night. Those fel- lows oughtn't to come out without a guardian., I won- der where they got all the mone;' and things they gave us? 1 ' I*O TRACY, THE OUTLAW. The robbers treated the woodchopper very consider- ately, paid him for his meals ; but were careful not to let their rifles get out of their hands, and before eat- ing made a thorough search of the cabin. After breakfast the robbers took their departure. "Be sure you don't inform on us, now that you know us," said Tracy as'they left, "foi if you do we'll certainly come back here within a month and kill you." Meanwhile the place near Gervais where the out- laws camped again the next night was surrounded by several strong posses, all stimulated by the tempting rewards, which were rapidly increasing. "I guess we'll have to skin out of here in the morn- ing," said Tracy. 'They've got us at a disadvantage. We are entirely surrounded." "Do you think they'll move on us tonight?" asked Merrill "Not much!" replied Tracy. "They don't seem to take any too many chances in daylight. Anyway, we'll take a rest for a few hours and get away before dawn." Saying this, Tracy rolled himself up in his blanket and went to sleep with as little concern as if he had been snugly tucked in between the sheets of a luxuries ted iatiae &al&x Hotel* f THE OUTLAW. fit Just before daybreak the bandits slipped through the cordon of the posses and entered the tall timber. During the night the guards kept up a desultory and aimless fire, more for the edification of one another, no doubt, than with any expectation of hitting the fugitives, as it was very dark and impossible to dis- tinguish arty object beyond a very limited distance. Tracy and Merrill appeared that morning at a farm- house, where they demanded and received breakfast Tracy kept the members of the family on one side of the room and in front of him while he eat, but laid his rifle across his knees, handy for instant action. "If you are wise and behave yourselves we are not going to hurt you/' assured Tracy. "We are not out to injure poor $eopler~ All we are looking for is to escape pursuit "* "But the papers say you've killed a good many people, Mr. Tracy," ventured the farmer's wife. "That may be," replied the outlaw, "but if they'd been attending to their own business some of them wouldn't have been killed. As to the guards we shot well, what of it? It was either choot or get shot, and I never take a fool's choice." After breakfast Tra^y ha.ided the farmer's wife a one-dollar bill, which she at first hesitated to accept. "Oh, take it," said Tracy, "you've been very good to t*2 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. us so. far, and we don't want to eat your food for nothing. But, mind now, don't tell those fellows who'll be along this way pretty soon which way we've gone. We're going south, but you can tell them that we went north." And north they did go, and Tracy's cunning artifice worked just as he intended it should. Shortly after the departure of the outlaws, one of the posses rode up to the farmhouse and inquired if two suspicious men, heavily armed, had been seen around there. "Yes," answered the farmer's wife, "and they^went south." The outlaws turned up next at a farmhouse about ten miles north. Here they dined ana bought a supply of bacon and other necessaries from the farmer. "Do you know me ?" asked Tracy. "N-o-o-o-o, no !" said the farmer. But he had recog- nized the men as soon as they appeared at his door. "Well,, I'm Tracy, and we've treated you all right, paid you for what we got aiatf haven't hurt anybody, s6 be careful that you don't inform on us. How far is it from here to Portland ?" "I don't know said the farmer. "Are you going to Portland?'' "Yes," answered Tracy, "that's my home, and I've TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 12$ got 10 stop there and see my folks for a few hours, anyway." -Leaving the farmer secure in his belief that he knew their contemplated movements, the outlaws struck into the timber, and when out of sight started in just the opposite direction from that which they told the farmer they would take. By this time the whole country presented the aspec . of a very respectable South - American revolution, Posses, groups of three and four, pairs of armed men and single individuals, all out for fame, glory and the alluring reward, could be seen everywhere scour- ing the country. .Sheriff Durbin and a guard, with bloodhounds and 300 of the State militia, were in the field, and the hunt looked as if it had begun in dead earnest. . From one county to another the pursuit was con- tinued, but the generalship of the elusive Tracy was too much for the granger posses and the tin soldiers. With consummate skill he eluded his ' pursuers at every turn. When they thought they had him and his pardner surrounded by an impenetrable cordon of rifles in a dense clump of firs the outlaws would be twenty miles away, and wher the pursuing army closed in upon their expected j>rey they would find the cold cinders of an extinct campfire, with the scattered rem- .124 XRACY, THE OUTLAW. nants of a repast and some old clothes wmcn bindits had discarded for others more recently ac- quired. This section of the country was-particularly adapted to further the projects of the bandits" It seemed almost as if nature had designed it especially to facili- tate their escape. Dense timber, suddenly breaking now and then into open, undulating spaces seamed with/ deep ravines ; river bottoms covered with heavy under- growth, here and there little hills from which the sur- roundings could be surveyed and from which the fugi- tiyes could in a few moments, at a brisk trot, dis- appear in a maze of brush and be completely lost to view. F >r several days the large forces in pursuit patrolled the country in every direction The bloodhounds were kept constantly in the field, but with no better results than occasionally picking up a trail and as promptly losing it again. "The two-legged hounds that are hunting us give me very little concern," said Tracy one day as they were frying their bacon over a fire in the wilderness, "but those bloodhounds are troublesome. One can- not trust himself to sleep while they hold the scent. Then they'll come right in on us, whilst then others are more discreet.'* TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 125 "We'll have to find some way to throw the dogs off the trail/' said Merrill. "Yes/' growled Tracy, scowling, "and I'm on to a scheme that'll fool 'em." And Tracy made good his promise. From that time on the dogs were of no use whatever. They would take the scent at some farmhouse where the outlaws had been, and in a short time they would lose it. Tracy had doubled on his tracks, struck a stream, and the dogs were baffled. No character ever coined from the most fertile im- agination of lurid fiction writers ever equaled Tracy for audacious impudence, ingenuity and utter fearless- ness in the face of deth, in the methods he employed * to elude and escape his pursuers. No pursuer was anxious to get within range of his rifle or revolvers unless protected by some shielding defense. The outlaw's long experience and constant practice had developed a perfection of skill in the handling of arms which filled with amazement all who had ever witnessed his execution with rifle or revolver. He had no superior and few if any equals in that wild country where to shoot and ride with skill were the foremost accomplishments. Tracy shot from any position with equal facility and 126 TRACY, THE OUTLAW* effect. Keenly alive to the value of the fractional part of a second in an encounter with arms, Tracy would shoot from his hip, with deadly results, while his op- ponent was raising his gun to his shoulder. If pur- sued, the outlaw, while in flight, could keep up "a run- ning fight, shooting back under his arm, just turning his head sufficiently to see the object of his marks- manship, and every time his rifle or revolver Vang out the deadly leaden messenger sped straight to the goal. This phenomenal skill, coupled with his total absence of fear, is the explanation of the abject terror which Tracy inspired in the minds of his enemies after they had pursued him for a few days. "No ordinary criminal is that man Tracy," remarked one of the Sheriffs to a deputy. "No, indeed,' 5 replied the other, "the fellow seems to be invulnerable. He