The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-01-11
WAY DOWN SOUTH In DIXIE
ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM TIE
LAND or ORANGE AND COTTON

Colo ell People OF Georgia are solvtu,
the Race rroblem-Othsr Iteins.
One pleasant morning, pot long ago (say,
the Atlanta Constitution, convict "trusty'
from >cuflc came breatbless into the Wei
aune camp with the information that one
Joe johnson, a negro under years sen.
tence, had run an hour OF so before. Cap
tain Powell received the news calmly. lie
has not been in the business fourteen wear.
for nothing, and il requires more than an
ordinary escape to upset his equanimity
saddle mulel' he called b one OF the
conVic.s working about the yard.
and taking down horn from its place
beneath she'd blew a long, staccato
blast. Instantly another note respond.
ed, melancholy, qoiyering bay: there
was an eager scampering Of feet, and four
| fOX-hOunds came dashing out of an enclO-
sure near no hand. There Is a popular i'm
| preston that cOnyicts nowadays and slaves
IN old times were chased with blOodhOuuds
| but this Is great mistake. A bloodhound
is too costly and too delicate for such work
under the hot Southern sun; he is neither
quick enough nor keen enough OF scent. and
the fox and deerhounds are invariably en-
pl0yed. They do not attack the human
game when brought to bay, another general
error, but are guides only for horsemen that
always follow close behind, and Tor that
reason the iOShound ID preferred, the deer
hound being too rapid for the horses. too ap,
10 get ont OF sight ia the heat Of the chase
OF the four hounds that responded 10 the
CAptaiu'G horn, two were full.gr old
irtllers and two mere puppies, but all OF
them knew what was coming, and leaped
and bounded az eagerly as well-trained
bird dog At The sight OF n spOrtsman's gun.
Another animal, huge, white bulldog.
looked Oh wistmlly, and when the Captain
jumped into the saddle quietly took bio
place ~ the stirrup. lie has no nose for
trail aud he knew It, but he didn't want to
miss the fun.
Five minutes hard gallop and Scu1la was
reached, where the huntsmen OF human
game were gathered in an impatient group
The captains lac0nic inquiries drew out
tle fact that the convict hal been sent little
distance for apluugh and had not returned.
" ucu 10 became evident that he had leVant-
ed. the Scuila pack Of hounds essayed 10
take The trail; but. a. sometimes occurs. TOT
nO'assignsble reason, thev were unable 10
follow it. and ran back yelpng and CON
fused, Captain Powell, without waiting o.
debSte the question. dug ths rOwels in his
mule, the rest OF the party following il q
group that soon became a procession. All
were armed. an thrilled with iha excitement
Ct the chase, for the siiest l0y o. bare Chat
ever doualcd on track IS palfrv game in
com arson with "a man. ueryCd 90 an On.
strategy OF desperation ald stfuus ID The
nigh 1t tension by me hope 90 deliver nee
from londSgc. There Is a smack d., dam 0r|
t'out d. ioo. il.t adds I'ef o. ih- .0
venture. i1r-d.h .iI.e as ihis 10 capable
tanNliu-.
Presently the spot Wa rrJD he'd nhan 10
u-ut began. audi Toe hlulu~. ihHt had rIu
steadily before the riders. -uikd th. 600
lerfousiy, sui then, villa scarcely mo-
meut's he5 tattoo, settled iYWu o. fh' Dom
-Nla-is- uHt ihal told palmer than s. rdr
nit thry had struck the trll. For ih
Ina beng ihrr service, were sttr.fs
necessary. Goa tne track, OF Che fugitive
Nere plainly disrcrnl1ie in tha SOFT lO m %
3 fed he had Crlssed ON tue W1} tea th *
wooded sWamll beit. little di,tur.
