St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-17

DOGS AS DETECTIVES.
A Proposal to Substitute Beagles
for Bloodhounds and Keep Them
at the Rural Police Stations of
England.
The Pail Mall Gazette gives certain
articles on the employment of hounds
as detectives apropos of the recent
Whitechapel murders. One writer
says: For centuries the bloodhound
has been employed as a detective. In
ancient days he is supposed to have
been introduced by the Norman to trace
deer stealerS who broke their stringent
forest laws. Wallace and Bruce were
both hunted by these hounds, and an
old Ms. tells how Bruce was sought for
by Edward l.:
The King Edward with his horse and hound
hin sought.
DR.. Johannes Caius, one Of the
earliest writer's on dogs. says that dur
ing his day these animals were used in
tracking criminals. And during the
times of border raiders they were en-
rployed to trace the bold Moss-troopers
who had swept down from over the
Scottish border. In one of the ballads
otis told how Richard Musgrave
( By willy turns and desperate hounds.
Had bsflied PieTcy's best bloodhounds.
Nearly a century ago the Thrapston
Association for the Prosecution of
Felons had trained bloodhound. spec
i tally TO chase sheep-stealers. Youatt
tells how that Oh one occasion in order
TO test the dog man was given an
hours. start, but it secured him in an
hour and half concealed in a tree
nearly fifteen miles from home. Another
instance has been recorded how that
Mr.. Lawrence, who was well known
as a sportsman early in the present
century. had TO discharge a groom,
who, out of revenge, returned to
the stables and mutiated
favorite hunter. He was traced BY
means of bloodhound for twenty
miles, the hound finding the fellow in
bed, who, seeing escape impossible,
often been traced by bloodhounds, as
have fugitive slaves in America and
Cuba. During the wars in Ireland they
were employed to discover those who
had fed to the boys and wilds from
their foes, and pages might he written
illustrative of the marvellous Scenting
power, under almost any variety Of cir
cumstances, of the bloodhound. One
of the most recent cases was that at
BlackDury, about twelve years ago,
when Fish, who murdered little girl,
was convicted by hound.
Another, evidently an advancer of the
little beagle, says: As | have been for
years advocating the use of dogs for the
purpose of assisting the police in the
detection of crime, perhaps the public
might be interested if | state in what
way dogs would be useful. In the first
l not Al, dc
would not do, there being many OBJ
jectionS to them, the first objection be-
ing that bloodhounds are savage, and
if, by accident, they got on to the line
of an innocent man they might, when
they overlook him. do him serious mis-
chief before the owner could come up;
but 10 sportsman there seems
to be an unanSwerable objection
namely, they are too fast. and, although
1t is true that you could keep up with
them on horseback in the daytime, it
must not be forgotten that the police re-
Quire dogs as much in the nighttime as
in the day, and it would be impossible
to follow blOodhounds at night. 1t does
not seem to be known that small beagles
can be trained to human beings quite as
we'll, nay, better, than bloodhouDds, for
they will hunt colder scent, being
much keener in the nose. They are
very good tempered, and | have never
known them to bite any person
that have hunted down with them,
and they are very easily trained. In
1873 had four couples of rabbit beagle
puppies, and the idea struck me that l
would try If could train them to run
human beings in the same way as had
trained my bloodhounds, thus: / placed
two drops of the oil of aniseed on the
sole of boys boot and made him run
short distance, then hide himself; the
puppies in a very short time knowl-
edged the scent and ran it truly. l
gradually decreased the quantity of oil,
and at last sent off a boy without any
thing OH his boots, when | was de-
lighted to find that they opened
with the aid of the bloodhound on the
first oecasion) and went away in full
cry. l was always very particular to
change boys every week. When these
puppies were twelve months old ran
down poacher with them after hunt
which lasted forty minutes. and this
man must have had start of nearly
twenty minutes. They ran HIM into the
town, and finally drew up AT public
house in which the man was, with q
rabbit in his pocket. 1t seemed to me
that The scent was almost as good upon
the pavement in streets as in the fields.
Surely, then, the police would find
them most useful in the country and
the suburban districts, but | do not
think they would be of much value iii a
town. If each rural police station had
three well-trained beagleS there all the
police would have to do would be when
they receive information Of an Offense,
to take their hounds to the spot as
quickly as possible, throw them across
the garden and around the premises as
if they were drawing for hare.
am convinced that if the
scent had not got too cold they
would hit upon the line. and when they
had settled down they would run into
the man, wherever he was. the same as
any bloodhound. They do not go too
fast, so that they are easily followed
on foot eitherby night or day. as their
music will let you know where they
are, let the night be ever so dark.
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