must bear a charmed life. He'll stand right out in the face of volley after volley and shoot back till his rifle is empty. Then he stalks deliberately off, unscathed, into the woods." "If we only-had Tracy with us," laughed the Sheriff, "I believe he'd walk right int~ the timber alone and capture bimself and Merrill." "Yes," concurred the deputy, "and it looks almost like a pity to have tc kill such a man. The nation needs such men to breed from, instead of the little TRACY, THE OUTLAW* I2/ yellow serum tender feet that live in the East, wear jeweled bracelets on their arms, paint their faces like women and blow all the money that's pumg^d into Wall street out of the resourceful West." "If we could only chase Tracy into Wall street," rejoined the Sheriff, "maybe he'd get some of the money back again and bring it oat West to us. "Anyway," laughed the deputy, "he'd show 'em a more honorable way to hold up the public/' CHAPTER XV. HANDS UP, I'M TRACY, A number of tares the chase was given up and the head hunters returned to their homes, with the excep- tion of a fe, and there, and no doubt but for the fact the fugitives were obliged from time -to time to replenish their stock. of supplies at some farmhouse they would have gotten out of that section of the country and far beyond pursuit ; but -as soon as their reappearance was heard of other posses were quickly organized, atid so the chase continued. The hardships of the chase were beginning to tell upon Merrill, who was a man of much less hardihood and fortitude than Tracy, From time to time he would complain of the delay in getting no further away than they had succeeded in doing. These complaints. were met. by scowls and angry re- torts from Tracy. "Look here, Dave/' growled Tracy on one occasion when his patience seemed to have given away under the constant croaking of Merrill, "I don't like the way 128 HANDS UP, I'M TRACY. Page 129. I3O TRACY, THE OUTLAW. you are acting. You didn't expect to find feather beds and a printed bill of fare on' this trip, did you?" "No," said Merrill, "but Fin tired of being hunted this way, and I think we should make tracks for Port- land." "We're doing the best possible under the circum- stances/' growled Tracy, "and'I want to tell you one thin^, young fellow, you'd better stick by me." Merrill did not reply, but his surly silence w#, not lost upon 'the wily Tracy, whose face clouded omi- nously as he fastened his glittering eyes on his weake'n- ing pardner. "Come," grunted Tracy, "we'll strike out for the Columbia River." The men started off at a brisk gait, keeping in the timber skirting the road. They had not proceeded far when several men ap- peared riding towards them in the road. The men were all armed and were talking and laughing as they rode along, entirely unconscious of the proximity of the outlaws until the terrible voice of Tracy roared out: "Hands up, I'm Tracy !" Instantly the men dropped their guns and threw up their hands. "I guess you fellows are looking for us," sneered TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 13! Tracy. "Well, if you are, you've found us. Now you've got us, what are you going to do with us ?" The head hunters for such they were shifted un- easily in their saddles as Merrill's rifle covered first one and then another, but they said nothing. "Well," bawled Tracy, "if you're not going- to take us, I guess we'll take you. Now dismount, every bloody one of you. We ought to blow you to h 1, but I guess we'll let you go so as you can tell the other hunters what a soft snap it is to capture Tracy." The men dismounted, and Tracy commanded them to line up and -strip. When they had removed their coats Tracy observed among them some shields shimmering in the sun- light. "Ah, ha! Officers, are you?" cried Tracy, with a little laugh well charged with the sarcasm which he knew so well how to inject into his speech upon occa- sion. "Now really, fellows, you don't want Tracy and that big reward so bad, after all." Then addressing Merrill, he continued . "Take a few shots at 'em, Dave." "Oh, no, Mr. Tracy ! Please don't shoot ! We sur- 4f render. We'll do anything you say." "Well, then," howled Tracy, "march down that road 132 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. and don't you look back, and if you don't go home and stay there, the next time we catch you out head hunt- ing you'll need a suit of boiler iron." Glad to escape with their lives, the men, offering no protest, broke into a run down the road, leaving their arms, valuables, horses and much of their cloth- ing in the possession of the outlaws. "A little charity is a good thing sometimes, Merrill," said Tracy. "Now, you see by taking those fellows' arms away from them serious accidents may be averted. They can't hurt themselves now and leave a horde of fatherless kids?" This grim joke seemed to tickle Tracy, and he chuckled at his witticism ; but Merrill looked gloomy. The strain was wearing upon him. "What's the matter with you, Dave? Your face is getting so long that by and by you'll have to take your trousers off to blow your nose. Don't you believe in charity?" queried Tracy. "Oh, yes, Tracy, that's all right enough; but I'm , anxious to get out of this country and reach the north." "Well, ain't we moving north?" answered Tracy, looking curiously at his partner with a puzzled ex- pression not unmingled wiJi suspicion. Mounting two of the horses and Lading the others a TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 133 good distance up the road, they removed the saddles and bridles and turned them loose in the woods. A few hours later they .met a farmer driving slowly along in his wagon and reading a newspaper. "What's the news, old man ?" asked Tracy, stopping the farmer. "They've caught Tracy and Merrill/' answered the farmer. "By jing, there's a good bit o' money for somebody." "Got 'em sure, have they ?" said Tracy, leaning back in his saddle and exploding with laughter. "Yes," repMed the farmer, "they've got J em sur- rounded in a patch of thickets where they can't get away. Be you officers ?" "No/' replied Tracy. "We are tin soldiers belong to the militia. I'm General Tracy and my friend here is Major Merrill." Looking up quickly, the farmer took in the situation at a glance and nearly tumbled off his seat. "Don't throw a fit, old man, said Tracy, noticing the farmer's perturbation. "We'll not hurt you, but you might give us that paper." Taking the paper from the farmer, Tracy hastily scanned the headlines. "Well, Dave, they've ^ot the militia out after us again." *, 134 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. "Yes, and that's for hanging around in these parts so long," growled Merrill. "Did you see the soldiers, old man ?" asked Tracy. "Yaas," drawled the farmer, "they be stationed about two miles up the road. You're going right agin 'em." "How many are there ?" continued Tracy. "Waal, I should jedge night onto four hundred men, soldiers and all." "Good-by, old man ; here's your paper. Come along, Dave !" cried Tracy, starting forward. The outlaws proceeded about a hundred yards, and when the farmer was out of sight they dismounted and led their hqrses into the woods. "Well wait here till nightfall," said Tracy, "and, meanwhile, take a sleep. We'll need to be fresh for the work ahead of us." When night came the outlaws mounted their horses and started northward again. "I don't see how we're going to get through such a gang as that waiting for us up yonder," said Merrill. "Oh, h 1! You ne"\*er see anything till it's done. Quit your croaking and follow me !" snarled Tracy. "Hadn't we better abandon the horses, take to the woods and circle around 'em ? It seems they are on to us and trying to ihtercent our passage north," said Merrill. TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 135 "Intercept your grandmother ! Why, man, we can ride right through that bunch and never get a scratch. You .are so anxious to get north, now let's make a break for it. If we take to the N woods they'll start the dogs on us again, and then we'll lose all kinds of time doubling on our track/' said Tracy. "Of course, it stands us in to reach Washington as soon as possible, and if you think we can run through their lines, I'm ready," replied Merrill. "Do I think so? Well, just you watch me/' re- joined Tracy, urging his horse forward. For fifteen or twenty minutes