.fay. AZ Tile ima tnr man len tae caWI
le was "d1uhit .hGckl,d," as tla pr.slI
phrase goes. That is O. AuY. his auh
acre mfnaclcd together with a stout trID
'i iiu. iOn- rnu-h for -h 20 r.1r. ful boz
some way he had ruIppcd a liuk. ami li.
ippLprilis, almost two Nrrfs auJrf. iud- /
-atcd Ola. speed al which hr rln. lhore wa,
error written in every one of those mark
When the swamp was reached the trnrk-
disappeared; The qua-'Rir swli owed them
40. bat DO was pONerless % cii.icc hos
mysterious etu}ia by which traln,'
hound tricks il prey, and the animals
kept right en. plOushinz through Che dar.
water weeds. Laundering though the mud.
aNiu.ining Ias10n-. and sc.ampHng ever
0ll,n tree truuks, bUt never om
49, ititing 10 the pursuit. ile rid0I-|
.uiluWgd a., bet they could, -kiii-
luy tie more solid edges Of the swami
wherever practicable, but now aud th-I
forced into reCes-es. Johnson ran wei
lie had about an homr and hr!fs start. %
10 true. bat 10 is terribly slow work tor =
man 10 force "A passage through one Of these
,ubaqueous tropical iuugl,s. Ills cours
trenled % the southeast, aud lay for many
niles within tine limits Oi the plantation
How far ahead b. might De it was imp0,si
be % say, AMI the pursuers were stimu-
lated by the posi- 'ility that be might ap-
pear at any moment, rs mile after mllt
rolled on behind them.
avtain PO Yel's steod must surely have
been a blood relation Of the iliustriOus mule
that sheridan - said To have dashed 10 Win
chester upon poets % the contrary nOtWith
stindingl, for he outran all the rest and
kept well in the lead. But he was still
mule and had some br0Echo habits, for at
intervals he gave vicious stif-legged leaps
and "bucked" after tue most approved
Wild West fashion. However, the CAPTAIN
kept his seat, and, muddy and blown. the
party emerged al last in a fertile depression
known as 'fhompson's Valley" There the
two puppies gave out. Up 10 that time
they had faithfully kept the trail, but they
lacked the bone and snew for 80 sustained
an effort, and fairly dropped ia their tracks
painting with fatigue. The two older bounds
had not turned hais, and the party kept
straight on, for not far beyond lay the dense
fringes OF wild mOrass called "Beaseley's
Swrmp,' through which they fOresaw that
a long pursuit must be well nigh futile.
The big bulldog still ran by the Captains
stirrup, his white coat stained with slime
aud hls red tongue lOlling out.
Now they were at the OutpOsls of the
swamp, and IN the next moment they had
disappeared. For long reaches il was i'm
possible 10 see dozen yards ahead. so rank
was the tropical vegetation, and SO thick
the veil OF parasitical creepers that hung
from every bough. Huge tree trunks barri.
caded the way on every hand, and rotten
elngies OF what had once been trunks.
through which the horses hOOfs crashed
and sank into the oOze below. A poison
Gus, stagnant yapOr huGg in the sT~like
mist, and the place was alive with animal
and reptile life. Huge iaoccasiDs, the en-
bodimeDt Of repulsiye death, slid awsy
through the slime; now and then the weeds
were thurst aside by the checkertd snout OF
an alllga or; mOnsir0us lizards, al black and
gold. binked from the logs; chameleous
scampered up the tree trunks, and gorge
Gus spiders hung pendulous In a thousand
webs.
For a mile or more the party pushed it,
way through this stronghold Of primeyal
life, but tue chances OF success were grow.
INK smaller. The trail was becoming faint
IN tae water that ab0unded everywhere.
and even the Captain was thinking OF
abandoning the pursuit, when one d the
guards on horseback suddenly gave loud
lAlloo. lie had caught ST. ht Ci the fugitive
hasnin- across an o. an glade about tao
nlDuied yards away. Instantly hs slipped
rom iAe saddle and threw his ride % MS
.hou'der, bu quick a. lho movement was.
.ie convict Rad DISAPPEARED before be could
puh me Trigger. The best he could do wac 20
nfe Ia TIE direction he had taken, and pUr-
eueEs spurred forward g. renewed eXerlIOn,
4 ll4~.iff ltrf fI.. Iss.I I.N n...srs tho