THE WILD WEST HISTORY

Harry Tracy

Harry Tracy (1877-1902 was a outlaw in the closing days of the Old West, never venturing much out of his native Oregon and Washington areas. He was born in Creston, Washington, and by the time he'd reached adulthood he was actively taking part in acts of robbery and theft. In late 1901, Tracy was captured, convicted, and incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary.

He escaped on June 9, 1902, shooting and killing Corrections Officers Thurston Jones Sr, Bailey Tiffany, Frank Ferrell and three civilians in the process. He evaded capture for a month, mostly taking refuge in the Seattle area. On July 3rd, 1902, he set up an ambush near Bothell, Washington, where he killed Detective Charles Raymond and Deputy John Williams during a shootout.

Tracy fled, took several hostages in a residence, and engaged other law enforcement officers in a shootout. During that shootout he killed posse members Cornelious Rowleyand Enoch Breece. On August 6, 1902, Tracy was cornered and shot several times during a shootout with a posse from Lincoln County, Washington, resulting in him being badly wounded. Tracy committed suicide to avoid capture