the men rode on in silence and keenly on the alert, their rifles resting on the horns of their saddles, ready for instant action. "Halt!" fang out a voice sharp and clear. In reply Tracy fired in the direction of the voice. Then urging the horses forward at full speed, they rode through the line of soldiers, firing as they went and howling like a band of Comanche Indians. Before the soldiers recovered from their surprise the outlaws were lost in the^ darkness of the night. "How do you feel now, Merrill?" asked Tracy, snickering. "That's the way we used to play 'Blind Man's Buff' when I was a boy in the Ozark Moun- tains. Just shut your eyes and go." CHAPTER XVI CAPTURED BY TRACY. Towards the latter part of June the outlaws ap- peared in the vicinity of Oregon. Their mounts were fagged out and jaded and showed evidences of very hard riding. About noon they rotle up to a farmhouse and asked for dinner. -Have you heard any news of the escaped convicts?" asked the farmer. "Oh, yes," answered Tracy. "Hope they won't come this way/' continued the farmer. "So do I," said Tracy. "Pretty bad men, I reckon." "Yes," rejoined the farmer, "the papers say their route is blazed with blood they shoot everything in sight." "Not so bad as that," answered Tra^y. "I guess thfy only shoot when they have to." "Well, anyway, I hope they won't come this way. What would you young fellows do if they should step out of the timber now?" said the farmer. 136 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. Igf "Why, I'd givf Jiem some grub/' said Tracy, smil- ing. "Well, it seems to me that two husky chaps like you, well armed, would make a play for the big reward." "I wouldn't want to shoot Tracy/' said the out- law. "Why not?" asked the farmer. "Why, ol4 stud, that would be suicide/' laughed Tracy. "Suicide? How so?" said the farmer, looking up astonished. "Because I'm Tracy, old man. Now get out that grub and be quick about it." The farmer's jaw fell. He began to offer trembling apologies for his indiscreet >narks, vowing that he meant no harm. "Oh, that's all right," said Tracy. "We forgive you. Now give us dinner and we'll pay you for it." Dinner over, the bandits arose from the table and walked out into the yard. "I guess we'll have to trade horses," said Tracy. "Our stock is pretty well fagged out. Get us two horses and we'll leave these here. We'll leave your horses somewhere along th road later on with your same written ota paper aad plotted to the 138 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. Then, Old Stud, you'll be two Tiorses and saddles ahead of the game." When the outlaws had proceeded a few miles they found the horses to be pretty poor stock. "I'd hate to have a posse after us with these horses," said Tracy. "I was thinking about that myself," replied Merrill. "I don't believe we'll make the river.jvith the old plugs." Just then a man came into view driving down the road in a buggy. "Our luck's with us again," said Tracy. "We'll get that buggy." "Hold up there!" shouted Tracy as the man was about to pass them. "Who are you to stop me?" asked the man. "Oh, nobody. Just a couple of harmless guys," answered Tracy, throwing up his rifle. The pwyi in the btigg) turned pale and stopped his team. "Don't get alarmed afid swallow your upper set, old man. Nobody's going to harm you if you'll mind your manners. Do you know who I am ?" said Tracy. "Well, I never saw you before, but I guess you must be Tracy," replied the man. "Well, you haven't got another guess coming," xe> TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 139 joined Tracy. "Now you just jump out. We're going to take your rig and you can take these horses back to the owner. We've got to make the Columbia River, and that, too, in a hur" T : T see you've got a pretty good team there." "Yes,* said the man, whose name was Woods and who was a farmer of considerable wealth ; "it's a team that cost me a pile of money and one which I value very much. Now, I'm a reasonable old buck, and I believe you boys are reasonable, too. All you want is to get to the river, isn't it?" "That's all," replied Tracy, "unless you've got some money. Let's see." "Yes, I've got about $100 and a watch. Now, take that and I'll drive you both to the river if you will let me have my team then." "All right, old man, you seem square and we agree to your proposition, although $100 ain't much to pay for the privilege of driving two such distinguished citizens to the river," replied Tracy jokingly. "But, I say, you are a nervy old duck, and the first one on record who ever tried to make a deal with Tracy when he had the drop. I like nerve." "Well, you see, boys, I've been u^. against this game before, and I find that a littl ^ common sense goes far to establish amicable and diplomatic relations." I4O TRACY, THE OUTLAW. "All right, old man, you can sit between us and drive. I want to see what those fine horses can do. But hold on a minute." Here Tracy scribbled on a scrap of paper the ad- dress of the farmer from whom he had taken the horses and stuck it in the saddle girth where it could be seen. * "Now be off, old man, as fast as you can turn"aT wheel," said Tracy as the three jumped into the buggy. The shades of night were falling just as the river hove in sight. "Washington at last !" sighed Merrill. "Well, I hope you are satisfied now," grunted Tracy, "but, after all, I don't see that we'll be any better off over there than anywhere else." Stopping the rig on the river bank, the two outlaws sprang to the ground "Well, good-by, old sport, you've done us a good turn. I like a nervy old buck, and some day I'll send you back your hundred and more, too. Anyway, you've saved your fine horses, and that's all I promised you for the time being, 5 ' sai^ T*^cy as the old farmer drove off. "Now we're here," said Merrill, "but how are we going to get across ?" 'Isn't that a boat?" asked Tracy, pointing up stream TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 14? through the gathering gloom. "Sure It is, and we'll talcs it." The wind had risen^ and was blowing a gale and ere running high out in the broad stream, T made lor the boat, but found it securely h padlock and chain. never do," grumbled Tracy. "We should ax to cut this pesky thing loose. What do w about sailing a boat, Dave?" "Nothing/' said Merrill. "Well, neither do I," said Tracy. "But see, there's a cabin, and a light in it, too. Somebody there maybe the owner of the boat. Let's go see." Saying this, Tracy and his partner strode a little way back into the timber which lined the river bank until they came to the cabin. "Who's in there?" yelled Tracy, pounding the door with the butt of his gun. "If you don't open the door I'll break it in !" ^n a moment the door was opened and the outlaws were confronted with an old rancher who lived all alone in the cabin. Brushing the old man aside, Tracy and Merrill en- tered the cabin and began to poke around with thsir guns to see if anyone else was concealed there. "Who owns that boat?" asked Tracy, 142 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. "A man named Sunderland," replied the rancher. "Can you handle the boat ?" asked Tracy. "No, in deed never handled one in my life," replied the rancher. "Well, hurry up and get us something to eat, and then you can take us to where the owner of the boat lives," ordered Tracy. "I guess you're the boys who escaped from Salem," ventured the old rancher. "You've guessed right the first time," said Tracy, laughing. "Well, I hope you'll get away," said the rancher. "I don't know whether you do or not," returned Tracy,' "but it's jut as well to say so, eh, old fellow?" "Well, I'll do the best Lean to help you on your way. That ought to be a token of good faith." "Yes," said Tracy, "there's been quite a number try- ing to help us on our way to hell," laughed Tracy, "but we're much in evidence yet." "Do you like bacon?" asked the old man. "I haven't got anything more to offer you, except some bread and onions." "That'll do," answered Tracy, "only hurry it. No, fust let me do the cooking while you go out with my partner and take a look around outside to see if every- thing's all right." TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 143 Tracy got a frying pan and commenced to cook, while Merrill and the old man went outside. Pretty soon they returned, reporting everything safe