The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-03-28

the hog out to drive him over the dirt road to
the Forks Tavern, it was hard job TO convince
him that he must not light out TO hunt up his
missing dinner, supper and breakfast
Despite his loud protests, the hog was finally
driven and stoned along the road to the tav-
ern, and there he got generous mess of corn,
such as he had not enjoyed for many day.
Whom he had loaded up, the Razor " had .
good sleep, and in the afternoon after being
fed again. was in good humor and was easily
taken back to his pen in town.
He got no supper, nor did he get bite of
anything, except pine bark from his pen until
the morning of the third day. when he was
taken again to the tavern; going willingly
enough as soon as he found that was the road
he was wanted to take. Good feeding took
place again, and again he went back to his pen.
Thenceforth Razor" was alternately starved
into misery and then fed to repletion, and by
the time the third trip was made over the
course he seemed to have gotten the matter
into his porcine head, and fairly dragged his
driver along at once and then, when released
from his OBTAINING rope, lit out on dead run
for his feedng-place
That settled it. He had learned his lesson.
If he was oyer-hungry, he knew he would be
we'll fed at the Forks Tavern, and his anxiety
to get there " too onct increased his speed each
succeeding trip.
Finally, when the day of the race came,
Razor had had his starvation training in
creased by the loss of two extra meals, and he
was making remarks in his own language that
were piercing to the ear and expressive as well.
The animals were brought to the postoifice
corner in Tarville, and, as the story Of the bet
was known generally, there were crowds
gathered not only at the starting point and the
Forks, but the whole three miles of the road
was lined by grinning spectators
Everyone, including Col. Griee thought the
ttap lF- Of In fnrfc oil
jokes, and that it would be settled by big
treat all around. But Col. Grice and all hands
were mistaken. The Major was ready to back
| his raZorback, and when the crowd saw he was
in earnest, he gathered up goodly number of
| bets at excellent odds against mis- hog.
The preliminaries at last being settled Col.
! Grice sat in his spider wagon holding his fast
trotter, and the Major, with a slip-noose around
| his hogs leg, held that hungry and impatient
beast, while couple of colored soldiers kept it
| Strengthened up the road
| The pigs hungry yells seemed to make the
| COlOnels horse nervous and fretful, and when
| the word 'go" was given, it was half minute
| before the horse started.
| Meantime, at the word, one of the soldiers
! gave the hog kick in the ribs that increased
/ his hunger and he started. He took the right
| road, too, and as he went around bend in the
road just outside of town, he looked like piece
| of plank scooting before a cyclone, and was
already around the bend before Grice had start
| ed his trotter.
People watching along the road reported
afterward that by the time they could dis.
tinctly see the pig coming, he would flash by
| like streak of lightning and be out of sight
before they could realize what it was, and long
! before the horse came in sight
Well, the result was, that the razorback
dashed into the crowd at the Forks Tavern be-
! fore anyone realized what it was, and drove
right On through to his neutrality-suspicious.
feeding place, where he at once tackled the pile
of corn that his hacker had placed there that
morning.
Poor Grice drove the best he knew how until
he reached point fully half mile away from
| the tavern, and then hearing the mad cheering
and yelling that the crowd had set up wher
the razorbaek WIS recognized, turned his horse
and drove by roundabout way through the
piney woods back to town.
They talk to this day in that neighborhood
about the race, but Col. Grice, who is still il
| the Regular Army, can never be brought Il
speak of the matter, and l hear he has never
owned or taken any interest in trotting hors,
from that day to this.