The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-01-29
ON TILE NEGRO'S TRAIL.
HOUNDS ON THE SCENT AT a
GEORGIA CONVICT CAMP.
An Experiment Made as q Test-The
Dogs at the start-Following the
Scent Fifty Yards Away
The Chase Ended.

1nD NaH&Be EHucOs
Mr. Williams claimed, and he was backed
by Capt James, that any convict could be
selected out of hundred and sent off to
circle through the woods, passing through a
dozen squads of convicts; that an hour after
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 outsiders from
some scent of the camp, but not how they
could separate one convict from another.
"There may be hundred convicts, VI he
said, clothed 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 scent that marks him just as dis
tinctly to my hounds from his fellows, as
his appearance marks him under your de-
hberate study"
A gaunt convict, long of leg and flank,
was selected for the run. He was told TO
put off quickly, circle in the woods, take q
swift run over fields, roads, and through
every squad of coRvicts he could find in his
way. This he did. The hounds were then
loafing about the stockade yard, as listless a.
lot of dogs as ever were seen. "rm tempted"
said MIR. Williams, ITO let the convict ride q
horse for mile or two after he has run
awhile. have bad dogs trail convict On
horseback four miles, and then take the
track where he jumped from the horse" By
this time the flying convict was small
speck on the broad fields, and in a moment
more had melted into the horizon and was
gone, as if, indeed, he had found that liberty
for which his soul painted and had gone as
the strong winged birds go when they Ean-
ish in the blue ether
THE HOUNDS AT THE START.
In an hour we mounted our horses. The
hounds were still loafng about ia the sun
shine. Suddenly Mr.. Williams, squaring
himself in his saddle, blew three quick, short
blasts on the cows horn that hung at his
side AS if by magic, the hounds awaked
and charged at his saddle-eager, baying,
frantic. "Nigger!" he said sententiousiy.
Like the wind they were OF, nose to the
ground, tails up, circling like heagies.
Larger the circles grow, the hounds silent as
specters, eyes and nose eating the earth for
its secret. "They will pass over the tracks
VI SHOaekDs pdG VILLA OpfGA O8I 6az9 ~
single track they find. If it is the wrong
track we will simply sit still. They will run
it 100 yards or SO, and, noting our silence,
will throw it off and search again. When
they get the right track, we will halloe and
start after the hound that has it. The others
will join him, and the race is opened"
At last red hound, careering like mad
across the held, halts suddenly, tambles over
himself, faces about, noses the ground
eagerly. lifts his head, "A-a-o-o-o-w-u," and
is off like ain arrow from bowssring.
"That's the track shouts Williams, and
after the bowling hound we 60. The other
dogs join in peil neil at first, then each
hound true to the track, in full cry aud at
rafting gait Away OFF to the left Capt
James calls attention to moving speek
against the sky. THAT Is the convict cir
cling back to camp" he said On the dogs
went, keen as the wind, memorable IS fats,
following the track of the cenvict as true as
his own shadow. Across the tracks Of hun
drels of others, along hiG n roads, over fields,
through herds of cattle, by other convicts,
that smiled grimly as they passed, the
hounds went, holding the track OF the flying
convict where it had been Lain az light as
thistle on the firm. earth, but where it left
the tell-tale scent all the same. Nothing
could shake them of-notbing check their
furious rush.
THE SCENT FIFTY YARDS AWAY.
"Now We'll see them wind his. scent fifty
yards away" said Williams, as we neared Q
patch of forest Close to this was squad Of
convicts These We had sent through the
woods an hour before. We had made "trus-
ties" walking singly, touch ever btash and
tree. Then the convict we were trailing was
run through, making half circle, with at
least fifty yards radius The hounds entered
the forest at a hustling pace, a small red dog
leading. Suddenly the leader faitered fer
an instant, with nose ia air, thea burst
with fierce cry to the left ran obhquely
for full fifty yards, with head up, when
he took up again the track of the convict, and
lowered his head to the ground. He bad SIM
ply made. a short cut across the setaicircle,
having caught scent Of the convict On the
bushes more than 100 fest away. am awars
that this is incredible to those who had never
seen it. I can not explain what it is that
the flying man, clad and shod as hundred
others, f3I on the same food, chained daily
to the same chain, and sleeping in the same
hunks at nights, inparts to yielding twig
touched by his clothes SO that it attracts a
hound fifty yards away. But it certainly
AOON Ju1U U1h1$cs
The last test was now coming. We
were moving toward squad of convicts at
work in cotton field. We had sent the
fugitive convict through the squad. We
had then made them walk in a double cirels
around him They then crossed and re-
crossed his tracks, many of them wearing
. exactly such shoes as he wore. One hour
later the hoands struck this point. There
was not an instant's pause. There was NO
deviation, no Let up in the pace. Through
the labyrinth of tracks the hounds went, as
swallows tarough the air, hurrying inexofa-
bly, ON the one track they had chosen.
THE END OF FHE CHASE.
The end was now near. The convict, hav-
ing ran his race, was seen leaning against
tree and watching the hounds plunging
toward him. sWon't he climb the treess 1
asked me; the hounds are trained to sim
ply bay the eonvicts when they come up
with thena Otherwise the eeaavicts would
Hill them" BY this time the hounds bad
sighted him they halted abealt twenty
yards away from the tree against which he
stood and bayed him furiesasly Pretty ma
sic they made, and not deeper than / hare
heard often and again uRdefa 'poss,am tree.
Mr. Williams called them Of, and the COR
vict came forward "Dena puppies is dain'
mighty well, capn,s he said, grinning, as
he lazily swung by ca his way to tlse stock
ade.
These dogs are net bloaIhountls doubt
If there is 3 bloodhound ia Georgia, Though
two are reported near Cartersville de-
scended from pair owned by Col JEFF
johnson in the days CT slavery. The Old
town dogs are fox hounds OF the Redbone
breed, trained for several generations 10
hunt men. They are never tempted with
other game. They are neither fierce NOR
powerful, and are relied ON solely te trail the
convict apd lead his parssaers 10 his lair.--
.Oldtown tGa.I Cor. Atlanta Constitution
New Source of Lead Pofsoninc.
The latest danger to sewing weaaen ID
reported by DIR. Arthur v. Meigs, WIG
tells of case of marked Head poisoning
in tailor. which he attributes to the use
of sewing silk treated with sugar OF lead
to give it weight, and especially to Ille
habit of biting off such thread. tits
probable that many sewing wonlen suffer
from the results of this habit, although
the poisoning is not often produced in
such intensity as to lead them to consult
physician. Chicago Herald