out- side. "Have any of those fellows who are hunting us been around here yet?" asked Tracy. "No," said the old man, "but here is a newspaper which tells where they are." Tracy seized the paper eagerly, and after scanning it rapidly uttered an exclamation of surprise not un- mingled with amusement. "See here, Merrill. They've got our pictures in the paper," said Tracy. Both men bent over the paper and looked intently at the pictures. "They're not bad/' said Merrill. "No," rejoined the other, "pretty enough for the society column. "But, take it from me, it's as near as they'll ever get to exploiting Harry Tracy alive." After finishing their meal the outlaws proceeded to shave and wash up. "Now, old man," said Tracy, "we just got a little present from a kind old gentleman who drove us here to the river, and we are going to take all of your best clothes and hats and all you have to eat; but here's money enough to pay you well for it. You've been a 144 TRA<5Y, THE OUTLAW. pretty decent old fellow, and we donlt want to harm you/' Tracy handed the old man a roll of bills, -saying: "Now, just come along with us and well get that fellow who knows how to handle the boat, and mind, old man, when we leave you, say nothing about our having been here." The outlaws then went to "Sunderland's cabin, brought him down to the boat, and Tracy said : "Now, you take us across the river as quickly as you can and we'll pay you for the job with this watch, but if you attempt to get funny we'll blow your block off and toss you in the river. Do you understand me ? I'm Tracy!" "I do," said the boatman, trembling with fright. "Just get in, gentlemen, and I'll take you safely across." When only a little way out in the stream the waves began to dash violently against the boat and washed over it in volumes. At times it looked as if the boat would founder, and while death from this new source stared them in the face Tracy sat at the tiller and joked. Finally they landed on the Washington shore and disappeared in the brush. CHAPTER XVII. BLOODHOUNDS ON THE TRAIL. / After the crossing of the Columbia River that sec- tion of the country began to feel the effects of the numerous forays of the outlaws. Almost daily the homes of farmers were entered in broad daylight by the outlaws, who- at the point of the gun required the inmates to administer to their wants They ate and C v. drank the best that their unwilling- hosts could afford and amused themselves chatting and joking with the women. The terror that their names inspired seemed, to afford them the keenest pleasure, and they often took the most foolish risks to seek this sort of diver- sion. In a short time large posses were formed, and the hunt, which had been abandoned on the other side of the river, began again, and the chase waxed hot. Merrill began to grow uneasy as from day to day 146 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. they were put to their best wits to evade the hounds, which had again been brought into service. He' was persistent in his endeavors to persuade Tracy that the country near Vancouver would afford .them better protection, as he was well acquainted with that section. "This country is as thick with hunters as the country we left," insisted Merrill. "Let us get out of here or I'll go alone where I have friends/' A sinister expression clouded the countenance of Tracy at this remark. "See here, Dave," hissed Tracy between his clenched teeth," we started in this business to stick together, and any disposition on the part of 'either' of us to change the program now could be fairly interpreted as treach- ery. Now, you stick by me. You can't shake me now. We've got to see thk business through and work to- gether on the square." Tracy evidently feared that Merrill was weakening and contemplated a surrender, with the hope of obtain- ing leniency in exchange for his treachery to a pal. Merrill may have divined Tracy's suspicions, but he only remained sullen and did not attempt to answer. One morning they took two horses from the barn of. a farmer and made off along the country road. &u fe$ % " Page TRACY, THE OUTLAW. After they nad gone about a mile they met a man, with his wife, walking. The man started wheirhe saw the horses, and, point- o them, said: orses are mine, fellows. '' Where did "se horses belong to Harry Tracy ar.cl Drive j.Ierrill." The man was at first startled upon hearing the names of the fearsome outlaws, but, being a stolid sort of fellow, soon recovered his composure and said : "Gentlemen, those are the only horses I've got, and I'm a poor man. I depend on those horses to- make bread for my wife and children/' "Poor man," replied the outlaw, heaving a mock sigh, "if you don't get your horses back you'll alliave to eat cake." "Why didn't you take some rich fellow's stock?" continued the man. "I have to work these hbrses every ' day. Don't you see me and my family are walking to church so as to give them ,1 day of rest?" "I guess we can get along without the horses, Dave," said Tracy. Merrill nodded assent. "Here, mister,- take your horses," continued Tracy, and the two outlaws dismounted and took to the timber. TRACY, THE OUTLAW. *49 A few hours later Tracy stopped suddenly and lis- tened intently. "Dave," he exclaimed, "hear that baying? The bloodhounds are on our trail." The outlaws wete then in the timber within sight o f a road. Walking leisurely out of the timber, they could see a body of men about a mile down the road following the hounds. Rapidly retracing their steps, they made for a s.wamp which they had seen earlier in the day back in the timber. They entered the swamp and waded through, it for -over a mile. Before wading ashore they took their shoes off. The baying of the hounds had died away in the dis- tance ; they had lost the scent. A few days after this escape the bandits were rest- ing in a deserted cabin not far from the road. They had just finished a good dinner, which the larders of neighboring farmers had provided, when in the dis- tance they saw five armed men riding up the road in their direction. "They're after us, Dave, and when they get near enough we'll clean out the bunch," remarked Tracy. "Better let 'em go by. It'll only make.it worse for us, for if they're killed, more men will tak the field I5O TRACY, THE OUTLAW. and it'll be that much harder for us to get away," ven- tured Merrill. "There's where you're wrong, Dave. There'll be just five less to hunt us if we plug 'ern," growled Tracy. "Well, let's stop *em before we shoot. Why not hold 'em up?" persisted Merrill. "Oh, h 1 ! What's the matter with yo^? Cold feet again? We don't need to hold 'em up we've got all the arms, anmmunition and grub we want and even if we didn't, can't we shoot 'em down first and hold 'em up afterwards just as easy?'' answered Tracy. "I think I'd leave well enough alone," contended Merrill, whose counsel finally prevailed, and Tracy said: 'All right then, Dave, we'll stop 'em." When the men were abreast of the atpbushed bandits the peremptory challenge of Tracy ratig out: "Halt! I'm Tracy!" At the word of command the men jerked their mounts up suddenly, which caused them to rear and turn as if to run away, when Tracy let go a shot, and the leader of the posse, Sheriff Blescher, fell from his horse. The others turned .aid iied, leaving the wound- ed Sheriff to his fate. "I didn't mean to make that shot, Dave," said Tracy. TRACY, THE OUTLAW. "It was a slip from force of habit, I suppose but since I did it I'm sorry I didn't plug the other four, because now we won't have so much time to get ahea<* of the hunters. CHAPTER XVIII. THE DUEL. One day early in July Tracy and Merrill were in the woods in Lewis county, near Cbehalis. They were both ragged and showed the effects of having been hard run by the many large bodies of men who were hot on their trail. They both carried rifles, however, and were well supplied with ammunition. "I am tired of this thing of being chased about like a rabbit," said Merrill, "and I think we would be better off if we separate and try to work our way out of the country singly/' "Well, Merrill, this is just what I've been expecting. The fact is you are no man. You haven't the nerve of a rabbit. You would rather sneak through the coun- try, keeping all the time under cover, than show your- self to get grub. That's not my style. No man can take me alone, and if you were the right