The Portland daily press., 1894-09-17

Was Called On to Chase One In Ear
nest-He Was Building Plank Road
for Southern Planter Fifty Years
Ago.
Back in the latter part of the forties a
man named Wadleigh was building dam
on the Narraguagus river, in eastern
Maine. He there became acquainted with
Portland civil engineer whom we will
call Smith (because that isn't his name) and
who was then in the neighborhood of 30
years of age. Later this Wadleigh went to
northern Alabama where he had work and
where, learning one Col. Winter, very
wealthy planter needed civil engineer,
he recommended this MI. Smith of Port
land.
And this is how our Portland man, who
still lives here, happened to go to northern
Alabama in 185l--52 and take charge of the
construction of plank road ON the great
estate of Col. Winter. This road was to
be twenty miles long and to extend up into
the forests to admit of numbering opera
tions. The soil was red clay that in wet
weather was simply inpassable for loaded
team. Therefore on one half of the road.
beams wei sunk lengthwise and two and
q Icll lllCA piduhS ldlu dClOSSs OA O lOfOA
with the ground. The loaded teams coming
down used the plank slide and the empty
teams going up the dirt side. Such is an
Alabama plank road.
Mr.. Smith had under him a crew of 70
negroes and an overseer. The latter had
Col Winter fine pack of fbloodhounds-sigh
great dogs, that cost their owner $2500.
The leader cost 5000. He was killed soon after
E.s.- .s.-11 f1lI vs,,r~
way.
A negro from a neighboring plantatio on
used to come to the camp of the road build
ers in the forest and cause trouble, because
of his quarrelsome disposition. His owner
was notified and he toldsthe slave not to go
to the camp again without permission
But one day, in Mr.. Smiths absence he
came to the camp without his masters
written permit and the overseer set the dogs
on him. The man had a knife and killed
the valuable leader. The other dogs
pounced on him but were called of before
doing much injury. He was seized, mar
row strip shaved across his head from ear
to ear and another. from brow to crown,
and he was then fiogged and sent home.
These dogs were not real blood hounds.
Which are not particularly large. and as
gentle as a setter, but were Cross between
the Great Dane and the bloodhound the
great size and strength and ierceneSS of
the former and the keen scent and inteli-
gence of the latter. They had been per-
fectly trained. Hence their great value.
They would follow a negro till they came
up with him and would then surround
him AMI bark, not offering to attack him un-
less he assumed the offensive or attempt
ed to run away; negroes were too valuable
to send dogs after them that would kill
them.
1t was because of this training of the
dogs that Saturday afternoon, Mr.. Smith
used to indulge in the novel sport of hunt
ing negroes with them on horseback, Sat-
urday afternoons he would give one of the
slaves 50cts. or quarter and the latter
would take to the woods and get a long
lead. Mr.. Smith had blooded horse. He
would start the dogs and follow them 1t
was an exciting chase, though only in
sport. He always told the negroes to
climb tree when the dogs drew near, but
the slaves generally felt sure of the good
training of the dogs and simply kept still
after they had been caught and surrounded
by the intelligent brutes. Sometimes a
slave would return to the camp and pass
over the ground there where fifty feet had
trod, but those dogs would follow the track
across.
One day neighboring planter came to
the camp and asked Mr.. Smith to take his
dogs and chase runaway slave. He replied
that he would not do it. He was in charge
of the camp and the dogs. He might hunt
a slave for fun. but he never would in
earnest. Then the planter explained the
situation. The runaway slave belonged to
poor white man. 1t was his only slave
and the fellow sat at the same table with
his master and they worked together in the
field. The master had gone away the day
before. His little daughter, twelve years
old had gone to school that morning. The
slave went to the school-house and told the
teacher that the girls mother wished her
to come home. He followed the little girl
to the woods and tn ere brutalIy assaulted
her-so brutally that she died few hours
afterwards The negro had taken to the
woods and that was why the dogs had
| been asked for.
"lll CO." said Mr.. Smith. His horse was
| Immediately saddled and soon he and the
| dogs were at the house of the planter. A
arge crowd was assembled there. It was
/ too late in the afternoon to start on the
| trail and besides he could do nothing till
the excited people had disappeared
Early the next morning he began opera
| tions. Old boots and clothes of the negro
were given to the dogs to smell of. Then
| he took the leader by the collar and walked
| in circles around the place till at last the
| dog got the scent. 1t was cold trail, of
course, but after several hours he had
proceeded far enough on the trail SO that
| the dogs would keep it and he then mount
| ed the horse. The other dogs followed the
| leader and thu ee or four men on horseback K
| followed him. His bloooded horse kept
the lead. After they had gone about five
miles they found the place where the degro
/ had passed the night. The trail was clear
| from there on and the dogs followed
| swiftly, in full cry. After few miles
their baying ceased and Mr.. Smith knew
| that they had over taken the negro.
| He soon burst out into an open space and
| there was the slave with all the dogs sit
| ting on their hauncLes around him, He
| was large, powerful man and held a
| stout club in his hand. AS the horseman
appeared he aimed blow at one of the
dogs with the club. They all sprang for