Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-02-25

through nerus VI Cuttic, w OtueT COne
victs that smiled grimly 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 tell.talc
scent all the same. Nothing could
shake them of-nothing check their
furious rush. Over other tracks made
by convicts wearing shoes from the
same last and same box they went
without hindrance, led by some intang.
iblc miracle Of the air, straight on q
single trail.
Now we'll see them wind his scent
fifty yards away" said Williams. rs
we ncared patch Of forest. Close to
this was q squad Of convicts. These
we had sent through the woods an hour
before. We had made TRUSTEES"
walking singly, touch every bush and
tree. Then the convict we were trail.
inc WAS run through, making n half
circle. with at least fifty yards radius.
The hounds entered the forest at a
hustlng pace. a small red dog leading.
Suddenly the leader faltcred for an in-
slant, with nose in air, then burst with
fierce cry to the left, ran obliquely 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 had simply made short cut across
the scmicircle, having caught scent Of
the convict on the bushes more than q
hundred feet away. am aware that
this is incredible to those who have
never seen il. can not explain what
it is that the flying man, clad and shod
rs a hundred Others, fed on the same
food, chained daily to the same chain.
and sleeping in the same hunks at
nights, imparts scent to a yielding
twig touched by his clothes so that it
attracts u hound fifty yards away. But
il certainly does just that thing.
The last test was now coming. We
were moving n squad of convicts at
work in cotton field. We had sent
the fugitive convict through this squad.
We had then made them walk in n
double circle around him. They then
crossed and rccrossed his tracks, many
of them wearing exactly such shoes rs
he wore. One hour later the hounds
struck this point There was not nm
instant's pause. There was no dcvia-
tion, no let up in the pace. Through
the labyrinth Of tracks the hounds went,
rs swallows through the air. hurrying
inexorably on the one track they had
chosen.
The end was now near. The convict
having run his race was seen leaning
agains, tree. and watching the hounds
pIunging toward him. Wont ho
climb the trec?" asked. mo, 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 yards away from the tree
agains; which he stood and baycd
furously. Pretty music they made
and no, deeper than have heard often
and again under y 'possum tree. Mr..
Willard called them of, and the convict
came forward. "Dcm puppies is dom
mighty well, Cap'n," he said, grinninG
as he lazily swung by on isway to the
stockadc.
These dogs are not bloodhounds-
! doubt IL there is bloodhound in
Georgia though two are reported neal
Caricrsvillc, descended from n pair
owned by Colonel jeff johnson in the
days of slavery. The Oldtown dogs
are foxhounds Of the Redbone breed,
trained for several generations to hunt
men. They are never tempted by
other game. They are neither fierce nor
pow crful. and are relied on solely to
trail the convict and lead his pursucrs
to his lair.-dtiGnta (Gd.) Constitution.