kind of a pal a rqjimeat of deputies couldn't *aks 1*6 ; but you are no TRACY, THE OUTLAW. I S3 good," and saying this Tracy clutched his rifle lightly, continuing : "If we stick together we are sure to get away in time; but I tell you that I wouldn't be afraid to tackle the whole State of Washington alone " "Then you can do it alone/' growled Merrill, "for I'm going to give it up." "I know what you're driving at," roared Tracy. "You want to give yourself up and make a deal with the authorities!" "That's not so !" shouted Merrill. "I'm as game as you are, but this is an ugly fix we are in, and you got me into it." "Well, I like that, 5 sneered Tracy. "That's the kind of bark a d d our puts up after he has been rescued from the dogcatchers. Who got you out of the pen, if I didn't do it? You wouldn't have sense or nerve enough to break out of a glass cage with a sledge-hammer. You'd want some nervy man to lift you out with a pair of tongs and set you down in a tub of butter." "I'll admit you got me out of the pen, but I wish you'd never done it," rejoined Merrill. "Well, you're not there now," said Tracy, fingering the trigger of his rifle, "and if you don't stick to me I'll-- " 154 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. "Plug roe, I reckon/' interrupted Merrill. "That's just what I'll do, and I tell you right now, Merrill, I see that you have treachery in your eye. We have come to the parting of the ways." "We had better divide up/' answered Merrill. "Yes, we'll divide up, but one of us will remain here/' said Tracy calmly. "I am now convinced that either yon will kill me some time or I'll have to kill you, and we'd better settle it right here." "Merrill's face took on an ashen pallor. Tracy was as cool and unconcerned as though he were about to carve a Christmas turkey. "Tracy, let us split and each go our way. You know I'd have no chance with you in a fight," groaned Mer- rill. "I'll give you all the show you want," said Tracy. "Just come out in the open space and we'll stand back to back. "I'll count off ten steps and then well turn and shoot." "I don't want to do that, Tracy," argued Merrill. "Well, if you don't want to fight I'll make you," yelled Tracy, stepping back and covering Merrill with his deadly rifle. "Don't shoot ! I agree !" cried Merrill. The men stepped out into a small space sparsely covered with timber. T4*e early morning sun was fil- XRAG, THE OUTLAW. 155 tering through the leaves and the forest echoed with the clear notes of the songbirds as the -men stood back to back. Tracy began to count as he strode off. "One, two, three, four/' he counted. "Six, seven, eight" bang ! Tracy, suspecting treachery on the part of Merrill, turned suddenly at the eighth step and shot from his hip. Merrill shrieked, threw up his hands and fell upon his back dead. "Well," muttered Tracy to himself, "he intended to kill me some time or other perhaps while I slept. I've felt it for a long time. He weakened. He's a coward. I've no use for that sort of cattle/' Then the lone outlaw walked over to the bleeding corpse, and, lifting it in his arms, carried it to where two logs were lying close together and placed it be- tween them and covered it up with brush and leaves. Then Tracy stalked out of the clearing and vanished in the xknse timber surrounding. CHAPTER XIX. TRACY CAPTURES A LAUNCH ON PUGET SOUND AND ESCAPES. After leaving the scene of the fatal duel Tracy com- mitted a series of robberies, blazing his way to Puget Sound in blood, From the farmers cti the line of his route he took food, clothing, money and horses, chang- ing his horses for fresh ones when they became worn out. N After leaving a house that he had robbed he would bind and gag the inmates, and in some instances leave a note, pinned to a tree or fence, directing the finder to call and release his victims. His object in binding them was to prevent an alarm until he had gotten a good start on his pursuers. On one occasion he promised a young lady that he would return a horse he had taken from her father's barn and gave the young lady a $10 bill, telling her to give it to the person who would return the horse. When he no longer needed the horse he hitched him to a fence and pinned a note on the saddle, stating to 156 a H Q | w I Page J5& TRACY, THE OUTLAW, whom the horse belonged and that the owner would pay $10 for his return. The horse was returned by a boy, who received the reward. Notwithstanding the desperate character of the man, there were eviderfces of many acts tending to show that he was not wholly abandoned and that many of his crimes were committed to save him- self from capture and death. One day, early in July, Tracy arrived at the head- quarters of the Capital City Oyster Co., on South Bay, Puget Sound. A big gasoline launch, belonging to Capt. A. J. Clark and his son, was at the dock. Captain Clark was standing near a tei&t, where two men were preparing a meal for the company's hands, who had just turned out for the day's work and were also standing around. Tracy approached the tent unnoticed, and the first the men knew of his presence was when his terrible voice rang out : "I'm Tracy.. ,Be good, boys, now, all of you, and line up." This command was promptly obeyed and Tracy .proceeded leisurely to go through the crowd. "Is breakfast ready yet?" then inquired Tracy of the cooks. "Not yet," answered one. TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 159 "Weil, hurry it up," said Tracy. "These men ail look hungry." Tracy then called to the men, who were all stand- ing in line, with their hands up : "Here, fellows, you can put your hands down, as none of you is armed, iand all sit down now at the table, but don't any of you come too near the upper end, for that's where I'm going to sit, for I can see out well from there and so that nobody can. come along and hold us up." The men all seated themselves as Tracy directed, and he said : "Eat hearty, fellows. You won^t have another chance like this for some time, as I'm going to take you all on an excursion with me on the Sound/' Tracy kept his rifle across his knee all the time he was eating. When breakfast was over he told Captain Clark and his son that he wanted them to accompany him in the launch for a trip out on Puget Sound. Captain Clark told Tracy that it would require four men to operate the launch. "Take as many men as you like, Captain; the more the merrier," said, Tracy. Marching all the men in front of him, the launch boarded and Tracy took his seat "in the ,stern t l6o TRACY, THE OUTLAW. with his murderous rifle thrown carelessly across his knees. "Now, Captain, head her for Tacoma, and mind you commit no follies. I don't want to hurt any of you, but so sure as I *see any signs of treachery I'll clean out the whole crew of you and scuttle the launch," and saying this Tracy fingered suggestively the trigger of his rifle. "All. right, my boy," replied the Captain, with great presence of mind, although his nerves were vibrating like a tuning fork. "I'll see that you are landed safely wherever, you want to go." After they had been out a while on the Sound Tracy's suspicions seemed to have been allayed t^y the manner of the crew, which, paying little heed to him, attended strictly to the navigation of the launch. At times he would leave his seat in the stern and help the men with little jobs connected with theif work. No doubt at these moments sud- den and concerted action on tjie part of the crew could have effected his capture, but ever vigilant and wary, Tracy watchedUiem closely and gave them no opportunity to concoct any definite plan of action. Moreover, the crew were thoroughly frightened and consequently tractable and docile. For the greater part of the trip Tracy was very TRACY, THE OVttAW. I** loquacious and related with apparent gusto many of his marvelous exploits, all of which did not add much to the comfort of the men, who did not know at what instant the outlaw might interpret some trifling movement or glance of theirs as significant of treachery and open fire with his deadly weapon. Several times the outlaw took a shot at seals, dis- playing such marksmanship that the men on the launch became more and more impressed with the blood-curdling adventures which he related to them. "No number of men can get me if I see 'em first/' said Tracy, "but I don't care to kill anyone unless it is one of the guys that is hunting me or some prison officer.'' Just then they were passing the Washington State Prison, on McNeil's Island, and Tracy spied some guards patrolling the prison wall. "I think I'll take a shot at one of those guards," said Tracy, throwing up his gun. "Hold on a minute, Tracy; I wouldn't do that if r were you," cried the 'Captain. "They are out of range and it will only serve to draw the attention of the officials to us. They've got rapid-fire guns, too, stationed on the walls, and if you want to get away better let them alone." "I guess you're right, Captain," said the outlaw. 