In Days Gone By: Outlaw Harry Tracy and his local connections

The Seattle area’s Fourth of July celebration in 1902 was marred by the sounds of real bullets fired from the guns of law enforcement officers and Harry Tracy, a notorious outlaw who had killed lawmen and civilians from Colorado through Oregon and Washington.

Harry Tracy’s most recent killing occurred the day before, July 3rd, near Bothell where he had fought his way out of a trap set by a posse that had been hotly pursuing him. Tracy escaped after killing Frank Raymond, an Everett detective and severely wounding King County Deputy Sherriff, Jack Williams.

After escaping, Tracy’s whereabouts were unknown.

Harry Tracy, his early life.

Born on Oct.  23, 1875, in Wisconsin, his given name was Harry Severns. Historians believe that he may have come from an abusive home, and fled home at 15 or 16 years of age to make a better life for himself.

Where he went and what he was doing over the next three years is somewhat unknown. Some accounts state that he went to Chicago and worked in the stockyards for awhile, then left and traveled to Colorado working in the goldfields before he hired on as a ranch-hand to herd cattle. If accurate, he apparently got tired quickly of herding cattle and working for a living. Instead, he turned to cattle rustling to make more money.  He may have also turned to small time robberies. Historical accounts vary in that regard.

Described by those who knew him, Harry Tracy was a bundle of contradictions. Characterized as often withdrawn, lonely and extremely moody, he could also be extremely polite and even funny at times. Thought of as smart, and rather good-looking, reportedly women generally adored him.

There was one thing that people in the know agreed upon, Harry could he savagely dangerous and deadly with a gun.

Initial incarcerations and escapes

By late 1897, now in his early 20s, Harry Tracy (a surname that he had adopted a few years earlier) was incarcerated at the Utah State Penitentiary for relative minor crimes.

But it didn’t take long for his offenses to become much more serious. In October, Tracy and several other inmates escaped while on a work detail outside the prison.  Tracy produced a Colt .45 revolver and overpowered the guard. The revolver most likely had been secreted to a prearranged location by an accomplice, where Tracy could recover it.

Upon escaping Tracy, and inmate David Lant decided to stick together, and they made their way to Moffat County, Colorado, near Colorado Springs. There they met up with P.L. Rustling, who was on the lam for cattle-rustling and the killing of a farmhand of a prominent Colorado rancher, Valentine Hoy

Given the three’s combined criminal records a large posse was in hot pursuit. The posse initially caught up with the threesome on March 1, 1898. But Tracy and his cohorts set a trap, killing Valentine Hoy, and escaping into the night.

Three days later, the posse caught up with the three and were able to capture them after a brief gun battle. P.L. Rustling was sent back to Wyoming where he was wanted for rustling and murder.

Tracy and Lant were taken to a jail in Hahns Peak, near current day Steamboat Springs.

But 18 days later they broke out of jail by overpowering the guard at mealtime, stealing two horses they fled south. But they were recaptured the next day without incident, as they had not been able to acquire weapons.

Incarceration at the Aspen Jail and a third escape

Given their penchant for and skill at escaping, Tracy and Lant were moved to the Aspen jail, believed to be the most secure facility in Colorado at the time. There they were incarcerated for two months. But as they had done at the Hahns Peak jail, Tracy and Lant overpowered a guard as he brought them food. Upon escaping, the two are believed to have traveled over the mountains to Breckenridge and beyond.  Here David Lant drops off the historical records. Some believe that Tracy may have killed him, to improve his chances of escape, but that has never been proven.

A major crime spree and final escape

Tracy made his way westward.  He eventually ended up in Oregon where he met up with an old acquaintance, David Merrill.  Together they went on a major crime spree in Oregon and in southwest Washington.

In late 1901, both were captured and placed in the Oregon State Penitentiary awaiting trial.  Again, Tracy proved that no cell could hold him.  Obviously enlisting outside help, Tracy managed to get two rifles and a large supply of ammunition smuggled into the penitentiary. On June 2, 1902 Tracy and Merrill staged a bloody escape, killing three correction officers and three civilians.

The escape drew nationwide attention, and Tracy was quickly named America’s most wanted fugitive.

The escapees slowly make their way northward. In an apparent dispute approximately two weeks later, Tracy shot and killed Merrill, by shooting him in the back, near Chehalis, Washington.

Author’s note: Merrill’s body was found on July 14, approximately a month after his death.

Entering the Puget Sound Region 

On July 2, 1902, Harry Tracy — fully armed — entered the shanty of the Capitol City Oyster Company in Olympia at 5 a.m. Upon entering the building, Tracy introduced himself. But the crew already knew who was from all the news coverage regarding the escape. Tracy ordered them to fix him breakfast, which they proceeded to do.

