The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-04-12
A TALK WITH jim.


Austin, Texas. April ll.-(stafr Core
! spondence.)-fn spite of Ex-Governor
HogGs expressed desire and evident de-
| termination to be considered out of poll.
ties, 1t is almost impossible to refrain from
| thinking politics and talking politics when
| he is around
For eight years the most prominent fig
ure in Texas public life-prominent by
reason of his unique personality and UNI
questionable political genius--he made so
! f"uch Texas history that IL is out of the
| question for him To eliminate himself by
| S'inplN remaining from mixing in with the
| boys ~ ne used 10 do when running for
! ounce. The truth of the matter is, that
! Iirss IS Just as much an Issue ia this
/ stare now-inditectly To be sure AZ ne Vas
! SIN Years or four years ngo. When he
| raves about ho attracts Just az much
| attention AZ when his signature Included
| the suiiN governor aud while there IL
| no reason 10 doubt the sincerity of his
| declared wish to be looked upon merely
aS Il practicing lawyer Who takes more IN
! iorost In the affairs of his clients than
| anything else. 1t only proNokcs smiles and
! winks TO assert that he has taken his eye
| from OF tho gun and quit keeping tab
| on tho political horoscope
1t T. safe to say. furthermore that he
manages to keep about as wei posted as
ih" next one and that the slightest turn
/ of ihr political wheel il known to him and
i,s significance pretty accurately .sti-
mated. Ills Judgment was never better
nor his foresight ever keener.
#.
Las, night after returning from the
opera house, where he had listened with
amused interest 10 Roland Reed In "'The
Politician" he joined II group of friends
in one of the hotel Hobbies and as most
of them had also attended the play the
conversation turned upon the very excel.
lent performance which they had just wit
Messed II was not loug. however, until
ne talk dritied from stage politics into
sure ehohgh politics. and naturally some
one wanted to know what the ex-governor
bouBht OF the present situation in this
state.
I'refacing his answer with the remark
thai he was practicing law now. he replied
that he could soc signs of right funny
dolngs in the near future.
81 -. run with these political fellows so
much. said he, THAT I've picked up n
code Of political signs that | 80 ny Just
As II hunter does by the signs which ex-
pcrlence has taught him lre 5iir. l.u.ca-
lions Of game when he's in the woods.
According to my code the writings and
twisings OF several people whom / won't
name Just now make II clear to my mind
that there Is a great doal IN the wind ana
thai We are hni a few steps removed from
;evcrai political a"nsG lions. which ARE la
Vic 10 develop any minute.
Gov this sign business 10 great thing
II enabled mo once. when ! was district at
torney. to convict n pretty smooth hog
tH"l ON oirconstnnNa evidence Whicn
would have escaped me had not learned
VIII, " hoy, tnc uIhorthrr bntWeen VIVA
hog signs and tame hog signs.
.,,.,
The defendant vas negro and he was
charged with having Killed several black
hogs belonging 10 one of his nclghbors.
Shortly after the killing of their compan-
ions tho other hogs In the bunch came
,,,,o ~ or.ot ,vc,,,,,o,,, ord saaro,, ror
a'''7 Va h''"' "i'' s'"''" 80
the missing ones was Instituted win me
result tina, The Defendant was caught
scripion.
AT the trial the defendant alleged that
no had nnmber or unmarried hoss IN
the woods, which had gone wild ana the
hogs he had killed were wild and that he
thought they were part or ms bnhch. lie
was wo!l provld"d WIN witnesses TO cor
robnrate the VIA hog story
~ took hose witnesses in hand and put
them through me hog sign catcchlem.
to which the deceased porkcrs belonged |
ana uususpreth Ky, III ahsweL 10 my gus
tered nil nbout and thut n great furrow |
was noticeable whore the hogs had rooted |
ana thai IT was pam I'M, tney had ihin
nor ~, s"" nor a,torneys nor dsfnnInni
nor any one else seemed TO understand |
what / was driving at by my questions |
about hog signs. but when ! got up 10 |
make my argument and cnpiaincd that |
wild hogs Travelled In single file and that |
heir tracks were never scattered like those |
Of tame hogs; and that alternating holes |
In The ground instead of Wide burrows |
were always the rule where Wild hogs had |
night Main an at once. and as there |
were several fellows on The Jury who knew |
as much about hog signs as / did but |
,,ndn,t thought Of IT before in this con.
nortion Wr Defendant was promptly |
Of killing plaintiffs tame hogs. |
"Wila hogs are always looking for al.
~ ~ l' go, I,r.5s or ,ar,,,tnta n nd