162 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. ''Have any of you fellows got any si had two, but my ammunition ran out and I threw them away the last time the hounds had me hard- pressed. I've only got my rifle now and 200 car- tridges." Upon being informed that there were no arms among the crew, he said : "Well, never mind, I guess we'll change the * program and go on to Seattle. When I get ashore I'll meet some policemen or sheriffs and get all the revolvers and ammunition I need." The Captain changed the course of the launch, and Tracy made him lower the speed, sayhig that he did not want to land until nightfall. When it began to grow dark the outlaw had the launch headed for the shore about two miles northr of Seattle and made a landing on the beach. Before leaving the launch he ordered one of th* crew, a man named Scott, to bind the others. They were all tied, except young Scott, with their hands behind their backs and the ropes then made fast to their feet. Tracy had been joking with young Scott all along the trip about his red head, and asking him how he would like to join him and be his pal. The boy was good-natured and witty, which seemed to I TRACY, THE OU1LAW. 163 win the outlaw's good will, and when he noticed that young Scott had a sore wrist he had him bound by the elbows. When Tracy landed he made Scott go with him, but pretty soon sent him back again, saying: "There's no us for me to take you, anyway, I wouki if I thought you'd make the right kind of a partner, but I guess you ain't built that way. I'll have a lot of dough pretty soon and you can tell the Captain and the others that I wdn't forget them. You've all been pretty decent fellows. Well, so long." The news that Tracy had struck Seattle spread like wildfire, and in a few hours Deputy Sheriff Williams collected a posse of deputies and citizens and started in pursuit of the audacious bandit. CHAPTER XX. TRACY DEFEATS THE SHERIFF'S POSSE AT BOTHKL, The next afternoon the po&se, while hunting the outlaw, met another posse, led by Deputy Sheriff Brewer. They joined forces and proceeded towards Bothel, where Tracy was reported to have been seen after holding up several policemen and taking their arms from them. Near Bothel there is a gulch which would afford a good place of conceal- ment for a fugitive, and the posses concluded to search it. In doing so they came upon a path in which there were fresh footprints, leading down a short distance to a cabin. There was a heavy rain falling, and the hunters, soaked to the skin them- selves, concluded that the bandit had taken refuge in the cabin. "He is no doubt in there/' said one of the deputies. Now's our chance to surround the oabin and make the capture." Hardly had the words fallen from his lips when the crack of Tracy's dread rifle rang out from a log about 50 feet away, and one of the deputies, Charles Ray- TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 165 mond, tumbled over, stone dead. Nothing was seen '"of Tracy but his head and a little of one shoulder peeping over the top of the log. One of the deputies answered Tracy's fire, but the next shot from the out- law's ambush put him out of commission, badly wounded. Meanwhile Deputy Williams and several others es- caped into the brush and circled around, intending to attack the outlaw from behind, but just as they ap- peared in his rear the wily bandit, who had been ex- pecting such tactics, opened up a rapid and deadly fire, killing Williams and wounding two of the others. Williams was struck three times just under the heart, again demonstrating the marvelous accuracy of the outlaw's aim. The remaining members :of the posse then sought the shelter of trees, from which they poured in the direction of Tracy's smoke at least 100 shots. The terrible fatalities experienced by the hunters soon chilled their ardor. They quickly realized thats they were confronted with no ordinary foe, and their courage ef the morning, which, sustained by the con- sciousness of numerical strength, had been inflated to the proportions of a mammoth gas tank, rapidly shrank and shriveled up, like the collapse of a toy balloon when pricked with a pin. l66 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. "That tellow shoots like a regiment of regulars/' groaned one of the wounded men. The battle did not last over five minutes, and when there ceased to be any further shooting from the log behind which Tracy had been concealed the remain- ing members of the posse ceased firing, concluding that the outlaw had, with his usual temerity, walked off into the timber under 'their fire. This was pre- cisely what Tracy had done, and he reached the cover of the woods unscathed. The news of the battle caused the intensest excite- ment and spread consternation everywhere in that part of the state. No one felt safe, fot: no one knew where Tracy and his vicious Winchester would turn up next. He did turn up in a very short time on the road to Bothel after he left the log. Here he met a man riding on horseback northward towards his home. "I must have that horse/' said the bandit. "I'm a deputy on the track of Tracy and am in a desperate hurry." Mounting the. horse, he rode to the farm of a man named Johnson and compelled him to hitch up a team and drive him towards Freemont. On the way they passed a number of deputies with- out attracting any attention. TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 167 "I guess we'll go to Seattle/' said Tracy. Til be safer there." Arriving at Seattle, Tracy let Johnson go and walked through town, stopping at the house of a lady on the outskirts, which was an ideal place for Tracy, as it stood alon, and just back of it was a dense woods. Meanwhile Sheriff Cudihee, with another posse, was on the track of the bandit. As the posse rode along they met two policemen, Breeze and^Rawley, who told them that Tracy was at the home of Mrs. Van Horn. Tracy required Mrs. Van Horn ta prepare him supper, which he partook of voraciously, paying for it liberally, and all through his visit treating the wom- an with marked courtesy. .-^ He talked a great deal and complained of the loss of rest, and thanked Mrs. Van Horn effusively when she called his attention to the fact that he was sitting with his back to a window with the curtain raised. "Anybody would recognize you from your, picture/ 1 said Mrs. Van Horn. "That's so," answered Tracy, "and thank you very much for calling my attention to it. Won't you please null down the curtain ?" .Mrs. Van Horn complied, and just then two men who worked about the place came into the house. l68 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. Tracy ordered the men to stand up against the vvali while he went to the door to reconnoiter. Meanwhile Sheriff Cudihee and his men had come up and Tracy watched him conceal himself about 150 yards on a line from the front door, Tracy, seeing that he was trapped, made the two la- borers place themselves in front of him abreast, thus forming a human shield, and walked deliberately out of the house. As soon as the outlaw appeared in the open the two policemen, Breez and Rawley, with a folly born of ignorance, dashed out of the woods, crying: "Surrender! Surrender, Tracy!" Two sharp reports of the dread Winchester was the outlaw's answer, and in the same instant two dead policemen lay upon the ggeund, with bullets in their brains. , This sudden revelation of the bandit's extraordinary prowess struck with consternation the other members of the posse. The Sheriff, totally disconcerted, fired a shot from his place of hiding, but which went wild, and before the party could recover from their fright Tracy had reached the timber and disappeared. CHAPTER XXI. BLOODHOUNDS BAFFLED BY TRACY. The report of ths battle- brought the