Wichita eagle., 1889-04-20
WORKING A HOG.

How q Trio of Sharpers Skinned tho Dig
nitaries Of Rural Town.
When l entered the village, situated
among the hills of New York, at ten o'clock
in the morning, all was peaceful and serene,
and the pocket of every man who walked
the streets had chink in it, writes New
York Sun correspondent When left, at four
p. m, an excited mob had possession of the
main street and every other man was dead
broke.
About noon man arrived from the north
in buggy. He said he was drover, and
looking for hogs. He bought half dozen
before he ate dinner, and it was astonishing
how closely he guessed at their live weight.
He was within two pounds on four of them,
and only half pound more on the others.
These had been an attraction for crowd OF
idlers, and the general verdict was that the
drover was as sharp as a BARRIERS razor.
Soon after dinner farmer-looking boy
drove hog into town, and staked him out
IN front of the tavern. AS he wanted to
sell and the drover wanted to buy, they
soon came together.
"Mlght take him on pinch, but he's only
nubbins," said the drover, as he sized the
porker up.
''Nubbins! Why, that pig goes over 200
pounds p' exclaimed the owner.
"Cant stuff me. boy. Pve been in the
business twenty years"
mo one wants to stuff. That 'ere hog
goes to 80"
HE does, cha Wish your father had come
In. I'd like to have made bet with him.
Boy, you ought to have better judgment.
That hog won't pull down $780,"
''Guess you are off, too" remarked
stranger who had quietly driven up in
buggy. give raised hogs ali my life, and
that boy hain't five pounds out of his
guess"
'Ain't hel Raised hogs, have yous Ever
raise any money!
GA little"
perhaps you'd like to bet on that hogw
"Perhaps."
"Have you got 500 as says he goes 20Oa"
81 have-ffty-a hundred"
"Then let's chalk. Anybody can blow"
1t was chance to make a dollar, and the
citizens improved it. The man in the buggy
was an accommodating chap, and somehow
or other the farmer boy managed to fish up
about hundred dollars from the hind pock-
ct of his overalls. The citizens stuck by the
drover, having abundant proofs Of his judg
ment, and when every man in that town
who had loose dollar or could borrow one
had made his bet the hog was driven to the
scales ana weighed.
"Gentlemen," said the drover just before
weighing, II was never deceived in my life.
This hog won't go to 1870 pounds"
"Tll take even bets that he goes over 200,"
replied the man in the buggy
This bluff raked out the last nickel in the
crowd, and the hog was driven upon the
scales The record was Oil pounds. He
was weighed and reweighed, but the figures
stood.
''Well, it's my first error in hog" said
the drover, and all bets were at once handed
over. The farmer boy slipped out, the two
men drove OF in the buggy, and half An
hour had elapsed before church deacon,
who had laid his ten with the drover and
lost, suddenly declared that 1t was put-up
job TO skin the town
"Durn my buttons if It hsin't," yelled two
hundred men in a chorus, but il was too
late. The town had been skinned, aud the
trio had escaped All the mob could do was
TO turn loose and wreck al old vinegar fac
tory and pass resolution TO the effect
that liberty was a sham and delusiou.