Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-29
Wrz Trial Witnesses Suggest Hounds and Myths to R
What Variety of Dogs Was Employed in Pursuit of Fug

Then. the real bloodhound, monster
of fiction, is not 4 badnatured dog.
bloodhound" merely stood for blood
ed hound" meaning a thoroughbred
dog of its breed. An authority says of
him: The true bloodhound will trail
a man to the last of it's strength. but
will not voluntarily attack him. When
it has located him. 1t will keep guard
and prevent his escape. and may, If
attacked. use its great powers in self
defense. but not in the savage manner
generally attributed to it. 1t Is not In
its nature to be cruel
Turning to the encyclopedia for
more information about dogs. I read
that there was introduced into Cuba
and South America from Spain dog
that was a cross between some kind
of a. dog called a war dog" and the
Spanish pointer. u is written that he
was an ugly dog and that because of
his vices he was called a bloodhound
and was sometimes called the Cuban
bloodhound" He was not hound of
any kind. Thousands of planters in
the Potomac country never saw a
bloodhound. and tens of thousands
never saw that Spanish dog which was
called a bloodhound and was not a
hound.
:: X
YOU note in the testimony of Col.
Gibbs at the Wirz trial that the
dogs referred to in the charges We're
not bloodhounds, but ordinary planta-
ton dogs, and that they were not
ferocious nor altogether harmless.
They were subsisted on cornhread.
That was the breed of dog we oldsters
knew when we were boys. One OF
nv neighbors has a dog of that kind.
They brought him to Washington
from the secession State of South
Carolina. and historically he ought to
be the bloodiest sort of bloodhound.
On coming to my neighborhood ne
saw my old cat. Tom Gray, mapping
on the windowsill Mike, that's the
bloodhounds name. set up hula
"Yelp! Yelp' Here's a cat! What
luck Great Sport. Yelp. Come. cat,
let us play. Yelp"
Old Tom Gray awoke. Amazed at
the familiarity OF dog he never saw
before, old Tom did his stuff. He
tuned his rage to the bursting point.
uttering oaths in the catalonian
tongue, which. if translated on this
page. would drive my readers to the
woods. He led with his right to the
hloodhound's nose and followed with
his left, but missed, because the
ferocious beast sidestepped. shouting
"Yelp: Enough: Great wild cats! I'm
stabbed. Yelp.'
Since then Mike and Tom Gray
have come to some kind of an IN
derstanding, not exactly cordial and
loving, you know, but they tolerate,
rather than lacerate. each other.
Mike is respectful and banks: Come,
kitty, let us play" Old Toms agate
| eyes look more disdain than anger.
and unless Mike becomes too frivo.
lous. Tom Gray raises not his
whiskers nor his tail. He dozes on
, till pans rattle in the kitchen-his
dinner bell
pCT let US get back to the Wirz
. ~ story. 1t is growing dark. and
as have done about an hours work
/ must not desecrate the eight.hour
| day
The causes for conditions at the
| Andersonville stockade prison and
the hanging Of Henry Wirz have been
texts for much discussion, and some
| Of it angry discussion. Before come
to the end of my story. I will quote
to you what has been said by men
| who believed that Wirz was an honest
man and what has been said by men
who held his hanging just have
~ec"iN d from my friend. Miss Eliza