excitement throughput the country up to fever heat. More and larger posses were organized. Two com- panies of militia were put into the field and stretched across a broad expanse of country, forming a line which was thought to be impassable. The hounds were again put on the outlaw's trail, but Tracy's resourcefulness again stood him in hand. When it seemed that the hounds were close upon him, Tracy plunged into a farmhouse in his line of flight and secured a catf of red pepper, which he sprinkled along 1 in his tracks until he reached the tim- ber, into which he disappeared. When the hounds struck the pepper thay sniffed and coughed, lost the trail and could not be made to work again. That evening the bandit appeared again on the pub* lie road. He met two straggling deputies, made them dismount* teak tfc*"> arms and everytfaicg fclae 169 170 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. had and rode off, leading one horse, which a little later on he abandoned. Tracy had now come within sight of the' military barricade. Heading his horse into the woods, he wait- ed until dark. Under cover of night he led his horse to within a short distance of the ^lards, and, giving the animal some sharp blows, drove him into the direction of the line, which the horse crossed at a full gallop. Suspecting that the outlaw was the rider, as no attention was paid to the guards' command to halt, they fired upon the horse, which fell, and when they rushed to make what they thought would be an easy capture, Tracy quietly walked through the gap in the line and disappeared in the darkness. That night Tracy slept in the brush and next morn- ing appeared again in the public road. Just as he emerged from the timber two deputies approached on horseback. "Throw up your hands ! I'm Tracy/' roared the bandit in tones which froze the blood in the veins of the two head hunters, who were not slow to obey. In a few minutes Tracy had them stripped and tied to trees alongside the road. Then, exchanging his clothing for the best of their 's, he rode off with the horses, saying as he left; TRACY, THE OUTLAW. Ijl "I'll be back this way shortly, gentlemen, and if you'll only stay where you are you'll have a chance to get that reward." A few hours later Tracy appeared at the farmhouse of John Johnson. The family were seated at dinner when the outlaw walked in. "I'm Tracy. Don't move. I'm not going to hurt any of you. Just fix me a plate down at that end of .the table. I'm as hungry as a bear/' Johnson and his children . sat motionless, almost frightened out of their wits, but Mrs. Johason did not seem to be much disturbed. She fixed a plate for the bandit^ and helped him liberally. All the while Tracy was very agreeable, and after dinner he made one of the boys shave him. Then he washed his face and hands, paid Mrs. Johnson for his dinner and left, taking with him a big Swede, name Andersooi, who worked for the Johnsons. For several days Tracy kept Anderson with him, *ying him to trees at night while he slept and using him to do the cooking and other work. Why Tracy impressed Anderson into his service is a matter of conjecture only. It may have been a pass- ing whim or he may have had some ulterior motive, suggested by his fertile imagination, looking; to some brilliant coup in his plan of campaign. TRACY, THE OUTLAW. After visiting scores of farmers and holding up posse after posse in company with the Swede, he took a notion one day to restore the man his liberty, which he did, while he struck out again alone. By this time the whole country was alive with mili- tary, sheriffs* posses and independent troops of head 'hunters. Posses were sailing over the Sound in launches. All were looking for Tracy, and promptly getting held up or killed when they met him. The chase was beginning to assume all the comic features of an opera bouffe. . As the forces in the field after the outlaw grew larger day by day, it seemed that his devilish ingenuity gained in subtlety until it bordered on to the black art. He was in splendid physical condition and had all the arms, ammunition and money that he could carry. Once, when he needed better revolvers than those he had, he compelled a farmer to ride into Seattle and purchase two improved styles for him, telling the man that if he betrayed him and did not return at a certain time that he would kill his wife and children, although when the farmer left to execute the com- mission the outlaw said to his wife: "Don't be afraid. I would not harm you even if your husband should give me away. I never harm TRACY, Tl.e OUT! \W. I/J women and children only men who are seeking my life." Tracy treated the farmer's wife with marked gal- lantry in his absence and amused the children telling them of his boyhood days in the Ozarks. When the farmer returned with the arms Tracy paid him and, bidding them a cheerful "Goad-by," took his departure. Next day Tracy entered the home of a man named Jerrold and asked to be given some lunch. The owner of the house was absent, but his wife, son and two ladies, friends of the family, were there. One of the ladies, Miss Barker, recognized Tracy immediately. "You are Tracy," she said. "Yes," answered Tracy, smiling. "How did you know?" "Oh, everybody has seen your picture. It has been published broadcast," she replied. "Yes, but I've let by moustache and hair grow since that picture was taken." "I see you have," continued Miss Barker, "but the change is not noticeable." When lunch was served Tracy insisted that tfie ladies diould sit down and partake of it with him. 174 TRACY, THE OUTLAW. All during the meal he showed marked, though defer- ential, attention to the ladies. "I'm sorry for you/' said Miss Barker; "so young and clever a man to be in such a scrape. Why are you so bad?" "Because I'm convinced that down in their secret hearts the ladies all like the real bad man that is, if he's bold. The good, pious, lamblike type of man has very poor chance alongside the bold, bad fellow, in a game of hearts, where the ladies are concerned/' Saying this, Tracy laughed heartily. "Well, anyway, I hope you won't be caught," sighed Miss Barker. "And if I am/' said Tracy, "it will be when I'm dead. No man nor set of men can capture me alive. So you see, Miss, the ladies won't have a chance to send me any bouquets." "You know, Mr. Tracy, I live in town, and it's quite a way from here. I don't suppose you will object if my friend and I start now for home ?" "Not at all/' answered the bandit gallantly. "I wouldn't mind driving you in myself. Where's your rig?" "Lands sakes ! We've no rig; we're going to walk/* Miss Barker, seeming amused. TRACY. THE UTfeAW. 175 "Not at all. Walk? Why, certainly not. Just wait here a while. I'll go borrow a buggy and drive you home," said Tracy, starting for the door. "Oh, no, no, no !" cried all the ladies in unison. "We'd be killed !" "Yes, that's so," answered Tracy, reflectively ; "those guys don't care anything for women, and, even if they did, they get so scared when I'm around that they might hit you. They're all the time shooting one an- other when they're fighting me from cover." Tracy had scarcely finished his speech when a ma.n came swinging up the walk. "A deputy !" hissed Tracy. "Tell him I'm not here," and Tracy jumped behind the door, while Miss Barker stood upon the sill. "Have you seen anything of a strange man around here, well armed and answering this description?" asked the man, showing Miss Barker a picture. "No, sir ; I have not," sdid the young lady. "Well, he has been seen in this vicinity. It's Tracy." And the man turned and walked away and joined, over a hundred others who were riding along the road. As soon as they were out of sight Tracy came from his place of concealment, and shaking hands with everybody, took his departure, saying : TRASV, THE OUTLAW, "G>d-by, ladies ; you have made me very happy. I will remember you for it if I live. You remind me of the people in the Ozarks." Miss Barker thought she detected a faint trace of sadness in the parting words of the fearsome outlaw. CHAPTER XXIL OUT OF THE TOILS AGAIN. One quiet evening in the latter part of July. 1902, Tracy was strolling leisurely through a strip of timber just skirting the road, when the baying of bloodhounds broke upon his ears. "Those cursed dogs again/' muttered the bandit, making a dash for the road. Just as he emerged from the woods he