San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-08-09
ON THE LOITER.
HOGS OF THE HIGHWAY.

A "road hog" is a species of evol'
uted monkey that moves upon the
public highways in apparent tota.
and happy Oblivion of the right:
and comforts of any hapless hui
man being that it might chance tC
meet. A bullying disposition
sometimes backed by real courage
and a goodly heavy wagon, is all
that it takes to be a "road hog
A gentle pair of horses prove
very acceptable adjunct to the
characteristics Of one of these sue
Cessful animals. A double barrel
shotgun or a repeating rifle in full
view help to smoother out the
"road hogs" path in life very ef-
fectively.
The commonest "road hog" is
the wooden-headed farmer on the
country road. Give him a good
gentle pair of mules and a strong
farm wagon, and he at once consti-
tutes himself king of the pike from
Government hill to New Braunfels.
Out of his possession on the old
Austin road he drives with his load
of produce. His two roam mules
strike up patient walk, while
the driver sits on the quilted
seat, smoking his long Ger
man pipe. Directly he encounters
a phaeton in which some town
people are driving to farm. Gee
upw the wooden headed farmer
calls to his mules, vigorously puff
ing at his pipe and totally oblivi.
Gus of the vehicle before him. He
does not bulge a bit to give the
phaeton part of the road, but un-
concernedly drives ahead, forcing
the little vehicle into the rocks
and gully to the left. A farm wagon
with a woman driver meets the
same fate, and the luckless bicycle
rider that might happen
along fares no better, eX-
cept that he some times
finds himself avenged by the mules
rearing up and jumping around
until the harness has been torn or
completely tangled up. 1t is only
when the "road bog" fears me.
chanical or physical damage by
virtue of stronger adversary with
a heavier wagon, that he submits
to the inevitable and shares with
such party one half of the way.
In the towns "road hoggism" is
not so common for it is easier 10
invoke the laws against a road hog
in the city than in the country.
Still traces of the disease are fire.
quently met with, and the "hog"
of the town like the "hog" of the
country, can be told by the cir
Cumstance that he has the heavier
vehicle. The commonest kinds of
city road or street hogs are the
hackmen and icemen. Butchers,
express wagon drivers and milk
men, perhaps from the lightness
of their vehicles, are little more
cOnsiderate, but no small portion
of them find a world of fun in
crowding vehicles driven by
women and children against the
street curbing. The most des-
piCable of city road hogs, however,
is the capitalists coachman.
This individual, usually a negro,
with his light silk hat, and
his coat full buttoned, handles his
team with the utmost Indifference
as to any one else on the thorough
fare. Now his CARRIAGES front
axle just does nip the wheel Of
some light buggy filled with fright
ened ladies, now he drives in a trOt
squarely in the middle of some mar
row street, running every other
vehicle half way on the sidewalk.
Pedestrians are trampled down
like dogs, if they don't look out, for
what are they to him? This jet
black human peacock realizes
that he is a rich mans niger,
which position in life he holds
to be but one peg lower
than that of the rich man himself,
and thus in the full realization of
his high station in life, he becomes
one Of the most despicable kinds of
road hogs of the town, harrassing
and bullying everybody and every
thing in sight, except that which
experience perhaps, has taught
this pitch black peacock to class in
the category Of dangerous peram-
bulating buzz saws. LOITERER.