Dear Friend Fountain,

01-15-57

I appreciate you sending me the old letters and old pedigrees very much. I have studied them throughly, some I have copied for future reference. Did you notice that the pedigree of Vick and Maggie trace back to old July thirteen times. Although, Mr. Garrett did not mention Mr. W. F. White in his book, Mr. White must have had some true July hounds. However, it seems his mind was somewhat centered on the commercial side of the hound business. It seems to me quite a number of the breeders of that era drew on Mr. R.P. Ezell for high class July hounds. Evidently he was one man they all trusted. He also seems to have uncanny wisdom in making just the right crosses. Who was this Steve Thurman, after reading the letters I am of the opinion that he was a negro or perhaps a white man that lived for a long time on Mr. Ezell's farm. Some of Thruman's hounds appear in my Amos II pedigree.

It seems to me that the two July hounds, A.G. Jordon's Roy and R.P. Ezell's Rhea exercised as much influence or perhaps more than any other two, during the twenties on the July strain. I don't recall any record of Roy having been bred to Rhea but the intermingling of the blood of the progeny of these two, seems to have produced many great hounds, whose blood permeated the July strain. This seems particularly true in regard to the Weaver x Rhea cross. I would like to write an article on these bloodlines for the Hunters Horn. I would title the article "Roy and Rhea". Wonder if you could trace these two way on back for me, it would not be neccessary to go to the trouble to fill out long pedigree forms but give me their breeding in the manner the fox hunting magazines list them. I already have the Joe Miller line in the Rhea pedigree, but I stop at Thad Murphy's Hattie, James W. Green's Jim Green and W.P. Davis' Fannie. Also, would like to have any information you might be able to give me concerning these two families of hounds of Mr. A. G. Jordon and Mr. Robert Ezell. Who would I have to write to get permission, to let the Hunters Horn use one of the Rhea pictures that is in the collection of pictures you sent me and have been returned to you. The picture would have to be away for some time, for instance the picture I borrowed from you of Culpepper's Willis has not been returned to me from the Hunters Horn office. However, they have definitely promised to return it to me when they have finished with their engraving. I have already returned the pictures I borrowed from Mr. Asa Marshall.

I have bred my old Kate bitch to Red McDougal. I have a pup out of Kate's Half sister down at Shiloh, Ga. This pup is sired by Amos II and is a stud fee pup. If I remember correctly, this pup is out of a bitch sired by Dr. Stuckey's Henry. This bitch does not carry the Little Jim cross that Kate carries.

Did you ever get any futher information on L.H. Lumus' Light or Lightfoot pedigree. You wrote in your letter that you might be able to give me futher information concerning the bloodlines of Rapp, the Henry Harris blood. If I would inform you just what I wanted to know. The primary object of my interest was, just what could be expected from a concentrating of this blood in a breeding program. Would there be any way of determining how much of the second importation blood in this family and if any is it of the Maryland Nip blood or the Sugarloaf crosses. Is there any significant family characteristics fixed in the line(like large hounds, small hounds, heavy coats, speed, ect.) on back in remote generations. I have reason to believe that close up generations have fixed characteristics of (stingy mouths on trail, medium to large in size, heavy coats, solid color predominating.)

It is my bed time and I have already asked you more questions than you can answer. It seems I am always asking and never contributing anything, anyway you can rest assured that I appreciate any historical information you may be able to give me in any way concerning the July hound.

Your friend, Jack