Harry Tracy & David Merrill: The End of the Outlaw Partnership | Ep. 5

After escaping the Oregon State Penitentiary, Harry Tracy and David Merrill had made it across the Columbia River and into Washington—but the manhunt was only growing larger.Moving through the countryside of southwestern Washington, the two fugitives relied on stolen food, clothing, horses, and the people they encountered along the way to stay ahead of the posses closing in behind them. Reports of Tracy and Merrill spread quickly, while militia, bloodhounds, sheriffs, and armed citizens searched roads, farms, and timber for any sign of the escaped convicts.But as the pressure mounted, the partnership between Tracy and Merrill began to unravel.Newspaper reports, old suspicions, and questions of betrayal drove a wedge between the two men. Tracy would later give conflicting explanations for what happened next—describing everything from an argument to a supposed duel—but somewhere near Napavine, Washington, David Merrill was shot and killed. His body was left hidden beneath the brush, bringing an abrupt end to the partnership that had carried the two men from prison cells in Salem into one of the largest manhunts in the Pacific Northwest.With Merrill dead, Harry Tracy continued north alone.Episode 5 follows Tracy and Merrill through their flight across Washington, the growing hunt surrounding them, the collapse of their partnership, and the disputed circumstances surrounding Merrill’s death.By the time Tracy emerged from the timber without his longtime partner, the Harry Tracy manhunt was about to enter an entirely new—and far more violent—chapter.This is Episode 5 of the complete Harry Tracy Deep Dive.#HarryTracy #DavidMerrill #HarryTracyDeepDive #WildWest #OldWest #OutlawHistory #WesternHistory #AmericanWest #WashingtonHistory #PacificNorthwestHistory #ForgottenHistory #WildWestDeepDives