The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-12-25

tasted so delicious; and su1rendering
himself to the newborn pleasure, he fell
to tearing up hands-fun of the scorched
skin with the flesh next it, and was cram
ming it down his throat in his beastly
fashion when his sire entered amid the
smoking rafters, armed with retributory
cudgel, and finding how affairs stood, be-
lgan to rain blows upon the youngrogue's
shoulders, as thick as hail stones, which
lBo-bo needed not any more than if
Ithey had been flies. The ticklingpleas-
iure which he experienced In his lower
regions, had rendered him quite callous
Ito any inconvenience he might feel in
those remote quarters. His father
might lay on, but be could not beat him
from his pig, till he had fairly made an
END Of it, when, becoming q little more
sensible of his situation, something like
the following dialogue ensued:
''You graceless whelp, what have you
got there deyouringl Is it not enough
that you have burnt me down three
houses with your dogs tricks, and be
hanged to you! but you must be eating
fire, andI know not what-what have
you got there, I say2"
go, father, the pig, the pigl do come
and taste how nice the burnt pig eats. F"
The ears of Ho-ti tingled with horror.
He cursed his son, and he cursed him
self that ever he should beget a son that
should eat burnt pig.
Bo-bo, whose scent was wonderfully
sharpened since morning, soon raked
out another pig, and fairly rending it
asunder, thrust the lesser half by main
force into the fists ofHo-t, still shouting
out, ''Eat, eat, eat the burnt pig, father,
only taste-O, Lord, with such like bar
barous CALCULATIONS, examining all the
while as if he would choke.
Ho-ti trembled in every joint while he
grasped the abominable thing, wavering
whether he should not put his son to
death for an unnatural young monster,
when the cracking scorching his fingers,
as it had done his sons, and applying
the same remedy to them, he in his turn,
tasted some Of its favour, which, make
what sour mouths he would for a pre-
tense, proved not altogether displessing
to him. In conclusion for the manu-
script here is a little tedious), both father
and son fairly sat down to the mess, and
never left off till they had dispatched all
that remained of the Litter.
Bo-bo was strictly enjoined not to let
the secret escape, for the neighbors
would certainly have stoned them for al
couple of abominable wretches, whoI
could think of improving upon the good
meat which God had sent them. Never
theless, strange stories got about. tt
was observed that Ho-ti's cottage was
burnt down now more frequently than
ever. Nothing but fires from this time
forward. Some would break out in
broad day, others in the night time. As
often as the SOW farrowed so sure was
the house of Ho-ti to be In blaze; and
Ho-ti himself, which was the more re-
markable, instead of chastising his son
seemed to grow more indulgent to him
than ever. At length they were watched, |
the terrible mystery discovered, and
father and son summoned to take their
trial in Pekin, then an inconsiderable
assize town. Evidence was given, the
obnoxious food itself produced in court
and verdict about to be pronounced,
when the foreman of the jury begged
that some of the burnt pig, of which the
culprit stood accused, might be handed
into the box. He handled it, and they
all handled it; and burning theirfngers,
as BO-bo and his father had done before
them, and nature prompting to each Of
them the same remedy, against the face
of all the facts, and the clearest charge
which Judge had ever given, to the sur
prise of the whole court, townsfolk,
strangers, reporters, and all present
without leaving the box, or any manner
of consultation whatever, then brought
in a simultaneous verdict of Not Guilty.
The judge, who was shrewd fellow,
winked at the manifest iniquity of the
decision; and when the court was dis ]
missed, went privily and bought up all
the pigs that could be had for love or
money. In a few days his lOrdship's
town-house was observed to be on fire.
The thing took wing, and now there {
was nothing to be seen but fire in every
direction. Fuel and pigs grew enor-
nously dear all over the district. The {
insurance offices one andal shut up shop. K
People built slighter and slighter every
lay, until it was feared that the veryl S
science of architecture would in no longIt
time be lost to the world Thus this '
custom Of firing houses continued, till in '
process of time, says my manuscript, ais
sage arose, ike our Locke, who made |
discovery that the flesh of swine, or in /
Iced Of any other animal might be cook f
ID burnt, as they called it,, without the {
necessity of consuming q whole house toiI