New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-07-16
TRAINING BLOODHOUNDS.
HOW THEY ARE TAUGHT To TAKE AND
FOLLOW 4 HUMAN TRAIL.
From The Chicago Record.

From The Chicago Record.
For fifty years bloOdh0unds have been trained
in the South for man-hunters Before the war
nearly all Of the larger plantations had blood
hounds trained to pursue runaway slaves In
some cases plantation owners would club to-
gether and purchase a pack Many white men
in the South made it a business 20 train dogs
especially for this purpose. and accompanied
them when they were needed for d chase"
Since the war the value Of the hound IS 50
well known in following escaped criminals that
to-day halfbreeds are almost as numerous as
the others were thirty years ago. although many
were killed by Union soldiers and negroes our
ing the war
Dog fanciers say that probably not twenty-five
pure Dl0Dded dogs Il this breed can Do found
in the United states at pr. sent The FIRST Z
their kind came from the North ot England,
near the Scotch boundary line. According %
old English records. they were nor used for
sporting purposes but Kept about the house
as pets IN the families Of the nobility because
or their COURAGE and docility. The reai blood
hound IS anything bat savage and Vicious
brute in his ordinary condition. When aroused,
however, he viii attack man Or beast with
ferocity which is equalled by no other breed
lie never gives up long as lie lasts. and Il
is either death 10 himself or the object u his
attack. The savage side ~ the dog 81 aroused
by resistance. and be- will seldom bite any one
who does not offar H. unless iuru-ur by the
scent Of blood. The negroes IN the slave days
were well aware ~ the trait and frequently.
when run down. a darky would throw himself
full length on the ground and remain motion
less. The dogs would come up and standing
around, would bay until the pursuing party
reached the fugitive. Many 4 runaway. how
ever. met his death in endeayOring 20 strangle
the dogs or beat them Of with a club.
Tho hounds II the pure species have an I'M
usually long and narrow forehead. with eyes
very large and soft. and color II 4 dark tan
or fawn They are slightly smaller than the
liver pointer" stare ding about two feet above
the ground Their legs are short but powerful
and they are not swift running dogs. but their
s. Mt Is ndertuL
tn manner Of breaking them is TO select a
stretch If country about A mile long. with one
or two small thicketS on the 'course. \ negro
boy puts ID pair Z b~pgaus. the s1les II which
have been rubbed with blood from a chicken
He is given q start II twenty minutes. At the
md " this time the animal is lOOsed. The
. trainer puts his nose 20 the spot where the
negro started and he is N the scent in
second going al full speed across the country.
r. the thcket Do may be puzzled, but in few
n ,rnents ne strikes the trail again. and. baying
indicates hat h. mas found the fugitive. The
scent is best early in the morning before the
sun has dried the DIV IN the ground as the
moisture seems % hold the OtOr better.
After few trials the dog follows the negro
simply ry the od0r Of his feet Then course
is Laid out which IS moro di;hrult. Several
str ans ~ water are crossed. ana start Is
taken durin- a hot day. four Or flsa hours after
+ the SUPPOSED fugitive has gone over the ground.
From ONE mile the course IS heightened 70 five.
The dog may take half-aay 20 complete u, as
hon be- reaches "a waterway NJ mas ID run mp
and down each bank until he uncS Wn"fe the
nero entered the water and emerged. But his
wonderful nose constantly moving over the
ground usually pr..es an unerrinS guide and
seldom is hs .thrHHn JT' more than half an
tlu~ few months " tbs coCrs!ns and The
bloodhound is ready t0 act as detectiVe-cne
4 which cannot 1e nrilod.
4 r..yttr. ~ The 8. tt-r. pointer or some OIL 'r
breed ~ hunting dog with me bio1dh ty3e
answers s1r man hunting about as we'll as he
-.!ra breed and ne dogs thus Ootalr"i a." nu n
.h-aper Many are owned by country pI-ctfs
and .ar.ful.y guarded. as criminals II not AeSl-
. crime has been committed the nearest dogs
are sent for. The ar mails beat aiount iae
premises where the crime has been 7uilnltte Il
Tx a pointer hunting Tor a partridge.
some four .r Eve hours may e.ai-e before the
dogs take the trail They work around IN a
/ constantly widening circle until they NM r.
Then they are like a pack after a i1A. ana tne
/ pursu-rs must whip up their horses 10 KEEP
. track II them II the trail is fresh. The oLt-
laws in the southern states are well aware ~
/ the kecnu.sS of the pursuers. and Try every Wy
10 throw them Of They swim creeks. 20
through marshes, run on stones as mAch IS
t,o4sibl. for the hardness IF the surface caus g
/ !. ~ retain hut A very slight od1r unless wet
Dogs used for man hunting for A term OF
. years are not easily thrown on tn tran at the
banks ~ stream. They jump DO ana SWIM
over running up and Down the opposite side
/ until they have found the spot Wh~r- me iuSl-
tive has come out Of the water. Nh-n I'ur 'F
/ five dogs are in pursuit and the scent = lOst,
eacb takes 10 a certain area ana covers X
,bo-oughIv until the 9d0r is again detected
when the pack start away together Ihey can
/ follow Il through sWamps. where the water s
two and three feet deep. ny shl,lllS "a" NO. ~
grass ana the trunks " trees when tney pass
The most difficult obstacle is dry SAND. II
/ fugitive can find 4 stretch - this hair a mia
I'm width he IS in a fair way 70 escape iot' as
the Impressions of his footsteps are el IN
the soft material they are Immediately filed up
with fresh sand and much ~ the scent - d.
liberated
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