The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-10-23
The 'BloodhOund" Show.

John Thomas Butler, of Hamburg, S..
c., has brought to New York pack of
hounds with which he proposes to show
the manner in which runaway slaves were
formerly hunted and convicts are still
pursued in the South. He asserts that an
exaggerated impression prevails at the
North respecting the cruelty of this prac.
tice, and his exhibitions are intended to
make money and also to illustrate his
claim that the purpose of using the
hounds is simply to find and detain the
fugitives without injuring them. He
has brought with him a negro, named
"Sam," who is willing to play the runa-
way, and a sturdy little mare, whose
speed is to give him an advantage over
the hounds. A reporter accepted an in
vitation to inspect the pack before the
exhibition, and approached, with trepi-
dation, the stable where they were con-
fined. On entering he found himself, to
his surprise, in the midst of dozen long.
headed, playful fox-hounds. "Why,"
said he, "these are not blood-hounds." +"
"They are as near to it as we have in
South Carolina" said Mr.. Butler. "What
do you call them ?" "We call them
'nigger' dogs, or fox dogs. They are the
same that were formerly used to catch
fugitive slaves, and no huge savage
blood-hounds, such as you have heard
about, can be found down there. wan
ted to travel little, and brought these
dogs along to pay my expenses, and to
show you all at the North thatwe are not
as bad as we are said to be"
"Sam" mounted the mare, and rode
down the hill on which the spectators sat
to the judges stand in Fleetwood Park,
where he dismounted and started to run
at pace that would win him place in
short distance foot-race. He ran about
quarter of mile just inside the track,
and then rushed in behind some bushes.
Mr.. Butler called his hounds by sound
ing an old cow-horn, and started them in
pursuit by kind of scat CALL" Catch
ing the scent quickly, they followed, bay.
ing loudly, and were lost to sight. The
negro reappeared from the bushes, and
running quickly to the fence, remounted
the mare andgalloped around the course.
The dogs came behind, at 9 considerable
distance, taking his exact course, but
when they came to where the negro had
remounted they were puzzled. In try
ing to recover the scent they got across
the former trail and gave up the hunt
Mr.. Butler had said before the trial that
the high wind and the dry ground would
make it difficult to give satisfactory
exhibition on that day. "Sam" then
came up with the pack, and again started,
mounted from the beginning this time,
with the pack at his heels, and an excit-
ing chase took place around the course,
with odds in favor of the mare. She in
creased her lead all the way around.
Reaching the gate "Sam" consented to be
"treed," and mounting the high gatepost,
awaited the hounds. When they found
him they redoubled their noise, and
leaped high into the air, trying to reach
the negro, who beat them off with his
whip, until Mr.. Butler came up and
sounded his horn, at which the barking
ceased as by magic, and the fugitive
came down. Mr.. Butler said the dogs
would have bitten the negro, well as they
knew him, had he descended before the
horn sounded, unless he had club with
which to beat them of. The moral
seemed to be that runaway slave must
be careful to have tree handy when the
dogs overtake him or, if he is caught in
swamp, he should be able to cut q
hickory stick in season.
J. T. Butler is not relative of Gen.
NJ. @. Butler. He is young man of
twenty-five, of pleasant manners. His
father had both slaves and dogs, and on
one occasion tracked a man three hum
dred miles, and brought him back. Mr..
Butler expects to exhibit his dogs in
other parts of the country, and in Eu-
rope.-Mc,o York Tribune.