After he had finished his breakfast, Tracy said he needed to use their boat, a tugboat named N & S that was moored in the bay. Taking four crewmen and a boy hostage, Tracy had them sail northward towards Seattle. Initially he stated he wanted to be taken to Brown’s Bay north of current-day Edmonds. But seeing all the boats in the Sound, Tracy ordered the captain to slow down so that the boat didn’t draw suspicion and told the captain to head toward Smith’s Cove, which is located near current-day Magnolia. Eventually Tracy decided to head further north so that he could disembark north of Seattle at twilight. Eventually the captain put in at Meadow Point, north of Ballard.

After having the captain tie the others up, Tracy and the captain disembarked. The two began walking back toward Seattle, where Tracy said he was going to hold up a policeman and take his handgun, as he only had a Winchester rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition. Tracy added that he was also going to Clancy’s Saloon on Pike Street and rob it, as he heard they had lots of money there.

Eventually Tracy let the captain go unharmed and proceeded south along the Great Northern Railway tracks.  The captain, fearing for his life, went back to the boat and motored south to Seattle. By the time the tugboat arrived back in Seattle it was past midnight, and Tracy had disappeared into the darkness.

The Puget Sound manhunt

When word got out that Tracy had made his way into Seattle, a posse was organized and militia was mobilized. Tracy was sighted the next day by a University of Washington watchman as Tracy walked the railroad tracks near the university’s present football stadium.

Upon getting the report, law enforcement believed that Tracy was working his way east and north, possibly through Bothell. A portion of the posse took a ferry to Kirkland, and a team including Seattle Times newsman Louie Sefrit headed toward present-day Woodinville in hopes of closing in on Tracy.

But when the posse encountered Tracy, Tracy shot his way out of the trap, killing Everett Detective Raymond and wounding Deputy Sherriff Williams. Tracy also had newsman Sefrit dead in his sights, but did not pull the trigger, apparently realizing Sefrit was not a law enforcement officer.

Tracy escaped, headed back to Seattle and took hostages at a residence where he engaged in a shootout with law enforcement, killing officers Cornelious Rowley and Enoch Breece. Tracy escaped unscathed and disappeared.

A rash of sightings poured into law enforcement.  Reports came from the south near Renton, Kent and Tacoma and from the north along the waterfront in Edmonds and Mukilteo. Even reports from across the Sound near Port Madison were called in. Given that Tracy had originally told the tugboat captain that he wanted to go to Brown’s Bay, north of Edmonds, police speculated that he knew people in the area.

Edmonds’ police department, which had just received a telephone tip, was asked to gather up a posse and search the waterfront and the saloons near Front Street. Given Tracy’s dangerous reputation, it is unclear whether a posse was ever formed, but a search of the town by the marshal was reportedly undertaken.

Wide-ranging reports continued to come in, including a report near Olympia stating that Tracy had held up six men at gun point. Farmers in Eastern Washington stated that Tracy had appeared at their farmhouse doors demanding food and shelter, while still being pleasant, and even good company. Then he had departed, to whereabouts unknown.

The final encounter

Given all the wild reports, the public was panicked. Washington and Idaho governors offered $6,000 in reward money for Tracy, whether dead or alive.

Tracy’s luck finally ran out on Aug. 6, 1902 when he was reported to be on working a farm between Creston and Davenport, Washington, 45 miles west of Spokane.  Surrounded by a posse, Tracy tried to shoot his way out but was shot in the leg. With the sun setting, Tracy managed to hide, and the posse had to stop the pursuit due to the lack of light. The next morning the posse found Tracy’s body next to a large rock in a field a few hundred yards from where they had encountered him the day before. Tracy, realizing he was badly wounded, had taken his own life during the night.

Tracy’s remains were taken by the authorities back to Oregon, where he was positively identified and buried. After his death, multiple parties tried to claim the reward money. In the end, only a portion of the reward money ($2,500) was reluctantly paid.

Author’s final note: By most historical accounts, Harry Tracy was the last major outlaw in the West. He killed an estimated 25 men, (mostly law enforcement officers), committed several dozen robberies and master-minded numerous jail breaks. Reportedly, authorities at the time considered Jesse James to be a Sunday school teacher compared to Harry Tracy.

Tracy’s name is not as well known as Jesse James, Billy The Kid or the Dalton Brothers, but there have been several dime novels written about him. In 1982, a minor film entitled ” Harry Tracy, Desperado,” starring Bruce Dern, was also released.

Whether Harry Tracy was ever in Edmonds proper is unknown. He had a working knowledge of Seattle locations as far north as Brown’s Bay and had law enforcement frantically hunting for him near Edmonds in the summer of 1902.

This article was researched and written by Byron Wilkes. Thanks go to the Edmonds Historical Museum, the Museum of the Mountain West, Oregon State Archives, Colorado Department of Prisons, and the Lincoln County Historical Society for their help with the research.