Show THE bloodhound MYTH they were never used by slavo holders for tracking negroes Nef froes it is strange how low long alia world will stick stich to an error especially if it bo be either cither romantic or sympathetic in its tendency I 1 reckon everybody who has read uncle toms cabin remembers especially if they were young at the time how appalling to the imagination were the bloodhounds employed to track the poor runaways this bloodhound myth has lived until now only the other day I 1 read a terrible story of a fugitive in tho the dismal swamp country of virginia who ran away of course before the war and was hunted with bloodhounds etc the truth of the matter was that blood bloodhounds bounds were never used in tho the south tor for pursuing pin suing runaway negroes negro cs or for any other purpose I 1 have ria no idea that there has been areal a real bloodhound in tho the state of virginia for fifty years A cross of the common foxhound and siberian dog lias long been popularly known and confounded with the true spanish bloodhound and these brutes have been exhibited at dog a shows as the old time slave tracking bloodhounds 1 to the great terror and awe of the guileless spectator the dogs used in tracking t nerol ne rol whenever any were used wore were the ordinary hou ls of the south such as were trained for deer driving bear hunting or wild hog to shooting if well wall trained they will track anything that goes on legs and will hunt bunt up a white aghita man or negro as aa readily as they will pursue the ma coon or liia his great brother the black bear still found in the mountains of the tha carolinas virginia or tennessee common in the swamps and of mississippi louisiana and texas and abundant in the immense brakes on upper red river riter and those that occupy most of the region between the white and st francis rivers in arkansas particularly ticul arly in the section known as tho the devils summer retreat about fifty miles from the mouth of the white immortalized zed in porters famous story of bob herring the bear hunter printed in the old spirit nearly fifty years ago the only bloodhounds that ever came into louisiana or mississippi were imported from cuba in 1845 by a wealthy gentleman who owned large jarge estates in the parish of tensas hensas louisiana and iu in claibourne county mississippi who by the way was a friend pupil and distant relative of the eminent republican statesman from maine there were three couples of these dogs and it was than 1 it they might increase the keenness of scent of the hound of the period by crossing the breed alie experiment however worked cd disastrously after acquiring a pack in two or three years time mr gillespie took them out tor for trial they had not far to go before they struck the fresh trail of an old he be bear of aldermanic proportions who was making his usual morning trip to the plantation cornfield where ho he had red fed ever since lie was a cub no corpulent old gentleman peacefully going from his house to his club could have been more astonished at an assault from tramps than was tho the old bear I 1 speak of finally realizing the situation he backed up against a cypress and killed five of the dogs in less time than a wiry terrier would kill hill the same number of rats tire owner of the dogs had not expected to put up a bear so near and was without a gun the improved dogs instead of snapping at the bear and lettin letting go 90 when lie turned on them as well trained bear dogs do just caught hold and held on oil with the consequences mentioned it ended tha importation of bloodhounds and the deer and bear hunters of louisiana and mississippi concluded they would let their brecq breeb of logs dogs be as they were and not introduce any more foreign innovations washington cor car courier journal |