Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-10-15
A HORRIBLE SIGHT.
A Visit to the Place Where
Hogs are Fattened.
BODIES OF DECAYING HORSES,
Two Cinnamon Discovered Carting
the Freshly Killed Pork
Into this City.

since the rumor that hogs which had
been fed on the carcasses OF dead and
possibly glandered horses were being
sold in this city for eating purposes. This
rumor gained some credence toward the
East Los Angeles portion of the city and
along Kuhrts and New Main streets, and
the butchers in that part of the city re-
ported that the people believed 30 much
in the story that they refused to pur'
chase pork. On Saturday afternoon an
official of the city investigated the matter
and stated on his return thai
there was no doubt but such
was the fact. He had visited the
canon back Of Sycamore Grove where the
dead animals removed from the city
were taken, and had found there pen
containing about thirty hogs, which
were feeding on the flesh of the dead
horses. In conversation with HERALr
reporter, he advised him to go to the
spot and examine the matter himself
In accordance with this suggestion, a
HERALD reporter, accompanied by q
gentleman detailed by the Times upon
the same mission, left tie city yesterday
afternoon at / O'Clock and proceeded tc
a point just this side of Sycamore Grove
where road branches off across
the Arroyo Seco. The road was
not hard to follow after it reached
the bed of the Arroyo, for all
along its sides were bare bones, most
of them being of smaller animals. This
road was followed for about half mile
when it turned into small cailon, which
by turn OF the hills was hidden from
view. AS soon as the mouth OF this was
reached the most
HORRIBLE STENCIL
Was met, and it evidently came from
above, from whence it was blown by
the gentle wind which was then ir
motion. The reporters proceeded or
their way up the road, and a few
hundred feet from the mouth of the
cafion they came upon half de-
cayed carcasses of horses anc
cows only partially buried by
the earth. Every few steps leg of q
horse or the shoulder of cow was seer
sticking from the earth and upon the
side of the road where the earth had
been removed for the leveling of the
roadbed, were spread innumerable horse
tails, horse hoofs and horse shoes. On
the opposite side OF the ravine were many
skeletons OF horses and cows and as the
search proceeded the stencil of decayed
animals became greater. Finally at a
point about half mile above the mouth
of the caf1on the reporters came upon
two Cinnamon just covering wagon
load of hogs, which they said
they had just killed. The place
where the Cinnamon were loading
their wagon was the end of the road and
a few feet below this was hog pen, in
which were complacently sleeping TWEEN
ty-three as fine looking bogs as could be
wished. The Cinnamon appeared to be
much surprised at the appearance OF the
reporters and started to drive away
when they were stopped and questioned
They were very anxious to know why
they were questioned and finally said
that the hogs belonged to them. They
said they had bought the hogs from a
man named Freel and chat they only
took them to this place to kill them
According to their tale the hogs were
only allowed to remain in the
pen about four days before being
killed and they were not fed on the
horses at all. They said that every time
they went out there they carried barley
and grain out in two little kegs which
were on the wagon. These kegs were O,
about the ten gallon size and the reporters
were unable to induce the Cinnamon tc
say how from twenty to thirty hogs could
live and grow fat on this small quantity
of food for sometimes two days at q
time. Before the Cinnamon departed
with their load of freshly killed hogs, the
reporters glanced about the place as
quickly as as possible, as
THE STENCIL
Was almost overpowering. At the right
of small shed in which the hogs had been
nected with this was what appeared to
be huge iron boiler. Behind this and
all around were piles Of bones of horses
and cows, and in the very center OF the
cafon was pile of decaying entrails
covered with maggots. Around this was
a small pool of water tinged with the
blood of the freshly killed hogs. Not
five feet away from this sickening sight
was the corner Of the hog pen. There
was no sign in the hog pen that the
animals had been fed upon any grain OF
other food except flesh. In one
corner was large piece of coarse
flesh that was decaying and portion Of
it looked as if the hogs had been eating
il. There were several large bones in
the pen, such as only could have come
from large animal, such as horse or a
COW. About seventy yards below was
the leg of COW which had been severed
from carcas which could not be seen in
the immediate vicinity. 1t lay uncov.
cred near the bloated carcass of horse
which had been dead some time and was
decaying. During the time that the
reporters were there the hogs did moi
eat any of the horse flesh but the
bones and flesh in the pen gave
evidence that they had satisfied them.
selves upon it. On the road back from
this horrible place, the Cinnamon said
they took the meat to Chinatown and
sold it there. They carefully covered their
wagon with white cloth, and not even y
leg was permitted to protude. They
could not tell where the man could be
found from whom they purchased their
hogs. They said, however, that the man
who hauled the dead horses to the cafIon
did not sell them the hogs. They could
not explain why they selected this spot in
preference to any other nearer the city
for the purpose Of killing their hogs, nor
were they able to explain how the hogs
became SO fat that they could hardly
walk, on the small quantity of feed they
haulad there in two little kegs.