Birmingham state herald., 1896-04-05
HARRY HILLS BIG DROP.
Continued From Eighteenth Page.)

largest hog in the world.
 T thought it was some dodge says Hill in telling the story, but l went in just for fun, and upon my soul l saw there the biggest pig l ever saw before or after. Yes, sir, he was so high when he stood up that mad to stand on tiptoe' and raise my shoulder like this to throw my arm over his back. He measured 1o feet along his back"
 Are you sure of that Mr. Hill?'
 Yes, sir; IS feet easy. Why, if you straightened out his curly tail and meas- ured from the tip of his snout to the tip of his tail he was 19 feet long,
 Lord I says to the snowman, what is this-a horse?
 Mo-, says the snowman, that's Pennsylvania hog.
 "'What'n you take for him?' says l.
 zone hundred and fifty dollars, says he
 Well. I bought the hog and the time we had getting him into my place was worth a thousand dollars to see. In those days l used to keep the English pa pers on my tables for the entertainment of my patrons. There was one stlf old Scotchman who used to come in to read the papers. He was one of those dign1- fled fellows, and you could never sur prise him or make him smile. We called him the professor. He was sitting at one of the tables reading when the boys got there after midnight with that hog. We
 
 Scotchman only drew his chair tuck near the table and kept on reading with out looking around. The boys had stop ped at every saloon on the way TOT drinks and they were feeling pretty gooo Somehow the hog got away from them after they started him into the door and he made a blind rush to escape. We'll sir his snout went under the back of tho professors chair and he just lifted the chair, professor, table, papers and all like the cowcatcher of a locomotive and pitched them all over the place. Then the hog ran into the bar room. He was so big he could not get around ana l thought he would wreck the place before we could back him out.
 We kept him for months. That hog was responsible for more drunkenness in the city of New York during that time than all other agencies put together. It was before the time of breweries and had a lot of fine English ale on tap that was just as strong as brandy. Two men would come in together with piece of string and measure the hog. Then they would go down Broadway, each holding one end of the string, and would tell every one they knew that they had seen a hog as long as the string. Then there would be bets of drinks that they had not. One or two glasses of that old ale would make a man tipsy, and every man who got stuck for the drinks would join the party on JUS next trlp uOWu Dloau- way after a new victim"
 Almost an Octogenarian.
 Harry is 75 years old now, but with touch of his old-time vanity he says that he is only trifle more than 60. He was a great athlete in his day and he always took good care of himself. If his mis- fortunes did not sit so heavily on him he would be very active old man, and for that matter he is still talking of how ha will rptr fortunes Englishman by birth, having come to this country in a sailing ship in 1S50 It has always been a mystery to his friends how he managed to lose all of his money but the story is easily told. The police got after him about ten years ago and ru- ined his concert hall It is said that he had to pay $500 a week protection money to sell liquor after hours, while other places just as large were only paying S25 a week. He tried to fight the police, but he was bounded out of the city after spending tons of money in the fight. He had about $400, 900 invested in Long Island property at Flushing. He mort gagged it to establish a ferry to New York, building magnificent boats, one of which, the Harry Hill Is now doing ser vice on the Indian river In Florida. He built short railroad to carry building sand to his boats, and he indorsed notes for his friends right and left. He was out of his element in business enterprises of this kind, being nothing of a financier The interest on his mortgages ran be- hind his expensive ferry was a complete failure, and people began to foreclose or him. Boats that had cost him $20,00( were sold for s4000; his railroad was | gobbled up the notes he had indorsed came due, and in a short time his req estate was sold under the hammer Be. l fore he knew it he was bankrupt. Many of his old time friends have | stood Loyalty by him, and have estab 1 lished him in business several times, but l his good fortune has deserted him and | he has endured all sorts of want for tht | past two years. The old man still pride: | himself though, on the fact that he i. ''the squarest sport in the country" Large for His Age