| The Chase Magazine, May, 1950 Page Three T. Ross Alexander Statesville, N.C. Wheeler, a three-quarter English Foxhound puppy, was given to my father, J.A. Alexander, in 1905 by Mr. Will White of Statesville. His sire, Mover, was imported from England in the eighteen-ninties by a Mr. Hackles of near Augusta, Georgia. Wheeler was white and liver-tan in color. He was a large strong heavy-coated, bushy-tailed hound. His love ofa fox was so strong that he would go 25 miles by himself to run a fox, returning home in 2 or 3 days. Foxes were very scarce in this section at that time. He had been carried to this hunting ground at Cool Springs, 15 miles east of Statesville, and knowing where the foxes were, he would come from my father's home 10 miles west of Statesville, passing through the town. Lester Alexander of Statesville had been on many hunts with my father, and Wheeler knowing where he lived would scratch on the door to let him know that he was ready for a hunt. If Lester did not go, Wheeler went to the Cool Springs section by himself, hunting for 2 or 3 days after which he returned home the 25 miles. Wheeler helped to catch 18 red foxes in one season. One particular race that my father was fond of telling was when Wheeler followed a red fox over a good sectoin of two counties, part of which was mountainous. The race started in the after-part of the night and the next afternoon about four o'clock Wheeler caught the fox near where the race had started. He was alone at the time the fox was caught. Another time he came home from one of his lone hunts with a red fox foot tied to his collar, he having caught the fox 12 miles from home at the Lewis place on the Yadkin River. Wheeler was bred to a Kentucky Walker hound Named Curley, owned by Al Stevenson, a hunting friend of my father. This cross produced Kite which was owned by my borther, Roy Alexander. The infusion of the English cross of Wheeler on the Walker hounds produced better hounds than either the English or Walker hounds. C. W. Connor got Kite from my brother and bred her to Jim Cowles, owned by Mr. Hugh Cowles of Statesville. This cross produced Pearl, the mother of 13 field trial winners by different matings. Jim Cowles was by Top and Pearl, these Walker hounds being purchased by Mr. Cowles from W. J. Leavell of Nicholasville, Ky. Top was by Gilbert out of Skip, and Pearl was by Joe White out of Lizzie White, these being famous Walker hounds. Pearl, the mother of 13 winners, was granddaughter of the W. J. Leavell hound Pearl from Kentucky. She was bred to Big Stride and produced Mose Blanton, which I owned. C. W. Connor, Lester Alexander and I paid the stud fee of $75.00, and shared the litter. All these hounds proved to be outstanding foxhounds. Mose Blanton was one of the greatest hounds I ever owned and sired some of the greatest. He had endurance, and did not need help to run a fox. All the hounds I have mentioned could run a fox by himself as good as a pack. When the North Carolina field trials were held in Statesville in 1925, I was asked to price Mose. Thinking my price would be too high for anyone, I made a price and was immediately taken up by Albert Blanton of Marion, N. C. This I regretted very much. Mose Blanton was bred to Ruba Taylor a Big King bitch. Big King being by Hub Dawson. This cross produced Alberta Ruth. This had been agreed upon when I sold Mose to Mr. Blanton, and I was to get a pair of puppies. This I did and also bought one, thus getting Alberta Ruth, Lula and Mary. In the May issue of the Chase published in 1928 soon after the famous hunt given by the late Governor Alf Taylor, there is an article entitled "The Tennessee Hunt," by the late S. L. Wooldridge. this article tells that the hunt proved the outstanding qualities of Alberta Ruth and Mary. (I should appreciate it very much if the Chase would publish a copy of the article of May 1928). At that hunt Mr. Wooldridge advised that I breed Alberta Ruth to Flying Cloud. This I did, producing Billie Bristol. I have always been glad that I took his advice. When Billie Bristol was about a year and a half old, I had the bad luck to lose him one night when we were out for a hunt. We had cast at the grounds near the Davie County line, and while running several of the hounds seemed to disappear from the race. It was six months before I found him. A friend of mine who was hunting near Salisbury one night, told me of a young hound that had joined the pack. He knew that the hound did not belong in that section and by the way he handled the race, he knew him to be a great hound. I immediately combed that sectiona dn found that he had been sold for $2.50. The man was not a foxhunter who bought him. I had a picture of hiim which proved that he was my lost hound, Billie Bristol. Billie established qualities as an outstanding foxhound on January 1st, 1933. This hunt stands out in my memory vividly among the many hunts of thepast. A party of hunters including Dr. Fred Long and D. L. Stewart of Catawba, Mr. J Bell of Marion, Garland Alexander, myself and several other hunters met for a friendly race near the Catawba River near the Iredell and Alexander line, and cast just before dark. It was frosty night and hunting conditions were excellent. After a camp-fire supper we all felt in teh mood for a good race which had been planned for some time. There was an old fox in that section that had outwitted many a pack of good hounds. He ran very wide in 3 to 5 mile circles. After midnight we could begin to tell of the strength of Billie Bristol over the average hound. By 3 A.M. there was only one other hound with BillieBristol and that was Red Hat, a very famous hound which I owned at that time. She was not related to Billie Bristol. The fox and these two hounds left as the crow flies, for a distance of 15 miles. As ithappened the fox ran by the home of an old foxhunter. Mr. Wait Sherril, in the lower edge of Iredell county, he telling us about it later as being near the time he usually arose in the morning. The two hounds went out of hearing about 7 o-clock, on down the rive. In about an hour they came back passing near the barn which is in wooded land, and the music ceased. He went out to investiage and found Billie Bristol and Red Hat lying beside a big red fox which they had killed. Seeing my name on the collar, he phoned my home that he had the two hounds and the fox. By a notch in the ear we found that it was a fox that had been planted as a pup three years before by Dr. Long. It measured 45 inches from the nose tip to the tip of the beautiful brush. Being January the fur was in prime condition. We sent it to New York to be made into a neck piece which we still have to refresh my memory. As all hunters know a good running red fox will take it, and a hunter is loath to see him caught...but regardless of this Billie Bristol killed three of the best running foxes that winter which we prized very much. Foxes were not as numerous in those days as now. From that time on Billie Bristol became very famous as a sire. He was a wonderful hunter and could jump a fox as quick as any hound I ever knew. He had as much endurance as any hound I ever knew and I never saw him out-heeled until one of his sons (Billie Roughcoat...out of a Sampson bitch) did so. Of course Billie Bristol was then past his best running days. I never knew him to quit a race and I do not think anyone ever knew him to quit. He had a beautiful high clear tenor mouth which could be heard for miles. These qualities he inherited from his dam Alberta Ruth and his sire Flying Cloud. His four littermates had the same beautiful mouths, and it was almost impossible to dinstinguish one from the other. They were all great hounds. I was hunting with Dr. Royall one night and I remember him asking me what young bitch that was with the beautiful tenor mouth. We had been separated...he being on a mountain for a time, some distance from where I was standing. I replied that it was not a young bitch but Billie Bristol. I carried his "get" for a number of years and never saw them outheeled. All the foxhounds I have mentioned have made foxhound history in North Carolina. In a recent issue of the Chase there was a requestby B. M. F. for information about hounds of the past, including Billie Bristol and Mose Blanton. I hope this article will answer the request,and prove of interest to foxhunters. |
| Big King 2297 (Hub Dawson 406 -Lula). Owned by Nat G. Taylor, Johnson City, Tenn. Whelped April 24, 1915. The sire of Ruba who was the dam of Alberta Ruth |
