Harry Tracy
Harry Tracy (October 23, 1875 – August 6, 1902) was an American outlaw from the Old West. His real name was Harry Severns. Some stories say he rode with Butch Cassidy and the Hole in the Wall Gang, but there isn’t solid evidence.
As an adult, Tracy robbed and stole. On March 1, 1898, he and three accomplices fought a gun battle at Brown’s Park, Colorado, where Valentine S. Hoy, a posse member, was killed. Tracy and David Lant were captured but escaped from Routt County Jail in Hahns Peak Village. They were recaptured and sent to Aspen jail in June 1898, but they escaped again after a couple of months. Lant disappears from history, but Tracy moved on to Washington and Oregon.
In late 1901, Tracy was captured, convicted, and sent to the Oregon State Penitentiary. On June 9, 1902, he escaped from prison with fellow convict David Merrill, killing corrections officers Thurston Jones Sr., Bailey Tiffany, Frank Ferrell, and three civilians in the process. He evaded capture for about a month, mainly around the Seattle area.
On June 28, 1902, Tracy and Merrill fought in a duel. Tracy cheated by starting early, and Merrill was killed. Merrill’s body was found on July 14. On July 3, 1902, Tracy ambushed and killed detective Charles Raymond and deputy John Williams near Bothell, Washington. He took hostages and fought more officers, killing posse member Cornelious Rowley and police officer Enoch Breece.
On August 6, 1902, near Creston, Washington, Tracy was wounded in the leg by a posse and surrounded. He killed himself to avoid capture.
Tracy’s pistol is on display at the White River Valley Museum in Auburn, Washington, and his death mask is at the Lincoln County Museum in Davenport, Washington.
In popular culture, he was portrayed by Steve Brodie in a 1954 episode of Stories of the Century and by Bruce Dern in the 1982 film Harry Tracy, Desperado. The song Look Away by Big Country is said to be about his last stand.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 09:06 (CET).