Bloodhounds for Murderers.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 320, 28 November 1888, Page 5

Bloodhounds for Murderers.

Whilg Mr Matthews and Sir Charlee Warren are sapiently discussing with ths poor plain -clothes policemen humorously named detectives, the best way how not to find the Whitechapel assassin, I should like to show how that man would have been tracked in any intelligently - governed country. I may premise my lemarks by saying that, during my late stay in Southern California, my means of observing the powers ot the bloodhound were increased, irom the fact that the late Mr Hugh Edward Playfair, nephew of Sir Lycm Piayfair, M.P., srave me, a short time before his lamented and untimely death, a bloodhound of the purest possible breed, raised from one of undoubted slave-hunting extraction, and that I was able by experiment to Lest the reported powers ot this class of hound in tiacking by scent, and scent alone. Ib is not, however, of the powers of this particular dog that I want to speak — I only mention him to show thab I am not talking of something with which L have had no experience. My aim is to show thab, had a bloodhound of good training been laid on to the scent directly the murdered woman in Aldgate was discovered, or, at any rate, before her poor body was moved, and another bloodhound laid on to the scent of the murdered wo<nan in Whitechapel before her body was moved also, the two hounds would almost have undoubtedly tracked the murderer along the deserted streets of the East End to his hiding place, which I take leave still to believe is not far from the scene of his horrible murders. 1 do nob know that ib would be too late to try the experiment now, but I fear it would. And lest my readers should pay, 4 Then what is bbc use of talking about ib V 1 may mention that the idea of tracking by bloodhounds was suggested at the inquest of Mary Ann Mcholls, and again at that on Annie Chapman ; and that had the police, instead of pooh-poohing the suggestion, had a couple ot trained bloodhounds, of which there are ten, at leasb, in London to day, kept ab a handy police-station in Whitechapel, they would in all probability have ab this moment in the cell the Muecched mnrderer who is now laughing at their fooh-h efforts to find him. Let us mention an incident or two. Some years ago a murder occurred in Kansa3 city. A man was stabbed and robbed in a peculiarly atrocious way, and though at the time the citizens of Kansas were a little ' tough,' yet ib was felt that the crime was the work of a stranger. They had no bloodhounds in the city, but a sapient old Yankee advised the sending for one fiom Albuquerque, nob far otl, and the hound was ietched before the body ivat> ?7ioved. An anxious crowd stood round to watch what the dog would do. With a deep bay, such as only a bloodhound can give, he threw up his head, bayed again, and, making a rapid run, went straight to the far end of the city, into a lowrestauranband sleeping house, up the stairs to the door of a room. A loud shot resounded inside, the door was bur&b in, and there lay bhe undoubted murderer — a suicide now that the hound had tracked him. In lowa State, in a town not very far from Council Bluffs, about six years ago. a citiVen going along the road at night was met by two men, killed, and robbed. The district was loused, tor the murdered man was greatly respected, and the people turned out to find the murderer. One man brought a bloodhound, ■which tracked, in the presence ot all the inhabitants, not only the first murderer who had really struck the fatal blow, but his assistant, who had on him only a bandanna handkerchief belonging to t.ho old gentleman who was robbed, and they weie both promptly hanged by the citizens. But thb bloodhound is not always wanted to actually catch the man. At Tucson, in Arizona, a murder and lobbery took place of a peculiarly bad kind. The citizens mot, and publicly resolved thab no one should be allowed to leave Tucson till a bloodhound had been tent lor and allowed to track tho criminal. A cordon of men bhab would stand no nonsense, and men well-known, was consequenbly drawn round the bown, and no person was allowed to * skip ' bill bhe hound arrived. Next morning bhe dog came, and the news of its arrival spread thiough the town. A little crowd was drinking at the bar of a saloon, when some one shouted. ' Here's the bloodhound !' 'For God'fa sake, save me from being lynched till I've told all I know !' screamed a pale-faced man who was standing at the end of the bar, and who up to that momenb had been drinkiug silently and evidently with a view to keep up his courage. ' Guess we shan't want no bloodhound here, gentlemen,' dryly remarked a ' Down Easter,' as ho ' covered ' the self-confessed murderer with his ten -inch barrelled revolver. An hour later saw the murdered man's property recovered, and his assassin's body swinging in bhe wind. As yob Mr Mabbhews will offer no reward, and Sir Charles Warren will nob employ bloodhounds. Will they ' step down and out,' as the Americans say, and let somebody else do ib ? About Town.

Buggins was boasting that he was a selfmade man, and somebody remarked that it a pity he hadn't made himself of a little better stuff, and not used quite so much for his ears.' How to treab a wife. ---Treat her with a dress. A suspicious parent makes an artful child.