Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-02-25
WONDERFUL INSTINCT.
How a Pack OF Trainod Hounds
Tracked q Georgia Convict.

How a Pack OF Trainod Hounds
Tracked n Georgia Convict.
At Oldtown | saw q race between q
convict and the hounds. 1t came about
in this way: Mr.. Williams claimed.
that he was backed by Captain James,
that any convict could be selected out
of II hundred and sent of to circle
through the woods, passing through
dozer different 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 con-
victs. never be shaken from his indi-
vidual track. and finally bring him up.
I remarked that could understand how
the hounds might carry the convict's
track through acrowd of outsiders from
some peculiar scent of the camp, but not
how they could separate one convict
from another.
There may be hundred convicts,
he said. "clo,hcd precisely alike, and
wearing precisely the same shoes. They
may feed together on precisely the same
food. and sleep in hunks that touch
each other under precisely the same
cover. And yet each of them has
seen, that marks him just rs distinctly
to my hounds from his fellows as his
appearance marks him under your de-
liberatc study"
"And do YOU expect me to believe
that the dogs can catch this scent from
the dying touch Of his thick shoes on
the hard grounds"
"Undoubtedly. And further. He
may stop in squad and change shoes
with n convict. and the dogs will still
follow him. On the haElest ground.
his seen, will be plain to them, though
his shoe socs are half an inch thick.
When he runs through the woods
where his clothes touch the bushes,
they will trail him, heads up, in full
cry, fifty yards, running parallel. but
away from where he ram"
"Do YOU mean that YOU can take fifty
conyic,s. all clad in convict suits. let
them run through the bushes. then
send the convict the dogs are trailing,
through the same bushes, and the scent
of his body, left on the yielding twigs
rs his clothes brush them, will lead the
hounds through the mazc?"
"Ycs; fifty yards away. they will
run it parallel at full speed. To prove
this. | will start u convict. / will let
others follow him through the woods.
will let him make semicirclc in the
woods with fifty yards radius. When
the hounds come to this, instead of fol-
lowing the curve they will scent the
opposite side of the circle. fifty yards
away. cut across to it, take the track
up there and follow it,"
A gaunt convict, long Of leg and
flank. was selected for the run. He
was told to put of quickly. circle in
the woods. take q swift run over the
fields. roads and through every squad
of convic,s he could find in his way.
This he did. The hounds were then
loaiing about the stockade yard rs list
less u 10. of dogs as ever were seen. "l
am tempted" said Mr.. Williams, ito
let the convict ride horse for mile
or two after he had run awhile. have
had dogs to trail convict on horse
back four miles, and then take the
track where he jumped from the
horse" BY this time the flying con-
vic: was small speck on the broad
fields. and in amoment more had melt
cd into the horizon and was gone, as
II, indeed, he had found that liberty for
which his soul painted. and had gone as
the strong-wingcd birds so when they
vanish in the blue ether.
In an hour we mounted our horses.
The hounds were still loafing In the
sunshine. Suddenly Mr.. Williams,
squaring himself in his saddle, blew
three quick, short blasts on the cows
horn that hung at his side. As II by
magic, the hounds awaked. and
charged at his saddle-eagcr, baying,
frantic. "Niggerr he said. senten-
tiously. Like the wind they were OIL,
nose to the ground, tails up. circling
like beaglcs. Larger the circles grew,
the hounds silent as specters, eyes and
nose eating the earth for its secret.
"They will pass over the tracks OF con-
vict squads, but will open up on the
first single track they find. II 1t is the
wrong track. we will simply sit still.
They will run it q hundred rods or so,
and noting our silence will throw 1t of
and search again. When they get the
right track, wc will halloo, and start
after the hound that has It. The 9th.
ers will at once join him and the race
Is opened"
At last n red hound, careering ike
mad across the field. halts suddenly,
tumbles over himself. faces about,
noses the ground eagerly, lifts his
head, "A.a-o-o-o.w-u!" and Is off like
an arrow from bowstring. That's
the track" shouts Williams. and after
the bowling hound we go. The other
dogs join in pell.mell at first, then each
hound true to the track, in full cry and
at rafting gait. Away of to the left
Captain James calls attention to a
moving speck against the sky. THAT
il the convict circling back to camp"
he said. On the dogs went, keen as the
wind, inexorable as fate, following the
tracs Of the convict as true as his own
shadow. Across the tracks Of hundreds
of otbers olonO hiph roads. Oyer Helda.