Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-26
MAN HUNTING IN GEORGIA.
Extraordinary Tracking Power OF
Hounds

A writer in the Atlanta Gnstiiu,ion, in a Cos
sipy article about the ''convict farm" at Old.
town, In Georgia, tells the following remark
able story: While ut Oldtown saw a race be-
tween a convict and the hounds. 1t came about
in this way: Mr.. Williams claimed, and he was
backed by Capt james, that any convict could
be selected out of q hundred and sent of to
circle through the woods, passing through q
dozen squads Of convicts; that an hour later he
could put his hounds on that convict's track
and they would thread him through the squads
of convicts, never be shaken from his individual
track and finally bring him up. / remarked
that could understand how the hounds might
carry convict's track through crowd of out
siders from some peculiar scent of the camp
but not how they could separate one convict
nom another.
There may be hundred convcts," he said,
'ciothed precisely alike, and wearing precisely
the same shoes. They may feed together on
precisely the same food, and sleep in hunks that
cover. And yet each one Of them has a scent
that marks him just is distinctly 10 my hounds
nom his fellows as his appearance marks him
under your deliberate study"
"And do you expect me TO believe that the
dogs can catch this scent from the flying touch
OF his thick shoes on the hard ground:"
undoubtedly. And further. He may stop
In squad and change shoes with a convict,
and the dogs win still follow him. On the hard
though mis- shoe soles are half an inch thick.
When he runs through the woods where his
clothes touch the bushes, they will trail him
lei, but away from where he ran"
DO You mean that You can take fifty con-
throna an fiad h IN CONVEX t SUITS let tner run run
dogs are trailingthrough the same bushes ,andthe
scent of his body, left on the yielding twigs as
through the maZe?"
Eyes; fifty yards away, they will run it paral-
e esa let TO otRReps h5s HIM through
the woods. will let him make Semi-circle
In the woods with fifty yards radius. When
the curve they will scent the opposite side of
the circle, fifty yards away, cut across to IL,
take the track up there and follow it,"
gaunt convict, long of leg and flank, was
selected for the run. He was told to put on
quickly, circle in the woods, take swift run
convlcts he could find in his way. This he did.
The hounds were then loafing about the stock
AIDE AIDE yard as iistiess lot Of dogs as ever were
let the convict ride horse for a mile or two
after he has run awhile. have had dogs to
trail a convict on horseback four miles and
then take the track where he jumped from the
horse" By this time the flying convict was "A
small speck on the broad fields, and in mo-
was gone, as If indeed he had found that liberty
Tor which his soul painted, and had gone as the
strong-winged birds go when they vanish IN
the blue ether.
In an hour we mounted our horses. The
hounds were still lOafing about in the sunshine.
his saddle, blew three quick, short blasts on the
cows horn that hung al his side. AS If by magic,
the hounds awaked. and charged at his saddle
tentiously. Like the wind they were of, nose
to the ground, tails up, circling like beagles.
Larger the circles grew, the MOUNDS siien. "a. as
secret. ''rhey will pass over the tracks of con-
Wet squads, but will open on the first single
track they find. II 1t is the wrong track we
will Simply sit still. They will run it a hundred
yards or so, and noting our silence will throw
1t on and search again. When they get the
hound that has il. The Others will at once join
him and the race is opened
AT last red hound, careering like mad across
the field, halts suddenly, tumbies over himself,
faces about, noses the ground eagerly, lifts his
head, "A-a-o-o-o-w-u.' and is OFT like an arrow
from bowstring. That's the track shouts
Williams and after the bowling hound we go.
The other dogs join in peil NEIL at first, then
each hound true to the track, in iuii cry and at
u rattliug gate Away off to the left Captain
James calls attention to a moving speck against
the sky. That is the convict circling back to
camp he said. On the dogs went, Keen as the
WIND, memorable fate. following the track OF
the convict as true as his own shadow. Across
the tracks of hundreds of others. along high
roads, over fields, through herds of cattle, by
other cOnvictS that smiled grimiy as they
passed, the hounds went holding the track of
the flying convict where it had been laid as
lightly as thistle on the firm earth, but where it
left its teIltale scent all the same. Nothing
could Shake them of-nothing check their
furious rush. Over other tracks made by con-
victs wearing shoes from the same last aud
same box they went without hinderance, led
by some Intangible miracle Of the air, straight
OH single trail.
'Now we'll see them wind his scent fifty yards
away" said Williams, as we neared patch OF
Gres close t. talswas SQUAD OF eUny hr
before I'VE had made TRUSTEES" walking sim
gly, touch every bush and tree. Then the con-
vict we were trailing was run through, making
half circle, with at least fifty yards radius.
The hounds entered the forest at a hustiing
pace, small red dog leading. Suddenly the
leader faltered for an Instant, with nose in air,
then burst with fierce cry to the lett, ran OBJ
!iquely for fully fifty yards, with head up, when
he took up again the track of the convict, and
lowered his head to the ground. He mad SIM
ply made short cut across the semi circle, hav-
ing caught scent of the convict on the bushes
more than hundred feet away. / ain aware
that this is incredible to those who have never
seen it. l cannot explain what it is that the
flying man, cad and shod as hundred others,
fed on the same food, chained daily to the same
chain and sleeping in the same hunks at nights
imparts TO a yielding twig touched by his
clothes so that it attracts a hound fifty yards
away. But it certainly does just that thing.
The last test was now coming. We were NOV
ing squad of cOnvicts ut work in a cotton
field. We had sent the fugitive convict through
this SQUAD. We had then made them walk In
O double circle around him. They then crossed
and recrossed his tracks, many OF them wearing
exactly such shoes as he wore. One hour later
the hounds struck this point There was not
an instants pause. There was no deviation,
OF tracks the hounds went as Swallows through
the air. hurrying inexorably on the one track
they had chosen.
run his race was seen leaning against a tree,
and watching the hounds plunging toward him.
won't he climb the tree?" l asked. "No, the
hounds are trained to simply bay the convicts
when they come up with them. Otherwise
the convicts would kill Them" By this time
the hounds had sighted him. They halted
about twenty pards away from the tree against
which he stood and bayed him furiOusy.
Pretty music they made, and not deeper than
have heard often and again under a 'possum
tree. Mr.. Williams called them off and the
convict came forward. Dem puppies is dom
mighty well cap'n," he said, grinning as he
lazily swung by, on his way to the stockade
These dogs are not blood hounds. 1 doubt If
there is a bloodhound in Georgia-though two
are reported near Gainesville, descended from
pair owned by Col. jeff. Johnson in the days
OF slavery. The Oldtown dogs are fox-hounds
of the Redbone breed, trained tor several gene
rations to hunt men. They are never tempted
by other game. They are neither fierce or
powerful, and are relied on solely to trail the
convict and lead his pursuerS to his lair.
ERRATIC ENGLISH.
Some fragrant Abuses by Trollope and