The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-07-29
HAS A TURN FOR STORY TELLING
The Gentleman Who Made Fortune in
Alabama and Lost it in Kentucky.

Tho Gentleman Who Made n Fortune in
Alabama and Lost it in Kentucky.
HIwent down into the Black Belt short
ly after the war, when it was a good deal
blacker than it is now,'' said traveller
to a writer for Harper's Weekly. ''It was
in central Alabama. The niggers were so
thick that they actually darkened the
landscape. The whole region was gloomy
with Africans. 1t seemed like partial
eclipse of the sun all the while. Ihad plan
at one time to set up rehectors here and
there to tighten up things little, but 1
never carried it OUT. / said that | en-
gagged in hog raising. did, but L did not
grow the native razor back variety. You
know the old southern excuse for this
style of swine-that it doesn't pay to
raise hog that can't run faster than
niger. Still determined to grow the
obese style OF porker which we
see in the fashion plates of
the agricultural papers. de-
hogs. 1 knew what l had to contend
with. ! owned at that time fine full
blooded bulldog named the Whited Sep
ulcher. He was q very intelligent beast,
and game. [ sent to New Orleans and
had made rubber hog-that is, a rubber
bag which, when inflated, had the exact
outlines OF one OF my fine swine. 1t was
light, strong and pliable. / put this on
my dog precisely as driver puts on his
suit. I allowed the animals feet, nose
and eyes to remain on the outside;
and then 1 blew up this artificial skin
with a small bellows. 1t transformed
him into q very presentable half-grown
blooded pig. A farmer or stock raiser
could, no doubt, have distinguished him
from the genuine article, but 1 believe
that he would have deceived the editor of
an agricultural paper. I then trained
him to stay with my swine, but not to
run oil with them when they were fright
ened. In fact, intelligent as the beast
was, doubt il / could have taught him
| to run from anything. The chapter on
| sThe Retreat seemed to have been lost
| from that dogs book of military tactics.
s'The first evening l had my hogs
| turned out in the pasture in charge OF
my inflated dog / determined to watch
| the proceedings. The swine were busily
engaged in hunting for pecan nuts when
a friend and brother, in the guise of a
| large colored person, with fondness
| for fresh pork, emerged from some
neighboring brush. Instinct seemed to
teach all of those hogs except one to
make off as fast as their short and
largely ornamental legs would carry
| them. The dark voter came up rapidly and
started to fall upon this lettering swine.
| was myself startled to see that hog rear
on his hind legs, utter deep, blood
curdling bark and leap for the throat OF
the gentleman from Africa. He Just
missed, and the niger turned and ran as
l never saw another free American
citizen run before or since. The Whited
ISepulcher kept close behind, giving vent
to hollow barks. They crashed away
through the underbrush and were lost to
sight. In a half hour the dog returned
and l was alarmed to see a calm ex-
preston of satisfaction in his eye
which made me fear the worst. However
conducted my hog plantation for two
years and never missed hog. l cleared
$50, 600, but lost it all the next year on {
porcorn farm in Kentucky. 1t is mat
ter of public record in the reports of ths
agricultural department that tramps free
my barn, where had my crops stored
OF course, the corn popped, and, ther'
being several thousand bushels of it, i
loaned all over the township to tn,
i average depth of ten feet. was suet
right and left for heavy damages, an,
came out with only g, eco in the world.