Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-02
HE DIDN'T "CATcH ON"
a Moving story of an Unsuccessful At
tempt to Catch n Pig.

A Moving story of an Unsuccessful At.
tempt to Catch IA Pig.
There are many things in this world that
look comparSvely easy, hut which trial
demonstrates call forth mans most serious
effort We have always labOIed under the
impression that a sixty pound pig could be
grabbed by the hind leg and carried oil with
comparative ease by IA man of ordinary size
This crude idea, however, has loosened its
grip on us during the last few days.
Last Thursday we amhlcd up to pig like
member of the Manhattan Ball club get
ting on deck for a strike, and reached for his
hind leg. Just then he had to take step we
had not expected him TO make, and the leg
was not there any more. Several more
reaches were made, but all fell short, and
what was the most surprising part of it, the
pig, which was 80 absorbed in its roofing
that he never looked up, always happened to
move just at the right time to he missed.
While regarding IL as II coincidence Uor the
animal did not even know we were there, We
stole up SO quietly, il was one of those an
moving condolences that il is not easy to ac-
count for. If we were writing II treatise on
coincidence we should give this promigetlt
place. Presently we got the animal in Tor
ner, and, in order to be SIre, fell down on it
bodily Again one of thoso internal Glance
movements took place. The pig took two
steps 10 gather potato, and wo fell Hat on
the place where the pig had just been. Then
he looked round for the first time, and per-
ceiving MS lying there, gruntcd his astonish-
mcnt and trotted away. He was so aston
ishcd at seeing II man lying there ON his
stomach, splitting gravel out of his mouth,
that he went off and stuck his head in a bar
rel to give his brain rest.
Then we slid up quietly and by finely cal
cuated cryptogramus movement snatched
him 10y the hind leg This was probably
what caused the barrel to rise up suddenly
nnd hit US on the nose. The wrestling match
seemed to begin at this point. First we got "a
collar and elbow hold Oh the barrel and stood
il en- its head. Then the pig got grape vine
lock and threw us over the barrel. Then we
got Cornish grip ON the animal and threw
him, and were in turn downed 10y the barrel.
Then we got a half Nelson, GrHco- Roman
lock on the pigs neck, but it got ont with q
half turn and somcrsault and grabbed us by
the seat of the trousers. Claim of foul dis
allowed by female referee on the front steps,
on grounds that the pigs tail had also been
grabbed in the turn. Then the pig, with
new style of wrestling, heretofore unknown
to us, turned usa somerSault. If pig blind
folded by barrel could play this sort of
games, it occurred to us that there was
no telling what he might not do with his head
loose. This idea and the feeling that he
might put his head out of the barrel, or the
barrel head out, or get us out of our head,
had most demoralizing effect. Suddenly,
by n coup de main act, we stood the barrel ON
end, with the pigs hindquarters in the air,
and thought we had the match won; but the
animal wiggled down in the barrel, and as
we lowered it ON its side oprevent his weight
annoying him any further, he made an ex
traordinary movement He smashed out the
barrel head, and, as we had him by the leg,
dragged us after him into the barrel. When
we let go, to prevent the nails in the barrel
from tearing our new Clothes we found our
selves in the barrel and the pig in field
about half mile from the house,
A woman, who had been sitting on the
steps to act as a referee, gave the match to
the pig.-Carson (Nev1 Appeal