The National & Trigg Hounds                                                                                        The Chase Magazine August, 1983                                                                                                  (From April 1930 Chase).                                                                                                                Page Two                                                                                                          By J. W. Collins The National Foxhunters' Association was organized at the Southern home of Captain Billy and Major Val Young at Waverly, Mississippi, in the fall of 1893.  Besides the owners of this home there met the following foxhunters and breeders of hounds:  Col. H. C. Trigg, Glasgow, Kentucky, representing his strain of hounds; Hon. W. I. Spears, Byhalia, Mississippi, representing the "July's;" Messrs. Lewis and Gates, who were the owners of the celebrated "Wild Goose" pack; Messrs. Whitlock Gregg, Batavia, Ohio, representing their strain, "The Shaggies," Mr. J. M. Avent, Hickory Valley Tennessee, representing his "Black and Tans;"  Mr. W. C. Goodman, Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, representing "Goodman Hounds;" Mr. W. S. Walker and Mr. Francis J. Hagan, representing "Walker Hounds" and Mr. Wash Rhea, of Madisonville, Kentucky, whose breed of hounds is unknown to the writer.  However, he will be remembered as the owner of the famous hound "Black Jack Chinn." After the formalities of organizing and election of Rear Admiral James E. Jouett, of the U.S. Navy, as President, and a board of directors, they adjourned until the following fall, when the directors met and selected Olympia Springs, Kentucky, as the meeting place for the first trials held by The National Foxhunter's Association.  The rules under which this hunt, the first National, was run were made by its charter members, among whom was Colonel Trigg, who later served as its President, after being elected at Estill Springs, Kentucky, in 1901. The first National Hunt was held in 1894 with six entries in the Derby and thirty-six in the All-Age.  No decision was reached on account of weather conditions.  The hunt was held at Owingsville, Kentucky, in 1895.  In 1896 Trigg hounds made their debut in the winning columns of the National which was held at Bardstown, Kentucky when Longfellow (Rattler-Dove), owned by H.C. Trigg, won third in the Derby.  The following year (1897) at Cynthiana, Kentucky, found a full sister of Longfellow running in the All-Age and Lou (Rattler-Dove) was placed third.  She was owned by Colonel Trigg also.  At Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1898, Trigg Hounds were more successful than they had been previously.  This time Yukon (Snoddy-Ida) was the winner of first place in the Derby and Lou (Rattler-Dove) was again placed third in the All-Age.  Both were owned by H. C. Trigg.   Estill Springs, Kentucky, was the place of the National in 1899.  Nell (Rattler-Light) was the winner of third place in the Derby, and one of her kennel mates was placed third in the All-Age.  This being the third time she, Lou (Rattler-Dove), had been placed third at the trials of the National.  Lou, no doubt, was the most consistent field trial hound of her day.  In 1900 weather conditions at Estill Springs, Kentucky, were such that no decision was reached.  There were thirty entries in the Derby and twenty-nine in the All-Age at this hunt.  Estill Springs, Kentucky, was successful in getting the National again in 1901, but weather conditions were much the same as in the previous year, and while some hounds were highly commended, no awards were given in either the Derby or the All-Age.  Colonel Trigg was at this time elected President.  The hunt was held at Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1902, under revised rules.  Though a small boy, the writer had the pleasure of witnessing a part of this trial.  The Derby winner was Annie May (Klondyke-Alice), who was owned by R. J. Fink, Pearl, owned by H. C. Trigg, and Sunshine, owned by John Graves, were tied for second place, however Trigg Hounds were more successful in the All-Age.  Hodo (Hindoo-Della), the property of H.C. Trigg, was pronounced the Champion, winning first in all the classes, under which the awards were then made, namely:  Speed and Driving, Hunting and Trailing, Endurance, and Highest General Average.    Ch. Hodo being the first hound to get his name on the famous Ed Walker Cup.  This was the most decisive win ever recorded for a Trigg Hound, in fact, no other hound has been able to equal this record at the National, first in every class, since the awards were divided into classes.  Ch. Hodo in all probability was the best field trial hound ever seen at the trials and will go down in history as such.  He was equally as good as a fox dog.  A short time after winning his Championship, Col. R. D. Williams obtained Ch. Hodo and placed him in the stud at Lexington, Kentucky.  He sired many useful hounds, but none of his get displayed his class at the trials.  Few Trigg matrons were mated with him, which, no doubt, deprived him of the opportunity of proving himself to be a more valuable stud hound than he was, however, his blood has carried on.   Many of the best Walker Hounds before the public today carry on a portion of his blood.  Ch. Hodo was not the only Trigg Hound placed in the All-Age National in 1902.  Beauty (Rattler-Minnie), was placed third in Speed and Driving.  She was entered jointly by H. C. Trigg and Dick Smith.  The National was held at New Haven, Kentucky, in 1903.  Gypsy (Hindoo-Topsy), was placed third in Speed and Driving,  first in Hunting and Trailing, third in Endurance and first in Highest General Average.  