Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-03-17
Miss Ethel-Oh, did hsl
HE DIDN'T "cATcH ON"
A Moving Story of an Unsuccessful At
tempt to Catch q Pig.

A Moving Story of an Unsuccessful At
tempt to Catch q Pig.
There are many things in this world that
look comparatively easy, but which a trial
demonstrates call forth a mans most serious
effort We have always labored under the
impression that sixty pound pig could be
grabbed by the hind leg and carried off with
comparative ease by man of ordinary size.
This crude idea, however, has loosened its
grip on US during the last few days
Last Thursday we ambled up TO pig like
q 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 a 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 SO absorbed in its roofing
that he never looked up, always happened to
move Just at the right time to be missed.
While regarding it as q coincidence 0or the
animal did not even know we were there, we
stole up so quietly, it was one of those an
moving condolences that it is not easy to ac-
count for. II we were writing treatise on
coincidence we should give this propiYent
place. Presently we got the animal in a Cor
ner, and, in order TO be sure, fell down on it
bodily. Again one Of those internal chance
movements took place. The pig took two
steps to gather potato, and we fell fat on
the place where the pig had just been Then
he looked round for the first time, and. per-
ceiving us lying there, grunted his astonish-
ment and trotted away. He was SO aston
ished at seeing man lying there on MS
stomach, splitting gravel out of his mouth,
that he went off and stuck his head in bar
rel to give his brain rest.
Then we slid up quietly and by finely cal
culated cryptogramus movement snatched
him by the hind leg. Tuis was probably
what caused the barrel to rise up suddenly
and hit us on the nose. The wrestling match
seemed TO begin at this point. First We got
collar and elbow hold on the barrel and stood
it On its head Then the pig got a 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 by the barrel
Then we got half Nelson, Greco Roman
lock on the pigs neck, but it got cut with a
half turn and somersault 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 Figs tail had also been
grabbed in the turn Then the pig, with
new style of wrestling, heretofore unknown
TO US, turned US a somersault. If pig blind
folded by a 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 be
might put his head out of the barrel, or the
barrel bead out, or get us out of our head,
had most demoralizing effect. Suddenly,
by a coup de main act, we stood the barrel on
end, with the pigs headquarters 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 to prevent his weight
annoying him any further, he made an ex-
traorlinary 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 (Nev.) Appeal.