The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-16
DOG ACTORS WOULDN'T ACT.
UIPPODROME'S BLOODHOUNDS
RETIEE TO PRIVATE LIFE.
co Far From DaEhlng After the Escaping
Prisoner, they Fled I'm Terror Prom
the OrchestFa-Ths Press AGENTS
street Chase plan Had 20 BE Given Up.

street chase Plan HAD 90 BE Given Up
WIT, the matter with those dogs7
Iaven they got sense enough to do as they
are toldl'
Those we're the questions which set the
oho-ls yelling with laughter at a Hippo
drome rehearsal some two weeks ago
Mr.. Temple, the stage manager, had been
lashirg the chorus, individually and col
leetively. with sarcasm, wrath and scorn,
for about eighteen weeks. There was
scarcely a girl or a man In II who had not
been assured most cordially Of Mr.. Temples
profoundest contempt and disesteem.
And here at the very first appearance Of
the pack Of bloodhounds In the Ander-
sonville spectacle the dogs were included
m the general anathematization.
In the first place they were not blood
hounds at all. They were foxhounds
trained 10 follow an aniseed trail when
there was no fox handy. 1t was due to
these same dogs in some small part that
Andersonyille now goes through its changes
Of scene without any pursuit Of the prts-
onsrs by mill wagging-tGiled hounds who
accor. ilC to his announcement before
their appearance are likely TO tear him
limb from limb
Mr.. Melville, the circus director, had
the general supervision Of these dogs,
along with the other live stock Of the Hip
rodrlme how He kept them at the winter
1uart,r, at C0ney Island for weeks before
they wero brought to the city. He was
Nuu Of mighty promises as TO their per-
formances when he brought them in.
lie sat back in a chair cooked up against
the wall OF the press agents room for hours
planning a public exhibition of the IN
erring ability Of these dogs to follow q
human trail The plan, as partly devel-
oped. was TO start of a man, supposed 20
he an escaping criminal, from come point
near Broadway and Forty-second street,
and then in the presence Of a selected
COMPANY Of newspaper reporters and Cen
tral Office detectives, turn the bounds
oose on the trail and follow them up and
down through the shopping district.
Il would have been a lovely ante-opening
Hippodrome advertisement But when the
Two or three reporters who knew Of the plan
vent 70 see Mr.. Melville soon after the
dogs were brought to town they found
him most uncommunicative on the sub
,ect He wasn't for a public thief chase
any more.
Investigation showed that, able as those
dogs might be in following a scent loft
On the ground in the pure and open air
OF Conoy L.land at winter, they were more
alta lo-5 in the city than the greenest Of
hackvoods country1Len. They put their
tail, bstgeen their legs and whined a.
soon a. tasy we're turneu loose on the street.
Tley didn't know anything.
In the h7st reheaI al at the Hippodrome
Il was discovered that the footlights a. d
the PLAYING e.. The oICl tstIa 90 nearly
as cad an chect on them. There we're
iust TWO things required Of those dogs
10 hay and make a great noise OF stal Q
while the hero WIS pleading with the beautl.
ful Southern lazy for aid In rescuing bis
wounded comvarion from those pitiless
beasts who we're pursuing US, ard mo-
ment later 20 90 flying across the stage
over The iath which the hero and lis
Wounded fTierd Rad taken, while the cavalry
olAttered behind.
Those roheaIsals were lots Of fun. At
The FIST one the fourth dog sat down
abruptly IN miCstage, forsaklng the uman
chase and proceeded TO devote himself
70 a flea hunt that was much more vital TO
him, ard from which hot even the thunder
Of the galloping CO valry would divert him,
At another drets rehearsal tho & 1T tin Q
the dogs confronted the full glaze Of the
lights and the full blare Of tie orchestra
and the applause Of q small audience Of
friends Of the management, they whirled
around az soon AS they we're fairly on the
stage and went kyoodling OF In a wild
panic.
Every rcsource Of all the qriclS and de-
vioUs thinkers around the building. from
Frederic Thompson himself down TO Henry
Asher, the friend and keeper Of Miska
The Russian sheephound who imperson ates
lion In the 1Yank ee Circus" was con
een'rated on these hounds.
There was no trouble about getting them
10 kass crtf1f fha A T,wkn,,RI
will always bay at view II fox. A fox
was therefore bought and put in an open
cage, and at the proper moment In the
scene was exposed to the view Of the pack,
which promptly SGT up an earsplltting
chorus. Then the fox was hidden and the
effort was made 70 get the hounds to follow
an aniseed trail across the stage. First
OF all the shoes and the bandages on the
feet OF Stanton, the hero's wounded COM
rade were soaked with Rniseed oil The
dogs followed him the first time but after
ward paid no attention to his tracks
Then, Just before the curtain went up, a
solid trail Of aniseed oil was made
across the stage. This worked better but
was stll not intere sting enough 70 keep
the dogs from having more regard for the
lights and the audience than for their
duties a. actors. Then the fox was trotted
over the stage, in PToprid peTsOnd, before
the raising Of the curtain. The dogs followed
great deal better; but there was no cer-
tainty about their movements.
Then stanton carried the fox in a bag,
ne be fed. The bag seemed to diminish
the scent and the scene was worse OF than
eve And the humane society raised
warning finger on behalf Of the fox.
Nr. Thompson pointed the finger OF
ecom at his partner, Mr.. Dlndy, who had
bought tie dogs, and said il was all the
fault Of the dogs. Mr.. Mcclellan, who
hires all Of the shows actors was inst ruCted
% g out and get some dogs, good dogs.
lie brought In a pack Of rather livelier and
more ambitious beasts than the first lot.
They appeared at the first performance,
after one or two rehearsals which seemed
10 show that they would fulfil the Job re-
CURED Of them. But they were such small
guilty creatures 80 much like beages,
that one or two unsympathetic critics,
fearing Ia mind that horror struck howl
'Theywill tear him limb from limb!' laughed
out loud
Mr.. Mcclellan went out and got three
Inc, zig, stage bloodhounds OF the ancient
Uncle Toms Cabin breed They are
much more like brindled Great Danes than
bloodhounds. but at any rate they ht the
popular fancy Of what bloodhound should
b. But the Uncle Tom bloodhound u
never sent to run free after the fleeing
thsd, He Is ia leash, and II the dramatic
teciet were T. be revealed, Il would be
Eno"n taat lie does not strain 20 follow
l.1Vtt a g1rtv