TRIAL OF BLOODHOUNDS.
The Central News says: Sir Charles Warren witnessed a private trial of bloodhounds in one of the London parks at an early hour yesterday. The hounds are the property of Mr. Edwin Brough, of Wyndgate, near Scarborough, who for years past has devoted himself to bloodhound breeding. It has been Mr. Brough's practice not only to breed for bench points but to train his animals to exercise those particular faculties with which thay have been endowed by nature. On the 4th of October Mr. Brough was communicated with by the Metropolitan Police as to the utility of employing bloodhounds to track criminals, and negotiations followed which resulted in that gentleman coming to London on Saturday evening, bringing with him two magnificent animals, named "Barnaby" and "Burgho." Of the two, Barnaby is the better known of the show benches, but Burgho, in body, feet, and legs, is as nearly perfect as possible. Burgho is nearly two years younger than his kennel companion. He is a black and tan, and is a rare stamp of hound, powerful, well formed, and exceedingly well grown. His head measures twelve inches in length, and he is one of the fastest hounds Mr. Brough has ever bred. Burgho has been trained from a puppy to hunt "the clean shoe" - that is to say, follow the trail of a man whose shoes have not been prepared in any way by the application of blood or aniseed, so as to leave a strongly-marked trail. Barnaby has been similarly taught, but his training was not commenced until he was at least a twelve month old. The hounds have been accustomed to working together, which is a considerable advantage in following a trail. Mr. Brough told a Central News reporter that his system of training the hounds is as follows: -When they are puppies, four or five months old, he gives them short runs of about 100 yards to begin with on grass and up wind. To encourage the young dogs everything is made as easy for them as possible. The man whom they are going to run is always someone whom they know, and he caresses and fondles the puppies before he starts. The dogs are allowed to see him start, and the quarry gets out of sight as quickly as possible, and conceals himself. The trainer, who must know the exact course the man has taken, puts the puppies on the line, and encourages them by voice and gesture to follow up the trail. It is quite likely at first that some of the litter, perhaps all of them, will not put their noses down or understand what is required of them, but the trainer takes them along until they reach the man, and he rewards them with some dainty. This is repeated until very soon the hounds know what is required of them, and once started on the trail work for themselves. The difficulties are gradually increased, but not until they are twelve months old can the animals be taught to go across country. Eventually, they can be trained to cross roads and brooks, and when they are at fault, say by over-running the line, they will make their own casts and recover the track. Mr. Brough tried Barnaby and Burgho in Regent's-park at seven o'clock on Monday morning. The ground was thickly coated with hoar frost, but they did their work well, successfully tracking for nearly a mile a young man, who was given about fifteen minutes' start. They were tried again in Hyde-park at night. It was, of course, dark, and the dogs were hunted on a leash, as would be the case if they were employed in Whitechapel. They were again successful in performing their alloted task, and at seven o'clock yesterday morning a trial took place before Sir Charles Warren. To all appearances the morning was a much better one for scenting purposes than was Monday, though the contrary proved to be the fact. In all, half a dozen runs were made. Sir Charles Warren in two instances acting as the hunted man. In every instance the dogs hunted persons who were complete strangers to them, and occasionally the trail would be crossed. When this happened the hounds were temporarily checked, but either one or the other would pick up the trail again. In one of the longest courses the hounds were checked at half the distance. Burgho ran back, but Barnaby making a fresh cast forward recovered the trail and ran the quarry home. The hound did this entirely unaided by his master, who thought he was on the wrong track, but left him to his own devices. In consequence of the coldness of the scent yesterday morning the hounds worked very slowly, but they demonstrated the possiblity of tracking complete strangers on to whose trail they had been laid. The Chief Commissioner seemed pleased with the results of the trials, though he did not express any definite opinion on the subject of those present.
The streets in the vicinity of the recent tragedies are still patrolled by police and detectives in augmented numbers, and the closest surveillance is maintained on suspected localities. The number of amateur detectives at work does not seem so great as at the latter end of last week; but the ordinary detective staff was represented sufficiently to keep a close watch upon all suspected persons who might be moving about at untimely hours without ostensible reason.
At a crowded meeting held in Spitalfields last night, at which Mr. Pickersgill, M.P., spoke, the inadequacy of the police in East London was commented on, and a resolution was passed deploring the recent outrages, and calling for the direct control of the police by the ratepayers.
At yesterday's meeting of the Guardians of the City of London Union a considerable increase in the number of paupers admitted to the casual wards was reported. Mr. Abbott (St. Botolph Without, Aldersgate) said the chief cause of the increase of the poor people was the number of women who had to seek shelter because of their fear of being out in the streets in consequence of the unfortunate state of affairs at Whitechapel and the east of London generally.
STABBING A DETECTIVE.
