Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-08-03
In H1sY,oRzC.1L .lN17u1L.
Ho,c the Emperor Of Germany Decided an
ansc'ican Case started by a Pig.
1St Nicholas


st. Methodist
Between two groups of islands in the
extreme northwestern part of Washing
ton Territory run two narrow straits
one called the Canal de Haro and the
other the Rosario strait. Between
the two is San Juan island. It COM
mands both water ways, and hence it
would be of great value to either coun-
try that owned it in case two nations
should ever quarrel. The text of the
agreement between Great Britain and
this country reads that the boundary
should be "the middle of the channel,
without saying which channel. A man
named Hubbs, who was pasturing sheep
on the southern end of the island of San
Juan, had for neighbor on the north
end a man named Griftiths. This Grif-
fiths was employed to raise pigs for the
Hudson Bay Company.
The pigs overran the island and caused
Mr.. Hubbs great deal of trouble; so
one day, in q moment of anger, he
warned his neighbor Griffiths that if an
other pig came upon his land he would
kill it. The very next day pig did
trespass there.
Mr.. Hubbs kept his word and killed
the pig.
Griffiths was then as angry as Hubbs
had been, and Immediately sailed over
to Victoria-the busy little city on Van
couver island, where the officers of the
government, the soldiers, and the ships
of-war had their headquarters OBJ
tanned q warrant, or an
order issue by court
Of law, for Hubbs' arrest. A constable
went to arrest Hubbs and to take him
to Victoria for trial upon the charge of
killing the pig. But Hubbs refused to
go with him. He said he was an Ameri-
can citizen, and that therefore an En-
glish warrant was nothing to him. The
constable departed, and Hubbs, we'll
knowing the officers would come back
and force him to go to Victoria sent
over to Fort Townsend, in Washington
Territory, for protection.
A company Of soldiers were sent him,
and the English did not modest him.
For five years that little island was
occupied by settlers Of two mighty ma
tions. Each camp displayed the flag of
it's country on a high staff over the tent
the stars and stripes futtering over
the pastures at one end and the red ban
ner of Great Britain among the hills at
the other, only few miles away. On
either shore the people were greatly ex-
cited, and many on both sides favored
war; and perhaps if it had not been
about the time Of the actual war be-
tween the States in 1861 there would
have been war over that pig dispute.
] Our government wished the middle
of the Canal de Haro to he the borde,
line, because we claimed that it was
the true ship channel, but to this the
British has never been willing to agree
since that boundary would give Sa1
Juan to our country, and with that is
land went the control of the gateway te
the English possessions. Finally, the
papers on both sides were prepared by
the respective governments and sub
mitted to the Emperor Of Germany, who
decided in favor of the United States
And thus it happens that the greatest o
European rulers not long ago passed
| judgment in quarrel that began owe
pig that was only trying to get some
thing to eat.