Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-04-27
MAN HUNTERS
rlu moon HOUNDS or GEORGIA.
wosprnruL rsmnnos 90 KEsS scrsr.
..t.... .......tt...t...s

ing through a dozen squads OF eonviet.
,hA, an hour later be could pa, bis
hounds on that convietf track. and they
would thread him through the squad OF
conviei.. and finally bring him up. |
remarked tha, could understand how
the hounds might carp convict. track
through a crowd Of outsider. from scent
Of the camp. bat no, how they could sep
sra,c one convict from another.
AgAun, convict. long Of Leg and flank,
was selected for the run lie Was told
TO pa, OF quickly. circle 10 the woods I,
take a swim run over the fields, roads.
and through every squad Of oonvieis be
could find in his way. This be did.
The hounds were then loafng about the
.,ockade yard. a. lis,less = 10, Of dogs a.
ever were seen. "lm tempted" said
Mr.. Williams. "io le, the convict ride a
mile or two after be hA. run a mile. |
have had dog. trail eoavie, on aorse'
back four miles. and then take the track
where he Jumped from the horse. by
,h. time the flying convict was small
.peek on the broad fields. and in mo-
ment more had melted into the horizon
and was gone. a. n. indeed. he had
found that liberty Tor which bis soul
painted and had gone a. the strong.
winged birds 20 when they vanish in the
blue ether.
In an hour We mounted our horses.
The hound. were still loahng abou, in
the sunshine. Suddenly Mr.. Williams,
,quAring himself in biz saddle. blew three
quick. .hof, blast. on the cows horn
iha, hung by hi. side. A. II by magic.
the hound. awaksd aud charged At his
,adtle-esgcr. bAying. frantic. Mig
ger" he said sen,eniiou,ly. Like the
wind they were on. nose to the gouod.
tail. up. eireling like beaglss. Larger
the circles grew. the hounds silent a.
,psc,re.. eye. and nose eating the earth
for iis secret. They will pass over the
track. Of convict squad.. bat will open
on the frs, single track they find. IL Il
1, the wrong track, We will simply 80
s,ill. They will run !, hundred yards
OF 30. and. noting our silence. they will
throw j, of and search again. When
they re, the right track. We will halloo
and start AFTER The hound that has L.
The Others Will join him, and III, race Is
opened.
Az las, a rel hound. careering Ike
mad across the field. hAlis suddenly.
tumble. over himself. face. about, noses
the ground eagerly. lifi, bis head, IA.
o.o.o.w.u'" and !. of Ike an arrow from
a boss,ring. "ThAis the track shouts
Williams. and af,sr the hoslins hound
We 90. The other dogs join Ia pell neil
a, first. then each hound true 70 the
track. in full cry and Al rafting gait
Away OF TO the lef Captain James calls
attention 20 moving speck against the
sky. "ThA, j. the convict eircling back
20 camp" he said. On the dogs went.
keen a. the wind, inexorAble a. fate.
following the track Of the eoaviei a. true
. hi, own shadow. Across the track
Of hundreds Of Others. aloag high roads.
over fisld.. through herds Of cattle. by
other convict. ihA, smiled grimly A. they
passed. the hounds vent, perslsienily
and surely holding the track Of the
hyins convict where IL had been laid a.
lightly a. thistle on the firm earth, but
where il lefs is isll.,ale seen, all the
same. Nothing could shake them Oft
nothing check their fariou, rush. Over
other track. made by convict, wearing
Shoes from the same las; and same box
they went without hindmnee, led by some
Intangible miracle Of the air, straight on
a single trail.
Nov we'll see them wind hi, seen,
fifty yard, away" said Williams, As We
nesred patch OF forest. Close TO lhi,
va. a squad OF eonviei,. These We had
sen, through the wool, an hour before.
We had made ",rus,iss," walking sin.
sly. touch every bush and tree. Then
the eonvie, we were trailing was run
through. making 4 hall circle with AZ
leas, fhy yards radius. The hounds
entered the fores, ~ a hasilins pace, a
small red dog leading Suddenly the
leader faliered for an Instant, with nose
in air. then burst with fierce cry 10 the
leh. ran obliqaely for fall hfty yards.
with head up. when be- took up again
the track OF the convict. aud lowered his
head to the ground. lie had simply made
a short cut across the semi-cifele, hAv.
Ing caught seen, Of the convic, on the
bushes more than a hundred feet away.
am aware ,hA, this !, Incredible TO those
who have never seen Il. eanno, ex-
plain what II !. ,hA, the lying man. clad
and she'd a. hundred Others, FED on the
same food. chained daily 10 the same
chain. and sleeping in the same hunks a,
nigh, imparis to yielding ,wig touched
by his clothes 80 tha, IL attracts a hound
fifty yards away. But !, certainly does
us, that.
The last ties, was now coming. We
were moving toward squad Of eonyicis
a, work in a cotton Held. We had sen,
the fugitive convict through this squad
We had made them walk In double
circle around him They then crossed
and recro.ed hi. tracks, many Of them
wearing exactly such shoes as be wore.
One hour later the hounds struck thi,
point. There vas not an in.,ani's pause.
Through the lAbyrinth Of tracks the
hounds went, as swallows through the
air. hunying ineIorably on the one track
they had chosen.
The end was now near. The convict,
having run bis race, W. seen leaning
agAins, a tree. and watching the hounds
plunging toward him. "Won'i he climb
the tree p I asked. "No; the hound.
are trained simply to bay the eonvicis
when they come up With them. Other
wise the convic,s would kill them" by
this time the hounds had sighted him.
They halted about twenty yards away
from the tree against which be stood.
and bsyed him furiously. Pretty music
u - n