Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-01-09

" 4
Grice-I will call him-was al officer
In the regiment, stationed at little
town in the piney woods of North Car
olina, and, besides having an excellent
idea Of himself, was an ardent lover of
horses, although there were other men
who were better judges of horsefesh
than he.
Along some time in 1867 the Colonel
imported horse from the North that
was rather speedy, and he talked about
that horse and its wonderful speed at
all times.
A brother officer, who had been a
Major of volunteers, and was q mad
wag, said to him one day in presence
of number of officers and citizens:
"Grice, l don't think that trotter of
yours is so fast, after all. I'll bet you
q hundred that can take a razorback
hog, and in two weeks time will race
your horse from Tarville to the Forks
Tavern" The Forks Tavern being a
place just three miles from town, and
which was a popular resort.
The guying of the crowd forced the
Colonel to take the bet, and the race
was arranged for two weeks from that
day.
The man the Major lived with had
number Of razorbacks roaming about,
and twas not long before the Major had
long-legged, fearfully thin specimen
of that peculiar beast housed in pen
built high enough to keep him from
jumping or climbing out, as his kind
is apt to do ordinarily.
"Razor" got nothing to eat that night,
and next morning when the Major had
his man take 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 tavern, and there he got q
generous mess of corn, such as he had
not enjoyed for many day. When he
had loaded up, the "Razor" had good
sleep, and in the afternoon, after being
fed again, was in good-humer 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
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 re-
pletion, 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 feeding -place.
That settled it. He had learned his
lesson. III he was over-hungry, he
knew he would be well fed at the
Forks Tavern, and his anxiety to get
there ito onct" increased his speed
each succeeding tlip.
Finally, when the day of the race
came, Razor had had his starvation
training increased by the loss of two
extra meals, and he was making re-
marks in his own language that were
piercing to the ear and expressive as
well
The animals were brought to the
Postofice corner in Tarville, and, as
the story Of the bet was known. gener-
ally, 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.
Every one, including Colonel Grice,
thought the matter was only one Of
the Majors practical jokes, and that it
would be settled by big treat all
around. But Colonel 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 his hog.
The preliminaries at last being set
tied, Colonel Grice sat in his spider
wagon holding his fast trotter, aud the
Major, with slip-noose around his
hogs leg, held that hungry and impa-
tient beast, while couple Of colored