Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-04-15

self up to the guard and said: There
Is no use trying to get away from
those bloodhounds. / come back
home" Ben DAVIS was run four miles
and overtaken. The dogs began to
circle for the trail of Charles Williams,
which was soon secured, and he was
run fifteen miles. He tried every way
to get the dogs off his trail, and he
crawled through railroad culverts, over
dirt roads, went around the farm houses
and through fields. He would run
back in his tracks, take wide circles
and circuit several times. He got in
the center of Five Mile creek, and
walked more than two miles in the
water. The dogs followed the trail
through the water and caught him.
Crauswell called his dogs in and went
back to the prison to take the track of
Jeff Garner, who, when he discovered
the dogs on his trail, made circuit
OF five miles and returned to the prison.
An interesting chase was had when
the outlaw. Renfroe, escaped with
three others. Crauswell said: "At
three o'clock a. m. l was sent for to go
to the shaft distance of over two
miles. The prisoners had gone three
hours when l took the track, and they
mad taken the railroad for Birmingham.
The dogs followed the trail to o'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
ager OF coavicts at the mines, took one
pack OF them, and Mr.. j. q. Moore,
the prison warden, took the other
dogs, Moore caught his man after a
seven-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 twenty-six hours start
of us, and we caught him. The dogs
could never secure track to Renfroe,
and | do not believe he ever left Bir-
mingham. 1t is very easy to catch a
man, even if he gets an eight-hour
start. 1t is picnic for the dogs when
he only gets from two to five hours
start, and he had as well make circle
and come back to the prison, for the
dogs never fail"
The longest trail this man and his
man-hunters ever had was in March,
| 1884, when negro escaped from the
shaft prison. He had gone forty miles
and had been away twenty-eight hours,
The dogs had trouble to catch his scent
after such time. The negro took ar
astonishing run and went about ter
miles through water. He was found
at last on the top of an old house or
the mountain near Warrior river. HI
was half starved when captured.
| Crauswell was asked to speak o.
some of the characteristics of his dogs
II am convinced" said he, "beyont
the shadow of doubt, that a blood
hound has more than one instinct.
believe that they think and reason like
human beings. l know that Fannie
and Bucker do. The dogs are docilt
in camps and very vicious on trail
Their sense follows the movements o
men. There is no trouble to get then
to take the track when they find it.
"After convict is captured the dog
return satisfied, and as happy as if the,
had caught rabbit When they re
turn to the prison they become perfect
| ly docile; when called out again the.
grow very excited. The affection o
the dogs for me is more like that of
child to its father than any thing els
I can describe. l feed them myself an,
they have great confidence in me.
have five fine puppies, four months old
that have fur on them like sheep, whicl
are now ready TO track a man t.
Africa if he could travel there, and a
for hiding trail it is an impossibility
am raising them for sale, and | guar
antee them to find trail thirty-si
hours cold. "-Nashville american.