encountered a deputy sheriff. The deputy saw Tracy first, and recognizing him, threw his rifle to his shoulder, but too late, for Tracy had fired from his hip, and the deputy dropped from hi* horse, mortally wounded. The outlaw leaped into the empty saddle and in a few moments -the beating of the horss's boo fa had died out down the road, Tracy had escaped again, although over three h?in- dred men had, unknown to the bandit, been 'scouring the neighborhood for him for several hours when h heard the baying of the hounds. The report -of Tracy's rifte drew <&a f*U ferae to the spot where tfce dead dejxtfy 178 TRASY, THE OUTLAW, Again the bloodhounds took up the trail, and the jto charge continued, with the full fcfrce of hunters in hot pursuit. Again Tracy's ingenuity and quick wit was brought into play, just as the dogs were at his heels. Urging his horse on at full speed, he made x for an area of marshy ground, covered with a dense undergrowth. Into this he plunged the horse, and then leaping from his saddle, continued his flight on foot until he struck a little stream, in which he waded for about a mile, again baffling the hounds, which completely lost the trail. For seve r "l days after this escape Tracy was not seen by anyone. It is supposed that during this time he kept to the cover of the timber, awaiting a chance to get aw*y from the proximity of so large a force of hunters. Driven at last, no doubt by hunger, the outlaw ap- peared one morning at the house of a farmer, where he took breakfast, shaved and washed and dressed himself in the farmer's Sunday clothes. Having materially changed his appearance, he struck out again in the open, with his usual audacity, follow- ing the railroad tracks and passing a number of depu- ties, who failed to recognize him. After traveling several hours along the tracks, he TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 179 boarded a train and rode for over a hundred miles east, when some untoward accident, caused him to leave the train, . He had now headed for a section of the country where he knew, by reason of its isolation, he would be safe if he could once reach it. After leaving the train the outlaw continued on foot through the country, stopping her^ and there to buy from the country people such supplies as he needed. For some time fortune favored him, but one day he stopped at the^liouse of a man who recognized him from the resemblance to his picture. The man treated him hospitably and pretended to be ignorant of his identity, but immediately after Tracy left the countryman hastened to the nearest railroad station and gave the alarm. Not suspecting that the people were now organizing in that section to hunt him down, he proceeded leisurely on his way, stopping here and there at farm houses, paying liberally for what he received and sometimes even doing a day'j work. The fiist intimation he had that he had been dis- covered was when he ran into a posse near Go van, Washington. This posse he evaded by taking to the woods. He offered no fight on this occasion, and had since leaving the train refrained from all violence, ISO TRACY, THE OUTLAW. concluding, no doubt, that the less excitement he cre- ated the better would be his chances to get out of the country. Tracy had grown tired of the long conflict with his pursuers and longed for'other scenes. v--, Perhaps his thoughts reverted to his mother in their old home in the Ozark Mountains. During the chase he had mentioned to several people who had enter- tained him by compulsion that he wanted to see his mother before he was taken dead, if such was to be his destiny. Perhaps he was thinking of Genie and the last mark of affection for her parents which she had commissioned him to execute for her. However that may be, the ferocity of the man was beginning to melt as if under the influence of some subtle spell. Perhaps he had a premonition, too, of the end which an inexorable fate had in store as the culminating climax of his charmed existence. Whatever his thoughts were, whatever omens of evil may have been crowded through his brain, he accepted with the same fatalistic philosophy which had influ- enced the whole course of his life. Death had no terror for Tracy. Fear he did not know. Life for him was a game to be played, with gold for the whiner. Woe to the loser and death ^ndeth all. CHAPTER XIII. DEATH OF TRACY. On the morning of August 5th, Tracy appealed at the ranch of the Eddy brothers, on Lake Creek lie asked the ranchers if they needed a hired man, vial. ; nj that he was seeking work. "No," replied one of the brothers, "we do not need any hands just now/' "Oh, well," said Tracy, "I don't want any wa^es; I'll be satisfied to work a while for nothing. That will give my horse a rest and then I'll go on and find work elsewhere. Meanwhile a posse had located the bandit, who was not aware that his hiding place was known, and when the posse arrived at the ranch they saw one of the brothers down in a field mowing hay. They rode down into the field, and one of the depu- ties asked: 181 1 82 TRACY,, THE OUTLAW. "Has Tracy been here?" - V "Yes/' said Eddy, "but he's gone." "Which way did he go?" continued the deputy. "I don't know," replied Eddy. * Just then Tracy came out of the barn with Eddy's 'brother, and seeing the posse, said: "Bo you know those^ men ?" i "No," said Eddy, "I never saw them before." "Well, they're after me." Saying this, the outlaw matched his rifle and ^an for a gully back of the barn. The men following got a position on a hill command- ing a view of where Tracy was partly sheltered behind a small bowlder. The posse opened fire on the outlaw, but which he returned with such accuracy that they were driven to cover behind a big rock. From rock to rock Tracy crept, firing whenever he got a chance, but the position of the hunters was such as to place the outlaw at great disadvantage. The sun -was in his eyes, and the blinding glare impaired. his vision, seriously affecting the. accuracy of his aim. Realizing his disadvantage, he broke and ran for a barley field, under the rapid fire 6f the -posse. Just as he reached the field he was struck by a ball, which broke his leg. Dragging himself into the field, he sank down TRACY, THE OUTLAW. 183 amongst the grain, bleeding profusely, an artery hav- ing been severed. Tearing strips from his clothing, he endea "ored to stop the flow of blood by binding them tightly around his leg. Then he crawled on further into the grain. The bullets were pouring in like hail and cutting the stalks of barley around him in every direction. An- other bullet penetrated his thigh. He could move no further. With what remaining strength {le had, the fearless bandit drew his two revolvers and emptied them all but one shot in the direction of his enemies. Next he emptied his Winchester. Then for a few moments there was a lull, when a muffled sound escaped from the location amidst the tall grain from which his last shots were fired and all was still. Tracy had sent the shot which he saved crashing through his own skull. For hours the hunters* did not dare enter the field, until the long-continued silence convinced them that either the bandit had escaped again or had* fallen a victim to their fire. Cautiously they entered the field and advanced, brushing the grain aside. Presently jthey stopped and shuddered as they were confronted with the gruesome corpse of the bandit. l8-f TRACY, THE OUTLAW. There, upon his back, his cold steel-gray eyes, glassy and wide open, staring into limitless space, lay the life- less form of Harry Tracy, the most fearless of out- la wsj and King of Bandits. [END.J On a Fast Train Through Texas By IRV OTT PRICE 25 CENTS Illustrated 1000 S'MILES EN (20 MINUTES "That* s going some" This book contains the funny exper- ience on a trip to Texas; The funny Ex- periences on a street car; The female's voice in the tunnel; The lady who was sea sick; The man who told the best late tram story; The fat man who fagged the train; The minister and the man with a jag; The "con" man in the depot; Funny experiences on a sleeper; The funny experiences in a hotel and other fanny incidents. In ail making this one of the funniest books written. Sent upon receipt of 25 Cents and 4 Cents Extra for Postage, 1. & ML. OTTEIN HEAVIER. - Publishers 321 W. Baltimore St.. Baltimore* Met. 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