Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-12-31
THE BLOOD-HOUNDS
e mplOyed In the Performance OF "UncIe
Toms Cabin" Excite the Indignation
OF the Virginians.
WhatExperieneed Ex-Slave.Owners Have
to Say About the Use Of Dogs in Hunt
ing Runaway Negroes.

The Lynchburg correspondent of the
Chicago Tribune writes that mo little talk
and excitement was caused in this as we'll as
other cities Of Virginia BY the appearance of
Abbey's Uncle Toms Cabin Company. The
principle cause of the excitement and indig-
nation appears to have been the presence Of
i've big bloodhounds who, beside figuring
in the drama, were paraded through the
streets every day as an advertisement of the
performance. When The company arrived
| here Its Iame-or, rather, the fame of the
bloodhounds used in chasing the negroes
had preceded il, and in consequences the
| white part OF the population had worked it.
self up 10 a state of indignation, and the
| management deemed 1t wise upon hearing OF
this not to have the performance in Lynch
| burg. 1t was whispered around that a num-
Der of young men had determined to break
it up.
As Uncle Toms Cdtin has frequently been
| played in Virginia theaters before without
causing this outburst of Indignation, the
Tribune correspondent asked one Of the lead
! log citizens what was the reason OF II at this
late day.
"Why, sir" was the reply from the gentle
man, who is an cid and leading citizen of The
place, and had been large STAKEHOLDER I'M
Ill the close of the war, "What we object to
is this use of bloodheuads. 1t is an outrage
and gross Misrepresentation of the South,
| and should not be countenaucea. II il bad
/ enough for this to be done at the North, but
to come here in our midst and parade these
bloodhounds through our streets, and at
/ night have them in our theaters following
| upon The track of fugitive negroes is simply
| insulting MS in cur own homes.o
"Do you mean to say that bloodhounds
/ were not used for this purpose In the South7"
Certainly L do" replied the ex-sIave-
owner; shut will not 90 as far as that. 1
| have never been further South than North
IL \ a.
| ton and sugar producing States am not pre-.
pared 10 say with authority, although / H.
cline 10 the belief that bloodhounds were
never used anywhere 10 the South for track
ing negroes. / do assert positively, OF my
own knowledge, that neither in Virginia nor
North Carolina were bloodhounds ever used
for this purpose. / knew nearly all the prin-
cipel slave-owners in those two States, and
know that they did no. resort to such prac-
tices. am now an old man, aud have
never seen bloodhound in Virgiaia until /
saw the four parading the streets with Alb
bey's company. The South has been cruelty
misrepresented in this "a alter"
The speaker seems to have reflected The
sentiments of the citizens OF the other prin-
cipsl cities IN Virginia. At Richmond, the
Abbey Company, while not spprehendiDg
any violence, met with very cool reception.
The company Was booked for four nights and
played to empty benches. % the last night
they had twelve people in the house. The
papers opened fire upon the bloodhound
business, and kept it up from first 10 last.
10 Norfolk the anti-bIoodhound talk was
80 great as to break up the performance
there. Following upon the trail of the
bloodhound question, the correspondent in
terviewed two former residents in the far
South, one who had been a planter in the
vicinity of Mobile, and the other promi-
nent lawyer of Mississippi. "Yes," said the
latter; "hounds were used in my State, some
times, 10 trace up runaway negroes. No
body in Mississippi will deny that. They
were not bloodhounds. though, and in order
to have the opportunity of correcting an i'm
preston which, despite the immense amount
of matter that has been written about the |
South, has until now passed uunoticed, i am
glad you have asked me the question. The |
hounds used for the purpose Of tracing |
runaway slaves were not bloodhound, |
prised, and perhaps shocked, at the ex-
preston, but you will understand why the |
name given was especially appropriate. The |
negro hound was the common hound trained |
for the purpose of following anything, even |
a wagon-in fact anything that went over |
the ground. These hounds we're not used for |
hunting, but were kept only for the purpose |
of tracing up fugitive slaves. They were |
harmless so far as biting was concerned, and |
1 am sure that ne instance can be cited OF |
man having been bitten by them. When |
they caught up with the slave they were |
also. II he moved on they followed, and |
they did not leave the trail until their mas
ter came up. He might have been len miles |
behind, but they kept on the track of the |
fugitive, who, always realizing that escape |
was impossible, generally either took to a
tree or stood still until his pursuers came mp, |
aud then he surrendered. There was one /
in which the at oal
to escape despite the hounds. 1t was by
supplying himself with basket of meet cut |
in small slices and tainted with powerful |
poison. These scraps OF meat he dropped at
intervals, and they were eaten by the hounds
with fatal results, of course. This mode
of escape, however, was only success
fully followed where the pack of hounds was
small. Had planters been cruel enough to
use bloodhounds for tracing slaves, motives
of self-interest alone would have prevented
them from using these ferccious dogs for
such purpose. Bloodhounds would have
torn the slave to pieces before the driver ar
rived. Now, want you 10 understand that
while / am speaking of these negro hounds
do not mean to convey the idea that their
use was general. You asked me whether or
not bloodhounds were used in the South 10
capture fugitive slaves, and replied no,
and proceeded, in the interest of historical
accuracy, to explain why the wild reports
about negroes being torn to pieces by blood
hounds had their origin. believe l can
safely assert that no authentic instance can
be cited of negro in the South being torn
to pieces by hounds, or torn at ALL"
The Alabama planter made the same state
menf, and went on further to say: 81 never
saw a bloodhound in my life. In my State,
as in other of the neighboring States, there
were here and there what were known as
negro hounds but they were rarely kept.
They were sometimes hired out to planters.
l am not sure that in some instances they
were not owned by free negroes, who hired
them out when needed for follow
ing fugitive slaves. Planters them
selves rarely owned pack. A man in
a county might have pack, which he
kept 10 hire out, and when a slave at
tempted to escape his owner would send to |
The party who had the pack of negro ho1nds,
and he would Immediately come with his
hounds. No one was ever hurt by them.
They were trained not to bite, for the very
object of their employment would have been |
defeated bad they destroyed the property
hey had been called into requisition 10
ave. The employment of negro hounds
was rare, however. During the war they
we're employed in a novel way, and far more
than in catching runaway slaves.
have been surprised that the interesting
act has escaped the war chroniclers. During
he operations around Mobile, when it be- {
,ams necessary 10 protect the Confederate
inc of telegraph, the officers were at their !
Fits' end TO know how to prevent the enemy !
rom cutting the wires. As fast as this lins
vas up and in working order il would be :
dipped by parties of Northern soldiers am 8
,ushed for the purpose. Ii took regiments {
o guard the wires. Some one fortunately !
bought of the negro hounds Eand they I
Vere called into reqnisition. There was no
more cutting OF wires after that, as the G
nemy's men engaged in the business we're 9
traced up and caught. The !
rounds we're then sometimes jocularly called l
Yankee dogs and the war dogs OF the e
Their drivers regularly pa g
rolled The telegraph line with them"
The "Modern Haxar."
Says Mr.. Watterson, in the Courier Journal, ! I
n concluding a review of The Modern Hagar: D
Though essentially plea for woman, il is '
strong and eloquent and at the same time 2
most enlightened plea for the South. There Q
no begging OF issues. The truth is told y
mind and has v