St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-23
THE MALIGNED BLOODHOUND
His Bad Reputation All Due to
the Decentralization of "Uncle
Toms Cabin"

His Bad Reputation All Due to
the Decentralization of "Uncle
Toms Cabin"
John G. Speed in Harper's Weekly.
1t is to 'Uncle Toms Cabin" that we
owe our impressions of the man-hunting
bloodhound. For thirty-6ve years dram
attic versions of Mrs. Stoves story have
been acted in theaterS, halls and under
tents through the length and breadth of
our land, and not the least bit of realism
i'll these performances has been the in
PRODUCTION of bloodhOunds on the stage.
L have never seen an advertisement of
the play in which the dogs are not
''starred"-to use theatrical express
sion-in as large type as was en-
ployed to tell the names of the
chief performers. l have been to see
yet seen genuine bloodhound so en-
ployed. 1t would not do. To begin
with, the genuine bloodhound was
never used in the South to hunt fugitive
slaves or criminals. In the second
place, there were very few, if any,
blOodhounds in the South until within
the past three or four years. In the
third place, the genuine bloodhound is
quiet. docile, amiable and dignifed
animal, totally untitled to inspire the
feeling Of horror and awe necessary to
the dramatic representation of the play.
And i'll the fourth place. the dog actu-
ally used in the South for tracking men
is and always has been nothing else
than a small foXhound trained to
follow mans trail. He would
not 40 to put on the stage
for jim him every man who has lived in
nj
harmless friend with whom in boyhood
he had chased rabbits and foxes and
other such game. 1t was needed, there
fore, for the purposes of the drama to
get dog which should look dangerous
and present forbldding front to the
audience. To get such a dog was easy
enough. The large dog sometimes
called the Siberian bloodhound, the
boarhound, ETC., but only properly
known as the Great Dane, answered the
purpose well enough. He needed not
to be pure in blood. He could be crossed
with any other large dog like the mas
tiff. The one requisite has always been
size, and his only necessary training
iOus to get at his prey. And in this dog
the general American public has seen
the bloodhound which it hates and
abhOrs.
But the bloodhound, as have said, is
harmless dog, and does not in the
least deserve the bad name which has
been given to him. 1t is true that he
will follow mans trail with unerring
accuracy, out he will not harm the man
after he has come up with him. 1t
makes no difference what dog we send
in pursuit of man, the dog will attack
the man If the man attempts to run
away, or shows fight. He does just
what a policeman, detective or a
sheriff would do under the same circum-
stances. lie holds his prisoner and
not at all peculiar to the bloodhound.
and no Odium should attach to him on
account of it. The fOxhOund can be
trained to hunt men with great accuracy,
and, as [ have said before. they
were used during the days of slavery
in the South, and are now used
where cOnvicts are kept in camps. But
it is very rare that any fugitive who has
been caught by hound has been in
jured or MANNED. A man of any eX-
perience would have TOO much sense to
do other than acquiesce in the situation
until the hunter had come up.
In Massachusetts, this prejudice
against the bloodhound has found a
pldCC III tIlC StdtuIc oUOhSs anu Ill 1901
a law was passed making it illegal to
keep bloodhound in the state. under
penalty of $50 fine. At that time there
was not a bloodhound in the whole of
the old Bay state. The constitutional
ity and wisdom of this statute is soon to
be tested. as Mr.. Glazier, of Salem,
has recently bought several blood
hounds and means to begin breeding
them there. Imported Belhus will be
at the head of these Massachusetts ken
nels.