Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 April 1891 — CATCHING CONVICTS. [ARTICLE]

CATCHING CONVICTS.

Wow Escaped Prisoners are Run Down, by Hounds In Alabama. Birmingham, Ala. —[Correspondence]— Bloodhounds are inseparably associated With slavery in the South. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and other stories and dramas of that character would lose half their interest without the horror inspiring bloodhounds. Since the war the bloodhounds in the South have been trained to chase escaped convicts. Every few days newspapers all over the country publish telegrams -from soine southern city giving an account of the escape of a convict and his capture by the aid of bloodhounds. Sometimes it is a desperate criminal or outlaw who has committed some terrible crime and is hiding in the woods, instead of the escaped convict, but in each story the dog is. a feature. These convict catching bloodhounds are a myth. There is no such dogs in this section of the country. The dogs used in trailing escaped prisoners are small fox hounds, a very insignificant and harmless animal— At Pratt mines, five miles from this city, there are 1,200 convicts, leased by the State to the Tennessee Coal. Iron and Railroad Company. The company is responsible for the safe-keeping of the convicts, and is required to pay the State a good round sum for every lorig-term man that escapes. Every possible precaution is taken to prevent escape, but, in spite of the care of warden and guards, a convict gets away now and then. It is impossible for an escaped prisoner to get many hours’ start of nis pursuers, as the roll is called morning and night, and he will be missed. To capture those who escape the company keep a large pack of hounds. These dogs are small red fox hounds. A few of them are spotted, but the majority are a solid dull red color. They are small, slender-limbed animals, capable of fair speed and endurance, and they can, without difficulty, follow a trail five to eight hours old. 4 . The dogs mines have for years been in charge of R. H. Crosswell. Thriy are kept in a large stockade a short distance from the prison, and never taken outside the inclosure

except when wanted to trail escaped convicts. Five or six dogs are usually taken out at a time for a chase, the others being held as a reserve force for any emergency. In appearances these hounds are as lazy and cowardly as any “yaller dog,” in existence, but when once they strike the trail of a convict they become all life an animation. From puppy hood these dogs have been taught to follow nothing but the trail of men. They are never allowed to hunt game of any kind, and would pass over the trail of fox or deer without notice. To get the dogs on the right trail a coat or hat belonging to the escaped convict is obtained if possible and held to the nose of the dog, while trainer Croswell by signs makes them understand that is the scent they are expected to follow. They are then taken to the point where the convict made his escape from the mine or prison, or to the place where he was last seen. The moment they scent the trail they recognize it by giving a sharp yelp. Their leashes are then slipped off, they are told to go and the race begins. Guards on horses follow close behind Trainer Crosswell, who rides a fleet horse and keeps right with the dogs. As soon as the trail is struck the baying of the hounds begins and the music they make would stip the blood in any old hunter’s veins. The dogs follow slowly at first, but as the trail grows warmer they increase their pace. The fleeing convicit may run through a crowded street, double on his track, enter houses and mingle with crowds of people, but he can not dodge the yelping pack of red dogs on his trail. There is only one chance to escape them, and that is uncertain if they are close behind. By taking to water the dogs can be thrown off the trail. If the convict. can reach a smallcreek and wade through the water in the middle of the stream several miles he may be able to escape the keen-scented pursurers. They can not follow him in the water. If the dogs are close behind this plan will fail, because the guards seperatc the dogs and follow both banks of the creek, often a distance of several miles in. the hope of striking the trail again.

Trainer Croswell is proud of his dogs. Once fairly started on a trail they never lose it unless thrown ofl the trail by a hard rain or the convict taking to water. They have trailed men through the principal streets of this city where thousands had passed over the trail and . finally run the fugitive down. They novel make a mistake. If started on the right trail they follow it to the end. When several convicts escape .to getherand seperate in the woods when pursued the dogs are divided and the separate trails all followed. “The harrowing stories told it novels of men being torn to pieces by bloodhounds have no foundation. When the dogs overtake an escaped prisoner they make no effort tc attack him, but simply circle ,around while their deep-mouthed baying tells the guards tneir game has been run down.' As soon as the guards come up and secure the prisoner the hounds immediately relapse into that state of lazy indifference which characterized them before the open ing of the long chase. “On several occasions these dogs have done geod service in trailing down murderers__and burglars. Trainer Cross well says he can take anv ordinary fox-hound when young and .learn it to trail men, It. is e ■natter of education and not of breed.’