West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-04-09

hhN NWoAh anu NatAs nero
Is no use trying TO get away from
those bloodhound>. | come bacL
home. Ben DAVIS was run four mile.
and overtsken. The dogs began to
circle for the trail of Charles Williams.
which was soon secured. and he un.
run hfteen miles He tried every way
TO get the dogs of his trail, and he
crawled through railroad culvertS. over
dirt roads, went around the farm houses
and through fields He would run
back I'm his tracks, take wide circle.
ana circuit several times. He cot i'm
the center of Five Mile creek. and
walked more than two miles i'm the
water. The dogs followed the trail
through the water and caught him.
Crauswell called his dogs i'm and went
back to the prison to take the track of
Jen Garner, who, when he discovered
the dogs on his trail, made "A circuit
OF hNe miles and returned To the prison.
An interesting chase was had when
the outlaw, Renfroc, escaped with
three others Crauswcll said: "At
threc clock a. m. | was sent for to 90
To the shaft a distance of over two
miles. The prisoners had gone three
hours when | took the track. and they
had taken the railroad for Birmingham.
The dogs followed the trail 10 the city.
through the main streets until the track
branched off ON the Alabama and Great
southern railroad. ON which they went
south several miles and then went To
the mountains and divided The dogs
separated. which was an unusual thing
to do. Mr.. Justice Collins, the man
agcr of convict> at the mines. took one
pack of them, aud Mr. j. c. Moore,
the prison warden. took the other
dogs. Moore caught his man after a
scNen-mlle trail. Collins and | ran our
man twenty hours before we caught
him. We then returned to where we
had divided on the mountain, and the
dogs soon caught the trail of the third
man. He had twentv-siN hours start
OF Us, and we caught him. The dogs
could never secure a track TO Rcnfroc
and do not believe he ever left Bir.
mingham. II is very easy 10 catch
man, even If he gets an cight-hour
start 1t Is picnic for the dogs when
he only gets from two TO five hours
start, and he had aS well make a circle
and come back to the prison for the
dogs never fail. -
The longest trail this man and his
man-hunters ever had was i'm March.
1881, when negro escaped from the
shaft prison. He had gone forty miles
and had been away twenty-cight hours
The dogs had trouble TO catch his scent
after such time The negro took an
astonishing run and went about ten
miles through water He was found
at last on the top of an old house on
the mountain near Warrior river He
was half starved when captured
trauswell wa, asked to speak of
some of the characteristics Of his dogs
Il am convinced said he, "bcvond
the shadow of Il doubt. that blood
hound has more than one instinct |
believe that they think and reason like
human beings. know that Fannie
and Bucker do. The dogs are docie
IN camps and very vicious on trail
Their sense follows the movements of
men. There is no trouble to get them
to take the track when they find it.
After convict is captured the dogs
return satisfied, and as happy rs if they
had caught rabbit When they re-
turn 10 the prison they become perfect
~ dOcilc; when called out again they
grow very excited The affection of
the dogs for me is more like that of a
child To its father than any thing else
j can describe. | feed them myself and
they have great confidence i'm me. /
have five fine puppies. four months old,
that have fur on them like sheep, which
are now ready 10 track man 10
Africa if he could travel there. and as
for hiding trail il j. an impOssibiltv.
j ann raising them for sale, and ! guar
antcc them to find a trail thirtv-siX
hours cold. w. NdShUiNc 1lBeric0,i.