The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-03-08
HOG.GUEsSING FRAUDS
Midnight Raids On Hog P~ns that Enable tho
Rn,ders to Take the Po"is.

FLYING HILL PARK, Pa, March 6.-Tho
tricks Of the night proving prize hog weighers
being well known to Vim. Benin. the veteran
hotel keeper here. ne determined that nothing
should be loft undone to prevent the hog
weiGhers from making raid on his pen. con-
tanning q monster Chester county white sup
posed to weigh in the nei9hborhood OF 1000
pounds. The hog weghers arc u band Of mon
who secretly operate after midnight. They
travel about from place to place where prize
hogs are about to be slaughtered. and the
Weights guessed Mt By hundreds OF persons in
terested in a pool. So determined was Mr..
Benin to stop the hog weighers' dishonorabs
practices Mt his hog raiIle that he placed two
men on guard every night for awees hetore the
rAnle and kiiIins. The guards were armed
with guns. with Instructions to shoot down
any and ali intruicrs.
An old gentleman we'll versed in tho tricks Of
the midnight hog wsiEhers sniI: :" Why. sir.
these men can get into u pen and In twevs
minutes can know to pound what a hog
weighs. They carry along with them heavy
p,anks. boted together with heavy iron hinges.
With these they get into pen and form ~ box.
Above this they raise I'll rec upright beams. The
hog is driven into the box. the box IL hoistcd
with chains and windlass. a large iron steel
yard or scales is hooked on at the top. tn.
weight Ia taken. the hog lowered and driven OIL
the p anks into corner and the traps folded
together and carried oil. ali inside OF about
This secret Weighing lie generally done, the
how much a big hog Viii io.e Ia dressing and.
with all this Information dead to rights. they
can ngure IL out pretty near 20 what the hog
will weigh. Next day the ring Will be on hand.
ready to take, part in the guessing business.
They Will appear Innocent and green. and 20
into the pen and measure the hog ike the rest
OF the farmers. countrymen or city sports.
Her length and girth IL measured and multi
piled. u lowancss ara made for inss, &c. and in
public the hog weighers will make an estimate.
but II will be very dtiferent from the one they
make In secret. If there are SIX mon In the
ring. they will each put ten Huesses In tho box,
taking In tho range OF the probable weight OF
the hog by twalvs pounds. They know tho
positive live weight. but the question ID Rs TO
the loss by killing and the gain or loss by an
additional DAYS life. They have twelve pounds
to 60 upon. Their guesses. ike all Others are
secret. Each man writes down HIS guess rs TO
the hogs weight on n piece OF paper. At ten
cents guess. and this IL all put into box.
The person who gu-s-es the weight exact
ly, or nearest, takes the purse. which at times
runs ~ high al 500. Tho ring invariably
wins the pool. and the money IL divided be-
tween them. At times they have nm under
standing with tho hog owner. but often they
meet with stubborn opposition, as in Mr.
Bshm's case. l have known men to mark
every board in the pen and every rail In tho
boards 80 that they could whether tho hog
wtighers had made any deprrdat!ons. Last
year hal big hog mp the country. and gave
express orders to kill any hog We CHER that
came ON ths ground at night i thought my
orders were carried out. but l WAS fooled
They bribed my Waterman. weighed my hoR
and bsRt me out OF $50 the next day by guess
Ing nearer the weight OF my hog than did"