The Opelousas courier., 1891-09-05
DOGS THAT TRAIL MEN.
THEIR ORIGIN, TRAINING AND
WONDERFUL SAGACITY.
Instead of Being Fierce Brutes the
Man-Hunting Dogs Are Harmless
English Foxhounds.

l CElLIltudlS WHO WUuld uGllCl WtSS CsCdpO
are captured and brought to justice by
the aid of keen-scented hounds. There
are plenty of ,man-hunting dogs in the
South to-day, but they are not blood
hounds. The dogs taught to trail men
instead of being fierce brutes that will
tear a man to pieces are only ordinary
foxhounds of such little courage that q
small boy or a pugnacious rat terrier
could put a whole pack of them to
flight.
Some of the rich English gentlemen
who settled in Virginia before the revo-
luton brought over with them some pure
blooded English foxhounds. When
these gentlemen and their sons and
grandsons became the owners of hun
dreds of slaves they found it necessary
to devise some way to capture those who
were constantly running away. In this
emergency the idea of turning the keen
scent of their foxhounds to a valuable
use occurred to them. Pups were taken
away from the kennels and never al
lowed to join in the practice chase after
a fox skin dragged through the fields by
a colored boy. Instead they were taught
to follow the trail of the boy without
the fox skin. In this way they learned
that the only game they were expected
to run to earth was the runaway slave.
These trained slave hunters were found
to be very valuable, and the business
of breeding and training them grew
until it extended all over the slave-hold-
! 100 G&o4,, Tsb1 "v,o, b,nLyor lo~, -
to-day are descended from these English
foxhounds. They are small and slender,
with keen limbs and long ears. In
color they are mostly red, black and
white, the three colors being about
equally divided, usually in small, but
sometimes in large spots. In most of
the Southern States the State and county
c~onvicts are leased OF hired to contractors
for various kinds of work outside the
walls of the prisons. The contractors
are bound by heavy penalties to prevent
their escape. As they are often moved
from one place to another the contractors
cannot afford the expense OF building
strong PRISONS, so trust to the watehful-
ness of guards to preveat escapes, and
keep a few trained dogs to trail down the
few prisoners who do succeed in Guiding
the vigilance of their keepers.
At the Pratt coal mines, near Birming-
ham, Ala, 1900 TO 1000 State convicts
are worked by the comply operating
the mines. This company h3ss the largest
and best trained pack of man hunting
dogs to be found in the United States.
The big kennel Is located near the
wooden prison and a reliable and ex-
perienced man is paid q large salary to
devote his entire time and attention to
the care and training of the dogs. While
they are kept to hunt convicts only, the
officers of the company never refuse to
loan the dogs to the local authorities to
trail down desperate criminals.
The method of training the dogs is a
simple one, but they require constant
and careful attention. The most i'm
portant part of their training is never to
allow them to run at large where there is
n chance for them to scent four-footed
game. A convict who can be trusted
not to take advantage of the temporary
liberty il used in the process, of training.
A number of pups are taken out of the
kennels with one or more old dogs to
lead them. The liberated convict is
then started off on a run white pups
are held back until he is out of sight.
Then they are released, and with the old
dog to find the trail and lead them, they
are off at full cry. The chase continues
until the convict is tired out. He then
The pups come up with him fol-
lowed by the keepers, and by giving
them some extra nice food they are made
to understand that they have done their
duty. This is kept up until the pups
are at least a year old before they are
ever put in a regular chase with the old
dogs. Every time they are taken out for
a trial run the start given tip convict is
increased until the pups learn to find and
forlow a cold trail. A start of three or
four hours is successfully followed up
before the young dogs can be depended
on fer real work. Any ambitious young
pup caught running off on the trail of a
Or other game is at once called in
and logged. When q dog is we'll trained
he will never under any circumstances
follow any except the human trail. In-
stead of being fierce creatures, taught to ]
tear their game to pieces, these dogs {
when they 0Vertake a runaway simply
around him in a circle, keeping at a
safe distance until the guards coma up.
As soon as the prisoner is secured they
lie down and take no further interest in
the game they have trailed SO PER- !,
sistently. No matter how large the s
pack may be they ever attack q man, i
but keep up an %cessant bayins that
tells the pursuing guards that the chase
IS ended.
The keen scent of these dogs is won.
lerful. If the ground lis damp and the
atmosphere moist they can follow q :
rail ten or twelve hours old. If it is
Try or raining a trail four to seven hours
is all they can be depended on TO
Once started on the right trail
hey never make a mistake, unless the
takes to water aud follows it for
great distance. In this way he may
,hroW them off the scenf, but in no other.
They will follow a man for hours
the crowded streets OF a city,
nto house after house, cross the tracks
# thousands of other men and never
ose the original trail. Once started on
he track Of a criminal they are q verita-
lie Nemesis that cannot be shaken off.
Various means Of getting them started
N the right track have been adopted.
{ any article Of clothing worn by the es-
.aipfd rouviaf non In found IL "a held fn 1