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June 9, 1902: Harry Tracy Escapes From The Oregon State Penitentiary

June 9, 2011 by Dave Leave a Comment

Photos of the escapees (published in the Oregonian, June 10, 1902)On June 9, 1902, notorious criminal Harry Tracy, along with less notorious criminal David Merrill (whom Harry would later kill with a shot to the back) staged a bloody escape from the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem.

Salem Online History:

After killing three guards, the fugitives made good their escape and touched off a massive Northwest manhunt of three months’ duration. Salem’s daily papers kept up a running account of sightings, false leads, reports from authorities, warnings, and criminal histories of the two escapers. Merrill’s body was found late in June. Tracy was finally cornered in Washington and shot in August. Both were returned and buried in the prison cemetery.

But for a longer, and more interesting, history check out Slabtown Chronicles: Harry Tracy: The Mackintosh Bandit

Filed Under: History, Oregon, This Day in History

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