River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-02-25
WAYS OF A BLOODHOUND.
Good Temper and watchfulness Com
mend Him to Notice.

Good Temper and watchfulness Com
mend Him to Notice.
For stateliness of appearance no
breed of dogs is comparable to the
bloodhound, while The stories attend
ing its unerring pursuit of its quarry
have furnished the novelist with ma
terial of the most exciting character.
But it is a fiction to associate the blood
hound with ferocity. He never wor-
ries or mangles what he tracks down.
His vocation is to find, and TO find only,
whether engaged in pursuit of man
or of wounded deer. The bloodhound
has figured in history from time inn
memorial, and no breed of dogs has pre-
served its characteristic points so per-
sistently. The high, pointed craniuni.
the long, pendulous ears, the ample
dewlap, the wrinkled forehead, the
overhanging eyelid-commonly called
the sealing-waX-may be traced more
OF less in the Talbot hound, in the mod
ern foNhound, the ottcrhound, the bas-
set, the French daschund, and in the
Swedish beagle, which last is a minia-
ture bloodhound, though of lighter
build. Instinct is so keen that he
hunts the "clean shoe" as well, IL not
better, than when the foot of the flu
gitive has been purposely fouled, and il
is a pretty sight to watch a trained
hound following his quarry over fence
if the pursued has gone that way, or
under the rails, if such has been his
course.
The training of bloodhounds has not
been very persistently followed of late
Years. but there have been several inn
portant trials at BoXmoor and at the
Alexandra palace. IL is noteworthy TO
remark that the trial al BoXmoor came
off when deep snow was on the ground,
and that while snow was actually fall
ing the hounds laid on were equally per-
sistent in tracking the quarry. a we'll
trained bloodhound will follow for five
miles even after six hours have elapsed
since the fugitive started, and although
many other trails may have crossed the
track. But he is frequently at fault
over stone flags. 1t was for this reason
that the pursuit of Jack the Ripper by
hloodhOunds, at one time lnooted, was
after trial discarded.
Ii was the late Mr.. j. Bells Countess
which served as model to Landseer for
his bloodhound in Dignity and Impu-
dence," and also for his Sleeping Blood
hound" while the late Sir John Mil
lais' Cromwell figured in more than one
of that artists pictures. Other fine
hounds have been Lauth XI, Hector III.
ar Danger. The bloodhound's aris-
1 hfc sfal, 10 al
temper and his watchfulness commend
him to social notice, while the vulgar
/ idea regarding his ferocity renders him
/ az invaluable companion for ladies and
/ children against the annoyance Incl
dental to the genus tramp.
Count lie ContcuX de Cantelen, in his
work Les Races des Chiens Courans
/ Francois" marks back to the famous
/ ST. Hubert hounds, black and white, as
the recognized progenitors of their
/ breed. The present day writer was par
! ;ieularly impressed by the strong blood
4 hound type which characterized the
| packs of French hounds from various
| provinces exhibited at the international
I show in Paris in the year 1878. How
/ ever. il will be more interesting to leave
/ speculative discussion and come TO the
regions of fact. In borderland history
( bloodhounds were compulsorily main
I tanned by each hamlet for tracking the
mss troopers after their raids. and till
comparatively lately the rural con-
st;.bulary in England employed blood
+ hounds to trace sheep and poultry steal-
+ ers.-London Sketch.