Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-12-31
TRE Zoe IAW.s
What II Is and How It Will
Operate. -,
A Correspondent Tells of Its Course In the
Board and Gives Legal Points and
the Harrison Hog Law.

| lne BOARD OF OupetsisOIs ne'HS ySS'SA
cay by vote of six to three Mr.. Stein be
ing ABSENT applied the provisions OF the
Harrison county Hog Law to this county,
it may be interesting TO our people TO know
what kind of law il is,-hov far it modi6es,
improves or impairs the general stock and
fence law of the State, and, specially, how 1t
happened to be acted on one week sooner
than those interested in defeating
the measure anticipated, or had
reasonable right to anticipate, that
! it would come up for consideration. At the
very time the Board was discussing and
voting on the matter Yesterday, petitions
| las we are creditably iuformed) against the
application Of the law to this county, were
being circulated, with the understanding
! derived from individual members OF the
Board-that they were to be presented on
the first Monday in January The Board
was made aware of this fact but only three
members of the body had sufficient consid
Grafton for the dissenting element .ot
| their constituency to postpone the con-
sderation of the matter for one week, or
until the petition could come in, despite the
assurance given by the counsel Of the dis
senters, that if the dissenting petitions
failed to show more voting Signers than
those favorable 10 the measure all opposl-
ton would cease.
One member admitted that he had told
the counsel of the dissenters that the hog
law would not come mp tor consideration at
this special meeting, and yet this same
member spoke and voted against the weeks
postponement.
Apart from the Objectionable features of
the law itself, surely the method and cir
cumstances ofits adoption are enough to
render the whole thing unpopular.
At the december regular meeting, the
matter was discussed and postponed until
next meeting-alI then supposing-ior
there was 10 reason to suppose anything
else, that by next meeting was meant the
next regular meeting Oh III" first Nonla
inJanuary.
The special meeting YESTERDAY was an
after thought and called without reference
to the hog law In fact as already stated,
assurances were given the opponents of tn"
measure by individual members, that the
subject would not be brought up.
The vote on the motion TO postpone CON
sideration until next Mondays regular
meeting so as to give the opposing pet'
TONERS chance to show their strength,
was by ayes and pays, as follows
Ayes-Commissioners Delbrugge, Pickett
and Stoker---3.
Nays-Commissioners Wood, (Presldent)
Price, Spicdel, Boring Maxwell and N,ch-
ols--G.
The old stock law, in force throughout
the state, is as follows, Chapter Code LA,
Section 81:
Sd. If any horses, mules, cattle sheep,
hogs or goats shall enter into any grounds
enclosed by o lawful fence, the owner or
manager of any such animal shall be liable
to the owner of such grounds for any dam
age he may sustain thereby and for every
succeeding trespass by such animal, the
owner thereof shall be liable for double
damsges. And after having given at least
tive days notice to the owner or manager
of such animal of the fact of two previous
trcspasSes, the owner or occupier Of such
grounds shall be entitled to such animal if
it lie found again trespassing on said
grounds.
4 stringent, and in the absence of any
general fence law" Chat is to say, gen
eral law requiring stock owners TO keep their
stock enclosed, thus doing away, as is the
case ia some of the older settlements, where
fencing timber can no longes be had. with
the necessity Of fences, sufficient pro-
vision for all practical purposes
Bat not satisfied with this, some Of oar
friends in the country, unwilling to favor a
general fence law and having special horror
OF the depredaticns Of hogs, determined to
take him out of the general law, so far as
this county WAS concerned, and following
the example Of Harrison cOunty-the only
county in the State that had the temcrity TO
attempt such departure from ordinary leg
islation-to apply the fence Law" to him
and him alone.
Petitions were circulated, resulting in
signatures to the number Of more than $50.
How many OF the signers had familiarized
themselves with the Harrison Hog law, be-
fore signing the petitions, we have no means
OF knowing.
Here is the law itself Let the farmer and
the workingman Of the county Judge for
himself 1t may be a good thing for few
but cruel hardship in the many. An out
and out fence law were preferable.
THE HARRISON HOG LAW.
"a. That it shall be unlawful for owners
to permit their hogs to run at large in the
county Of Harrison, and should such hogs
whilst running at large destroy or injure the
personal or real property of another, the
owner of the hog shall pay 70 the party
double the damages sustained by him for
such destruction or injury; and the party so
injured shall have lien upon the hogs for |
the payment Of the said damages, and |
should they be found upon his premises he |
shall have the right to retain them until he |
damages and costs of keeping are paid, and |
he shall Immediately advertise the hogs for !
sale, TO be sold at the end of ten days unless
the damages and costs Of keeping te sooner
paid, in which case the hogs shall be deliv-
cred over 10 the owner, the time nd place /
of such sale 10 be ported at two public 7
places in the neighborhooi a copyof which
advertisement shall Immediately be deliy-
cred to the owner Of the hogs if hebe found
within the county and should the damages
and expenses Of keeping be not pad at the
end Of the ten days fixed fol th sale, il
shall be lawful for the party iniu1d to sell
the said hogs to the highest bidder or ready
money, the proceeds whereof, afti deduct
ing the amount Of damages and costs Of
keeping shall be paid over to the wner of
said hogs if be shall make APPLICATION
therefor within six months, and i,no such
application be made within six mtths that
the said residue be paid over TO tt proper
authorities Of the county for the kneft of