Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1896-01-09
BLOODHOUND DETECTIVES.
Question Being Agitated by English Canine

1ea--S N bt Ash NauAAc
Papers.
The question whether bloodhounds
could not be utilized in this country to
aid in the discovery of criminals has
again been raised in one of the canine
journals. 1t is suggested by gentle
man in the Midlands that a bloodhound
club might well be started, the object
of which would be to have properly
trained dogs always ready to assist in
the work of bringing burglars and
murderers to justice. The last occa-
sion on which a systematic attempt
was made in this country to put the
bloodhound to his old traditional use
was in 1889, when the chief commander
of police in London encouraged, and
was himself personally present at,
some trials with couple of the dogs
belonging to the well-known breeder,
Mr.. Brough-
St. James park was the spot selected
for these trials, and both animals
showed themselves. decidedly skillful
in tracking and following up the hu-
man footstep. Once in the crowded
streets, however. the hounds seemed to
lose their cunning, and there exists,
indeed, no reliable record of criminals
being successfully hunted down by the
aid of these canine detectives in the
case of crowded cities and thorough
fares. Even if the scent were hot
one, it is more than doubtful whether
the cleverest and best-trained blood
hound would follow it very far where
it had been crossed and recrossed by
many other strange feet. Thus the
idea of the bloodhound being used for
the discovery of criminals, so far as
populous centers and large towns are
concerned, may be regarded, after the
failure in the case of the Whitechapel
murders, as an exploded one. The
case, however, may be different in
regard to country districts, where it
is at least conceivable that
the hound might now and again
be turned to some good service.
Many of the old stories respecting the
successful hunting Of the Mosstroop-
ers by blood or sleuth hounds rest on a
rather slender historical basis. though
the frequency with which the name of
the dog occurs in some of the records
of those DAYS shows that its detective
qualities were highly estimated.
In later times the Cuban bloodhoun
Of far more savage breed than our
own, was unquestionably used as a
while only a few years
ago Capt. Powell gave good deal of
respecting the dogs used
at the present time for tracking con-
victs who escape from prisons in Flori-
da. Bloodhounds were first resorted
to for this purpose, but it appears that
latterly an animal more like our fox
hound has been adopted. These ami
mails, like the English bloodhound, are
not inclined when they have discov-
cred their man to attack him, but
rather prefer to keep at a respectful
distance after he has been fairly
brought to bay.
Half dozen years or so ago some
exceedingly interesting trials were
held at Alexandria palace, in which
several of the most noted bloodhounds
Of the day took part. A "clean boot"
rs well as a CREASED one, was hunted,
he length of the course being about
six hundred yards A keeper was dis
patched with good start, and though
some of the hounds failed almost en-
.irely, others delighted the spectators
oy the unerring accuracy with which
hey followed the ''clean boot" over a
portion of the course.
)ne dog leaped the ratings which the
i L !.
Ter others which he had slipped
through. All, however, were more or
ess at fault when they came too near
.he crowd, a sure sign that only in
onely and sparsely-populated districts,
'r at hours when few people are about
an the bloodhound be really relied on
is successful man-hunter.-Pall Mall
Gazette