At the Clerkenwell Police-court, yesterday, James Phillips, age 37, cab washer, and William Jarvis, 40, cab washer, of Hackney-road, were charged before Mr. Bros with being concerned in cutting and wounding Detective-sergeant Robinson, of the G division, in Phoenix-place, St. Pancras, early yesterday morning. Jarvis was further charged in cutting and wounding Henry Doncaster, a private person, on the same occasion. The heads of both prisoners were bound with blood-stained bandages, and the face of Sergeant Robinson had surgeon's straps upon wounds around the left eye. -Mr. Ricketts, solicitor, appeared for the prisoners. -Detective sergeant Robinson said that between 12 and 1 o'clock that morning he was on duty disguised in woman's clothing, and in company with Detective-sergeant Mather (in ordinary dress), a man named Doncaster, and several Italians, was watching the actions of a man who was in company with a woman under circumstances of which he had important suspicion. They were in Phoenix-place. About 20 minutes to one, two men (not the prisoners) came up to him and asked what he was doing there. He answered that he was a police-officer, and they went away. Shortly afterwards Jarvis came to him and asked "What are you messing about here for?" Witness took off his woman's hat and answered "I am a police-officer," and added that the other men were with him. Jarvis said, "Oh, you are cats and frogs are you?" and struck him a violent blow with his fist. He seized Jarvis by the coat, but Jarvis pulled out a knife and stabbed him over the left eye. He fell to the ground, and Jarvis again stabbed him, as he lay, on the bridge of his nose. Lying on his back, witness drew his truncheon, struck at Jarvis's hand which held the knife, but the blow missed the hand and struck Jarvis on the head. The prisoner Phillips then kicked him (witness) on the arm and again on the ribs. Both prisoners ran away, and directly afterwards he saw Jarvis strike Doncaster (who had been assisting witness) on the face, and Doncaster cried out, "I am stabbed." Jarvis then called out, "Come on, George, cats and dogs." and several men came out to the cab yard with pitchforks and other implements, but did not use them. Several constables had by this time arrived, and the prisoners were taken into custody. -Sergeant Mather, it was stated, was watching the suspicious man at a little distance, and did not hear the scuffle until it was almost over. -Cross-examined by Mr. Ricketts, Sergeant Robinson said it was dark, and he did not actually see the blade of the knife, but only what looked like the handle. He had information, which he believed might be of importance in regard to the Whitechapel murders. He struck at Jarvis's hand, but after he was stabbed, did not care whether he hit him on the hand or the head. A scare had been raised in the neighbourhood that "Jack the Ripper" was about. It was not the case that there were two constables in uniform watching the struggle, nor that the crowd appealed to them to protect Jarvis. -Henry Doncaster, of 26, Warner-street, Clerkenwell, who appeared with his head and face bandaged, said that he was with Sergeant Robinson on the occasion in question, watching a man and woman through the windows of a cab. They were accosted, and the struggle took place as described by the last witness. Witness was running for assistance for Robinson, when Jarvis struck him on the face with something which cut him severly. -Cross-examined: He had heard the rumor that the Whitechapel murderer was about. He was not in the dress of a woman. -Dr. J. A. Miller gave evidence of dressing the wounds of the prosecutors and of the prisoners. The wounds on Robinson's and Doncaster's faces were "star-shaped," and might have been caused by the metal end of a pocket-knife handle. Doncaster's jaw was dislocated. Jarvis was severly hurt. -Mr. Ricketts, in asking for bail, said he expected to be able to show that the struggle was caused by misunderstanding owing to the failure to inform the prisoners that Robinson was a constable. -Mr. Bros remanded the prisoners, refusing bail.
At Bow-street Police-court George Richard Henderson, a person of rather singular appearance, was charged before Mr. Vaughan with being a suspected person loitering about the streets. Police-constable 411 E said that about 3:30 a.m. there was considerable excitement in Covent Garden Market, where it was rumoured that Jack the Ripper was going about threatening people. He saw a prisoner wandering about aimlessly. He carried a black bag, and his actions were very strange. Several people, Covent Garden porters and others, appeared to be alarmed, and so witmess took the prisoner to the station. There he was searched, and as fifty-four pawn tickets were found in his possession, and he could give no proper account of himself, he was detained. Amongst other things found on him was a rough draft of a letter which was recently appeared in print, suggesting to the Home Secretary that those who were harbouring the Whitechapel murderer felt that they were equally guilty as accomplices after the act and could not come foward and give him up, no matter for what reward, until a free pardon was offered to them. Witnesses were called for the prisoner, who satisfactorily explained that he was a respectable man, and Mr. Vaughan discharged him, at the same time advising him not to go about the streets in a similar way again. At such an hour in the morning he was much better at home.
