Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1894-03-08
Saint. Maru's Beacon
TRAIL OF BIooDaoUNDs.

ne most TetndTkaOte Case Indt
know Of in which beagle hound were
employed in the interest of public
justice, says a writer in the New
York Sun, occurred in Barnwell dis
trict, South Carolina, absut so
gears ago. Mr.. Porteous, q child
less widower, possessed Of large
estate in land and slaves, lived on
his plantation, where his cousin, a
woman Of about so years of age,
and her daughter Of IL or Is kept
house for him. lie was not over
60 himself, but his health was very
feeble. 1t was his custom to have
himself called every morning at 8
o'clock by his body servant, who
aided in dressing him. One morn
ing the servant knocked at the bed
room door as usual, and, receiving
10 answer, after repeating his loud
knocks many times, and the door
being locked, he. reported the
strange occurrence to his mistress.
A neighbor was summoned, and, at
his suggestion, the door was forced.
On entering the room they were
Mortified to see Mr.. Porteous lying
dead upon his bed with his throat
cut. A bloody razor lay close to
his right hand, and clearly indicat-
ed that he had committed suicide.
lie had on a night shirt, the left
sleeve of which was ripped, and be-
ing unbuttoned, the greater portion
of his left arm was exposed. The
print OF the bloody hand was seen
plainly on the arm, and it was very
naturally supposed to have been
made by him in his death struggle.
The theory of self-destruction was
further strengthened by the fact
that the door was found locked and
bolted on the inside. There were
three windows to the room, and al
though the sashes were up, as it was
a warm July night, the blinds were
closed and fastened by their catches
TO the window sill. The chimney
was carefully examined, and it was
seen that the hues were too narrow
to almit the entrance of man to
the room through one of them. On
the arrival Of the family physician,
who had been sent for, he proceed
ed to make an examination of the
body. As his practiced eye caught
sight of the finger prints he ex-
claimed: "Mr. Porteous was muir
dered. The four finger-marks and
the thumb-mark on the left arm
were made with the left hand"
4 careful inspection of the win
dow blinds showed that the catch
on one of them was much worn, and
did not hold to the iron cleat on the
sill, and that the blind could read
lily be pulled open when apparently
fastened. The bedroom was in the
second story of the house, and it
was observed that the window with
the loose catch could be reached by
man climbing out on limb of an
oak tree that grew near. The
ground was bare around the foot of
the tree, and q shoe track was seen
in the loan. The track faded out
in the grass plot within a few feet
of the tree, and did hot appear
again beyond it. Hounds were sent
for, and arrived about ) o'clock in
the afternoon.
The day dawned at 4 O'Clock in
that season of the year, and as the
murderer must have done his bloody
work before that hour. he had at
least II hours start, and the trail
was cold. There were five beagles
in the pack. Their keeper tapped
on the shoe track with a stick, and
they put their noses to it and seemed
Perplexed as they shifted and MUIR
INJURED over it. He urged them on
by calling out to the leader: .'Git
him, Trump -
OK THE TRAIL.
Wellington order to the Forty
second Highlanders, as the French
infantry were closing in upon his
right at Waterloo, was not more in
spiriting TO the gallant Scots than
was that call of their keeper to the
hounds. They took up TIE trail,
though slowly, and followed it about
20 yards to the border of the woods.
but there it ended. As they came
to the end of the trail they gave a
few sharp, quick barks and looked
ut their master, aS if for further or
ders. lie saw at once that & horse
had been hitched to a limb of the
aa5at xbioh fra