In the All-Age, Bell (Klondyke-Lou) was third in Speed and Driving, while Button (Klondyke-Lou) was third in Endurance.  They were owned by H. C. Trigg, who also was the owner of Gypsy.  The following year (1904) at Bardstown, Kentucky, Trigg Hounds won both the Derby and the All-Age.  Sweet Susan ("Old" Logan Porter-Fannie), owned by The Bowling Green Kennel Club, under C.J. Meredith, was pronounced the winner of first in Hunting and Trailing, and first in Highest General Average.  In the All-Age, Blossom, owned by The Bowling Green Kennel Club, under C. J. Meredith, won first Speed and Driving, second in Endurance, and first in Highest General Average.  Ch. Blossom was the second Trigg Hound to get his name on the Ed Walker Cup, which had only been offered three years at this time.   Colonel Trigg had at this time decided to run no more hounds at the trials, as he was getting well along in age, so he left The Bowling Green Kennel Club to champion the cause of the Trigg Hound in open competition, with probably one or two exceptions, for the next four or five years.  The National was held at Bardstown, Kentucky, again in 1906.  Flash (not given), owned by G. Ed Ogden, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was placed third in the Derby. In 1906, Mr. J.S. Kirby, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, shipped Forrester, A.K.C. No. 92775, by Rattler out of Lize, to the Middlesex Hound Hunt Show, which was held under the auspices of the American Kennel Club at Mr. A. Henry Higginson's place at South Lincoln, Mass.   Forrester was the winner of cup for best American Stallion Foxhound, and handsome silver trophy for Champion Dog.  He was handled by Dr. A. C. Heffinger, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  His owner received several flattering offers for his newly made Champion, however, they were refused.  Wise breeders seldom sell their best.  Ch. Forrester was bred to by those both far and near.  His influence as a sire may be readily appreciated by scanning the pedigrees of many of the winning Trigg Hounds of today.  Up to this time practically all the winning Trigg Hounds were by Rattler, known by many as Dick's Dog or Dick's Dog Rattler.  His blood has been passed on through his many worthy sons and daughters, though chiefly through Hindoo, Ch. Forrester, Lou and Phoebe.  Almost all good Trigg Hounds carry a lot of Rattler's blood. For a time Trigg Hounds went into obscurity, so far as field trials were concerned.  There were just as many people owning them and believed them to be without question the very best hounds obtainable, but no one in position to put them before the public as they had been in the years gone by, or the years that were in the near future.  The Bowling Green Kennel Club disorganized a short time after the death of Colonel Trigg because so many of it's members had moved away and the lack of interest of some of those that were left after a number of their most ardent members had been taken from their midst by the Silent Reaper.  While there were a great many natives of Barren County, Kentucky, and surrounding counties who kept a few Trigg Hounds, for their amusement and pleasure, there were only a few breeders, six in all I believe, the names of whom are as follows:  Dr. M. F. Biggers, Temple Hill; Mr. J. C. Elliott, Temple Hill; Dick Smith, Dry Fork; Fay Stark, Meador; Doty Brothers, Bristow , and Mr. J.S. Kirby, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, who bred and maintained hounds in large numbers during the ten years following Colonel Trigg's death.  Edward W. Hobson, of Bowling Green, bred Trigg Hounds and kept a pack of twelve to twenty-five hounds for a number of years during the lifetime of Colonel Trigg, and also for a short time thereafter.  It was with this pack of hounds that the writer took his first foxhunt.  Gilf Edge (Blossom II-Flirt) was probably his most noted hound about this time.  Mr. Hobson was temporarily out of the business for a few years after shipping several hounds to General Sibert in Panama.  Mr. Alanson Trigg was interested with his father for a time in the breeding of Trigg Hounds but he too was temporarily out of the business for a short time.  These men deserve no small portion of credit for their efforts in keeping and breeding Trigg Hounds during this period just as they had for years prior to Colonel Trigg's death.  They are at this time hound fanciers and breeders of note, of this strain of hounds.  To them belongs much honor and praise for the wonderful records made by Trigg Hounds during the past three or four years.   Mr. Paul J. Rainey, Tippah Farms, Cotton Plant, Mississippi, who became famous as a big game hunter after hunting grizzly bear in the Rocky Mountains, polar bear and musk ox in the Arctic region in 1909, lions, tigers, rhinoceros, baboons, cheetahs, giraffs, hyenas, jackals and ostriches in the British East Africa in 1910, and another hunting trip to Africa and India in 1914, visited Colonel Trigg at his home in Glasgow, Kentucky, before going to Africa in 1910 and after hunting with him for two or three weeks purchased twenty-five Trigg Hounds, which he took with him to Africa.  In 1912 he secured a number of these hounds from H.C. Trigg & Son.  He made further purchases of Trigg Hounds in 1916 from Mr. Alanson Trigg and other parties.   Trigg Hounds regained prominence rapidly after Mr. Rainey pronounced them to be the best and most courageous hounds in the world, after severe and thorough tests and experiences with hounds in the good old U.S.A. and in the jungles of Africa, while on his celebrated big game hunts.