The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-08-31
A MAN HUNT WITH BLooDHouNDs.
This Was Down in Texas and the Negro
Murderer Was Not Lynched.

count of tracking a negro murderer with
bloodhounds and of the sheriff ruse by
which the tracked man escaped lynching,
Its recital may not be out of place as of a
never-to- be forgotten event, as showing
how such affairs are conducted and how
man and dog perform their respective
roles.
In the heart of the cotton growing
regions of Texas is the little city of
Mexia. 1t is lively. bustling place dur
ing two or three months late in the sum-
me and early in the autumn, when cotton
is being marketed During all the rest of
the year it lies dull and torpid. But one
spring afternoon, not many years ago,
Mexia was awakened. A brutal murder
had been committed out on the public
highway southeast of the town and hardly
a mile away.
1t was early in the afternoon at a time
when travel had ceased, or it would have
been almost impossible to have committed
unseen such deed at such place.
Some incoming horseman riding along
had come upon the dead body of an aged,
highly respected and well-known farmer,
lying prone in the dust of the road, the
head and face pounded out Of all shape,
evidently with large stone found near
py The murdered mans team was
standing peacefully at the roadside con-
tentedly cropping the young grass. There
was a blue-checked jumper, such as
laborers wear, lying in the dust and dirt,
its sleeves covered with blood. The gar
ment had been thrown aside blythe muir
dersr evidently, because its appearance II
rl1,1G no In a
attention of any one he might meet
The motive of the crime was manifest.
The old mans pockets were turned inside
out and were empty.
The victim must have been knocked or
dragged from his wagon seat, and there
were marks in the dust OF his having
made struggle before succumbing to
the deadly blows rained upon his head
and face He had been in Mexia all the
morning making sundry purchases, and
had departed for home just after dinner.
Hardly an hour could have passed from
the commission of the crime to its dlscov-
cry The dead body, the stone, and the
checked jumper were taken up and
brought into town.
No communities in the world act so
quickly as the South under such circum-
stances. All other interests are laid aside
and everything is subordinated to the
determination to capture and punish the
offender. On that day, in Mexia, armed
and mounted men seemed to spring
from the ground. A pack of a dozen
bloodhounds came hurrying up ..from
somewhere, led by a manswho footed a
horn vigorously at intervals. The
county sheriff and a number OF deputies
were on hand and that official took COM
mand and directed the arrangements for
immediate pursuit.
The sheriff. ordered deputy to take
charge of the dogs and the volunteers to
proceed forthwith to the scene OF the
murder, and from there to start the pur-
suit The excitement was SO contagious
that I procured horse and followed this
deputy, the citizens and the hounds
wondered somewhat at the time that the
sheriffs and mis- other deputies did not
come with us instead of remaining in
town Later on I knew why this was
done, and then l wondered again why l
had not thought of it.
1t was a short ride to the scene of the
murder We all halted within few
PAGES of the spot, except the deputy, who
disInounted and went forward With the
hounds They were big fellows, the
brown of their bodies shading to darker
color almost black on muzzle and tips.
They knew something was in the wind
as they fawned upon and jumped about
the deputy with much wagging OF tails
and occasional jealous snarls and snap
pings at one another. The deputy took
from his saddle pocket the checked
Jumper that had been found near the
murdered man. The bloody sleeves had
been torn out that the smell of blood
might not be confused with the scent OF
the formerswearer The deputy f1outed
child would playing with them. They
jumped a it, and first one, then another,
catching it in his teeth, worried and
shook it. This was to fix in the canine
mind the scent of the jumper and its
owner. Then the deputy replaced the
garment in his saddle pocket, remounted,
gave a comprehensive wave OF his hand
and arm all around and shouted:-
"Hunt him up boys. ="
Here and there the dogs scattered,
shifting all around up and down the road
and in the weeds and grass at the side.
We watched them anxiously and impa-
tiently, keeping still as SO many mutes
All st once an old hound lifted his head
and gave forth a long, quayering howl,
broke through abarbed wire fence at the
right-hand side of the road, whining a
little as the barbs tore his flesh, and took
out running little south of west
through an open field. All the other
dogs raised their voices in answer and
followed his lead We could see them
running across the open in slow galop,
in exact single file heads down, distances
perfectly kept, with no hustling or crowd
ing.
As they ran, first one then another
would lift his voice in constant success
sion of baying, SO that in the noise Of
their pursuing there was an intermission
The road we were on led away to the
southeast and I could not for the life OF
me see how we were to follow and keeI
touch with the dogs as the pursuit TOOK
them away from us almost at right an
giles, and the ever prevailing barbed wire
fences prevented riding across country
There was scanJ time, however, for spec
ulation and no time at all for inquiry
The deputy commanded Come on" ant
led us all straight down the road appar
ntly away from the trail But this ap
parent divergence was only for few
hundred yards, when we came upon az
interesting road running east and west
The deputy turned to the right and into
this all of us followed hard after. We
could plainly hear the hounds way oyel
in the field to the right, and occasionally
we could see them crossing the swells il
the rolling country. They were a consid
cradle distance in front of us, but oul
courses now ran parallel.
We crossed intersecting roads at nearly
every quarter Of a mile. 1t was plain
that along every section line was public
highway. Keeping in touch with the