The Burlington weekly hawk-eye., 1863-03-21
New Uee of Rloodhaunds.

Ole fne summers Sunday afternoon, as q
steamboat YVES stopping at leuding ou the Mis-
si-sppi to take in wood, the passengers were
surprised to see two or three youog, athletic ne
groes perched up in tree like monkeys, and
| about as many bloodhounds underneath, barking
and yelping and jumping up in vain endeavors to
seize the frightened negroes The overseer was
standing by encouraging the dogs, and several
bystanders were looking Cd, enjoying the sport
1t was only the owner of some bloodbouuds train
ing his dogs, and keepiLg them in practice, so as
| to be able to hunt down the runsways, who Of
ten secrete themselves in the woods It wrs
thought fine sport, and useful, too, in its way,
ten years ago
But now tine same hounds are being made use
Of all through Alabama and Mississippi, and we
have DO doubt of other of the Southern States,
to hunt down white men hiding in the woods to
escape the fierce conscription act, which is now
seizing about every man under sixty years OF
age able to carry gun. Nor is this the worst
1t is found that those camped out are supple
with food brought them by their children, who
60 out apparently to play in the woods, aud then
slip off and carry provisions to their fathers
To meet this exigency, bloodhounds are now
employed to follow these children GU their pi-
GUS errands and the other day beautiful little
girl was thus chased and overtaken in the woods,
and there torn in pieces, alone and unaided, BY
the trained bloodhounds of Jefferson Davis!-
Nor is this solitary case. 1t appears that manv
white men, women and children are thus now
sacrificed in order to carry out the CONSUMPTION
act in all it's terrors
In large number Of cases those who are thus
hunted down, are such as have in some way *
hbited Union proclivities, for, although such
have ceased to offer any opposition to the reb-
els, they do not like taking up arms against The
flag Of the Union to which many Of them have,
in former days, sworn Allegiance. These uer-
sons, and all suspected, are especially marked
out as objects of the conscription aud The blood
hound, be their ages and fighting qualities what
they may. AID these are the men hunted Down
with dogs, and their wives aud their children, If
,hev attempt to follow thsm. There are, how
ever, many men not Uniopists, and willing to
contribute Of their property to any amount to
support the rebels, but now being drawn into the
conscriptiop, or, having tasted the desperate
neglects of tie rebel service, have deserted, and
will not again take up arms. Their wives are
ladies', most delicate and tender, and their cLil-
dren brought up with refinement and delicacy
of the most perfect character, until this war be-
gan. And these are the women that now have
to wander alone in the woods, in search oftheir
husbands. brothers and sons; and these are the
little girls, who, going to carry food TO their
relatives. are liable at any moment to be over
taken by swift hounds, let loose and set upon
their track by the agents of Jefferson Davis
It may be doubted if war itself, ever but once
in the history of mankind, proved so disastrous
to a people, by the hands of those en-.
gsged in carrying it on. Perhaps, in the final
destruction Of Jerusalem, there may have been
scenes of greater kand more ieAdish cruelty by
the actions of John and Simon destroying each
other, while both were at war with the Romans.
And what must be the state of the South when
t delicate woman, who would hardly set her foot
on the ground for delicacy, and used to have ser.
is reduced to straits like these, and children are
torn to pieces by the dogs of humble hunters
after white flesh for Jefferson Davis shambles.
-[Phila Ledger