The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-11-13

TIE Hog Fspe, has become so high among
tie swine families that man has only to
cast bis eye Into pen and give a grant to
raise the b,;st'es Of the porker's awner. and
ensure Himself lodgmsnt In legal rea, for
a short time, at least.
Yesterday morning Louisiana French.
man. called V. Gerard, was arrAgned before
the Mayor to answer the charge Of attempt
ing to steal hog from Mrs. Mary Stokely
the day before. Mrs. s. lives on 9th street,
between Main and Cary, aud has penned In
her yard one or two pet pigs, which she is
feeding we'll to save their bacon Whilst en-
gagged in the forenoon dyeing some cloth.
she heard squeak from the pen, and there
upon sent one Of her thildren TO feed the
pig. The child was engaged obeying orders,
when Mrs. s. observed Gerard approach her
gate In familiar manner, aud, without
speaking word proceeded to unhools it.
lie then stood awhile, and afterwards walked
to the pig pen, and, looking 10. as If admirirg
the fair proportions OF the fattening grnnte,,
made halt Cnsatisfed with the scenes
around, Gerard moved off to neighbor's
gate, but returning hurriedly to the pen,
asked the child how many hogs we had
The child made no reply to this interroya-
tory, but Mrs. 8. did, and demanded to know,
"what business Of yours is ii ," Gerard said,
''it Is my business-the Government in.
press-the Government impress-if you have
three, will take two-if you have two,
will have one of them" Mrs. s. defied Ge.
had seen in the papers on the subject of i'm
pressment, and threatened to report him al
the market house the next mOrning. Not
fancying a contact with the butchers or the
police, Gerard started OF, when Mrs. g. gave
the alarm, and caused him to "double-quick
it" across the old field near Ivy.
Seeing the "imprcsser" making tracks,
nd hip, 70 ha n f,; r..
the 81 900 reward offered by the Mayor, one
or two soldiers gave him chase, but he out.
footed them and escaped their clutches. He,
however, soon after fell into the hands Of f.
s. Jones, who went with him home, and,
hearing his statement, left him there till the
soldiers trailed him up, got the aid of officer
Bibb, and he was put in limbo
Gerard's counsel introduced several wit
nesses, who proved that the accused was O
sutler in Louisiana regiment; that he had
bought largely of candies and cakes, and had
always paid for them; that he lived On Main
street, between 23d and .33; that he, too,
had had pair Of pet pigs, bnt that one OF
them had made his escape last Friday night,
and that he and his friends had been search
ing III vain for the homeless wanderer since
that time. AS Gerard speaks bad Eaglls,i,
fled to his threatening impressment, misun-
defstoOd him, and that his conversation
about two hogs referred to his own, one of
which had made its escape, and for which he
was in search. His former good character
and honesty precluded the possibility of his
being hog thief .azS5
The Mayor, afler hearing the Witnesses,
deemed the case worthy Of further inquiry,
and therefore held the accused to bail to an.
swer an Indictment for misdemeanOr By the
Grand Jury, which meets to-day.
False Ptptences. Yesterday morning as n
market;nan named Gillian, from New Kent.
county, was on his way to the First Market
with live turkeys and a slaughtered hog, he
was stopped in Rockets by denizen and
told that his hog would be coniscsited If
taken to the nlarket-house. Surprising the
statement to be true, Gillian sold his hog TO
his informant tor much less than the market
price. Reaching the market place he In.
formed the Clerk Of the fraud praetieed
upon him, and efforts arc now making to
punish the purchaser for buying meat uader
false pretences.
Country people ought to know that they
can get more for their products at the mar
ket houses than anywhere else, and II they
are green enough to be met on the road by
traders and sharpera and chiseled ont OF
what they ought to have, they deserve to
lose. The city does all II can to encourage
and protect them, but they must exercise
some discretion to ensure that protection.