St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-11-24
SOUTHERN BLooDHoUNDs.
Some Remarkable Inst ances OF The
Sagaclty Of the Dreaded
Anima1.

/ 0080Glty Oh N0@ DEC0Oc0
Animal.
It was recently reported that COT.
Tyler, Of Virginia, was entertained on a
visit to convict camp by man hunt
with bloodhounds, the man being given
an hours start and plenty of time to
climb q tree. Such exhibitions are
quite common on the South Carolina
state farms, where bloodhounds are
kept. The same kind of animals are
kept by the sheriffs of many counties
in this state, and they always do well
ON such occasions, but have never beeti
known to run down a criminal. says a
special correspondent Of the st. Louis
Globe-Democrat.
81 very much doubt said an old
slave owner, whether there is gem
uine bloodhound in the south, or one
with the nose of the old runaway
slave catcher in the country. Any
breed of dogs that run by scent can be
trained from puppies to run man and
man alone: Ordinary deer or fox
hounds take to this quite naturally,
and if crossed with a half or quarter
fox terrier they become vicious and
persistent in the chase. But these are
not bloodhounds nor should those now
owned by the state or counties in South
Carolina be so elassed.
"The bloodhound in his perfection
of nose and his ferocity was the prod-
uct of the institution of slavery. The
finest strains came from Cuba; large,
powerful beasts, tawny or black, with
white points, and so fierce that when
not in service they were chained and
only their master Gould feed or touch
them. If they escaped they chased
the first person they saw and their de-
sire was to eat his flesh.
"Many of the dogs were imported to
the south by the men who made their
living catching runaway slaves. They
were crossed on the deer hound and the
product was good man hunter-ferce
enough, but not 80 dangerous as the
Cuban. Several packs of such dogs
were owned in this state and their pres
ence in county kept many slave at
home who would have otherwise sought
the shelter OF the forest where, un.
less followed by such hounds, he could
live for years, paying weekly or month
ly visits to the negro settlements.
"The alleged bloodhouEds of this day
cannot run a man if the trail Is ever
three hours old, if it goes in water,
or is crossed by other trails. The
slave catcher's hounds, bred for their
cold nose for more than a century,
could carry trail 36 hours old. The
common definition that used to be
given for the name of this species of
dog was that If drop of blood fell
on the track he would never leave it.
They were like wolves in that they
hunted for meat and were eager to de-
YOUR a man run to tree or cornered.
There are many authenticated stories
showing the remarkable qualities of
scent and sagacify. 1t was practically
impossible to battle an old dog, and
when his nose was once put by his
master in the footprints of man. the
particular scent of that person was
the only one he would entertain in his
nostrils, and that track he would pick
out of hundred. Ordinary hounds of
chase are puzzled when the quarry
takes to a running stream and goes up
or down. The man hunter, acute and
wise as a man, would Systematically
hunt the banks up and down for miles
until the trail was recovered. !.
"There is case of particular note on
record in this state where the sery-
ices of professional slave-catcher were
called in to catch murderer. The
crime had been committed more than
"a hours when the boss Of the pack ar
rived with his dogs on the scene of
the murder. One naked footprint was
found, retreating from the spot, and
into this the muzzle of the prize trailer
of the pack was pressed, and she was
given the word to go, the other dogs be-
ing held in reserve. Miles through
swamps, across ponds of water and into
the woods the dog trailed. finally COM
ing out on cultivated plantation, her
nose close to the ground and occasion
ally giving utterance to the fierce, yet
musical, long-drawn bay that carried
terror always to the hearts of the run
away. into the street Of the negro
village went the dog carrying the trail
where it had been crossed by dozens
of men, women and children. and then
into a house. Here she made circle
of the rooms, came out of the same
door, trailed to another house,
scratched at the barred door, and when
it was opened caught the murderer
under the bed. He belonged to another
plantation and had come there for shell
ter and protection. and had used every
device to throw off pursuit.
'1t was, of course, important and
necessary that the owner of such a
pack of dogs should be responsible and
yigilant. He had to be a fine horseman
and ride horses that could go almost
anywhere, for he must be up to the
leading dog when the slave was brought
to bay. If the fugitive was too hard
pressed to climb tree, or as they some
times did, attempted to shoot the
dogs. he would be torn to pieces il the
master was not promptly on hand.
LAWS governing tuc upuSS VA SAo'SS
were strict and enforced. The most
noted case of their violation is one of
the best-known criminal cases in our
law books, although it occurred go
years ago. A captured slave had in
CURED the enmity of the hunters and
he was killed and his flesh fed to the
dogs. The two whites implicated were
tried, convicted and hung at Water
boro. the militia of Charleston being
marched 60 miles to prevent their res
cue by friends on the day of execu-
tion.
"with the passing of slavery the ne
cessity for cold-nosed man-chasers no
longer exists, and the breed. at least in
this part of the country. is no longer
preserved"
CePebPO-Gastric.
Petted Daughter-They asked me to
play at Mrs. Highup's this evening, and
! did; but
Fond Mother (proudiy)-Were they
not entranced?