The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-10-16
RLOODHOUNDS iSiNG n
GROkS IN NEW YORK.

IN order to show how * ld'cal news
pspers. two y,ass ago. and MIR.
Stoves book have exaggerated terri re
incident to the pursuit of negroes by
so-cslled "bioodhounds," Colonel
Batter of South Carolina has transfer
red his pack of NEGRO dogs" to New
York City and those fellows that play
at polo and are delighted by county
sports aud fox chasing will be invited
to join 10 the negro chase. Mr.. Butler
was interviewed, the Herald tells,
when he Landed in the great city With
his pack and said:
"You think they'll eat my 10y Sam
up, don't youl but they DOME do any
thing of the kind. They are under
full control, and when put on the trail
will notice no one but the person they
are sent after. | have purposely
brought this horse, Minnie, with me
for the negro Sam. He'll imp on the
horse, which possesses great endurance.
He will lash him into furious eallop.
The hounds will then pursue him.
They will appear to be beyond all con-
troll. The pursued negro jumps of his
horse and ensconces himself in what
he presumes to be a safe shelter among
the boughs of tree far above the reach
of the inluIiated apimals. They dis
regard the horse and sssail the tree
with the fury of demons until they
hear the horn of the masters in the rear.
Then the pursued negro can come down
and the dogs fawn upon him.
'It is not necessary for me" contin
ued Col. Batter, 'to go int lengthy
details as to how We train these
hounds. A mere accident made nae
prominent in the Hamburg riots, but
ever since my boyhood my father, Rob-
ert j. Bu!le'. used to track negroes.
This was before the war. When this
Hamburg riot took place, my father
sent a note to Congressman h. G. But
Ter, denying the right of the armed ne
groes TO block our way when coming
from Augusta to Hamburg. The ne
groes boldly proclaimed that the fiat
member of the Butler family showing
hrs face would be shot. 1t was the n
that the skirmIsh occurred which re-
suited IN the death of six negrOs and
one white man. My obj .ct in coming
North is to show your people re-
maikable feature of the Gn'e bellum
slave life of the South. | am a simple
f,rmer, but while so much has been
said as to this slave tracking by blood
hounds before and during the war, /
intended to show that the dogs have
been SO trained that they will cease to
pursue a negro when ordered to stop.
Slave tracking has been, ever since l
remember, great business in the
South. Slaves going over fences end
through swamps for more than 300
miles have been successfully pursued
by these hounds, but they are all
trained to a nicely, and never will do
harm except by order of their master.
They are Of the regular Georgia and
Carolina breed, and, though rather ex-
pensive, were always considered q nee
essary adjunct t. our system"
Sam Button, well developed ne
gro, was next interviewed by the re-
porrer. He mad never bs:o-e been
North, and was rather anxious tn get
a peep at the big city of New York.
Nevertheless, his solicituie for the
hounds and little Minnie, the horse,
somewhat delayed his Efforts to get
ashorse. Sam said that he was born
in Putnam county, Georgia, and had
been working for wages during the
last few years in Georgia until he came
to to luth Carolina, where he began
working by. the day. When asked
whether he was ut all scared when
the formidable horn Ia tracked him be
innocently said that when these dogs
were at his heels he "felt just as good
as If he was in he first class car of a
railroad train"
Colonel Butler. will at once eLt.r
into negotiations with the managers of
jerome Park for the purpose of furn
ishing the people of New York an op-
portunity to witness the perfect con-
troll he has over the bloodhOuuds
which have been regarded with so
much horror.