The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-03-09
THE NATURE OF sLooDHoUNDs.
As Likely to Rend and Devour the Fleeing
Victim as Is the Average Pug.

As Likely to Rend and Devour the r'ee'ng
Victim as is the Average Pug.
at is a peculiar fact" said Detect
i've Frank d. Mitchell the other day.
'that the general public has an entire
ly erroneous idea as to the nature and
characteristics of the bloodhound. The
popular opinion is that he is beast OF
giant frame and unusually ferocious,
with a penchant for eating the crimi-
nal whom he has brought to bay.
Another common error is that he can
follow a scent indefinitely, through
thousand sinuosities, though 1t may be
intersected by any number OF other
trails.
"The average bloodhound Is no more
to be dreaded so far as his fierceness
| is concerned than a pug. He Is a
gaunt. raw-boned creature, with q
head running to peak; sleepy eyes
and long, pendulous ears. AS to dis
position, he is lazy. His usefulness
lies chiefly in the keenness OF his OIL
factory nerves, enabling him to follow
fresh scent many miles. He seldom
touches his quarry when run to earth,
however, and never does unless
starved to it. The bloodhound differs
from the English foxhound, In that he
never gives tongue or bays while fol-
lowing scent
"Bloodhounds are not OF much use
in tracking criminals In a city, or
where there Is comparatively dense
population, as the numerous cross
trails confuse them. This was demon
strated last winter when we were
hunting Will Tony and Sam Barnette.
| The people of Benson had been COM
planning of chicken thieves. Almost
every night some hencoop In that su-
burb of Omaha would be looted and
| finally Detective Drummy and l were
detailed to work up the case. We put
in several days on it without landing
our man, and the aggravating part OF
it was that the thefts were going right
on, even while we were hunting for the
criminals. Well, eventually we decided
to adopt heroic measures. We had q
consultation with several prominent
citizens of Benson, and the result was
we sent to Beatrice for pack Of blood
hounds.
1--WE kept the dogs in hiding until
there was another foray on hencoop
and then, bright and early one morn
inc. the hounds were put on a fresf
trail. They followed it about a quarter
of mile and finally came to stand
still on the front porch Of house II
the outskirts of the village.
"The family that lived in this house
bore a good reputation, but we de
cided to go in anyhow and make al
investigation. We searched every
where, from cellar to garnet, but their
was no sign of a stolen chicken. NO
even a feather could be found on tn
, premises. Then we took the dogs bacl
to the starting point and had them g
, over the trail again, and again the,
wound up on the front porch OF tn
same house. Try as we would w
couldn't get the beasts to leave tina
p1dCC. liz lldll oCCAC0 " CA0 INV
If the thieves had gone up in balloo
at that point they couldn't have OF
liberated their tracks more efectually
So the dogs were declared failur
and were sent back to Beatrice.
Later we succeeded in catchin
7, Tony and Barnette red-handed, wit
the evidence of their guilt upon then
and they confessed. 1 have never bee
able to explain to my own satisfactio
4 why the trail left off so abruptly o
, the porch of that particular house
There is a tradition comes up from tn
South, a survivor Of the ante-bellur
3 days, that If fleeing slave tied slice
onions upon the soles of his feet tn
q hounds could not track him. Perhar
s that is what Barnette and Tony di
q on the piazza of that house, don
know."-Omaha Bee.