Evening journal., 1898-12-06

G.
a commonplace affair. The term sug-
gests a drove CT Western hogs driven
from stock car to an abattoir and
butehered in a scientific manner and
then thrown on the city market for
Immediate consumption. They have
nc idea CT the veet amount of senti-
ment which clings about a hog pen In
a rural district at this season. II af-
fects everybody in a neighborhood,
where the hogs were born and bred
and curried and fed, and hog-kiling
day is a resl-letter one on the farm cal
endar.
On the evening preceding the day set
apart FOR the saturnalia Of blood the
farmer, accompanied by his family and
a Few neiehbOrs, carries a feed OF corn
and few buckets Of swill to his swine
and says:
Eat, drink and be merry. for to-
morrow you diet"
About $3.50 o'clock next morning he
aroalses everybody in the house. bring
ing out the laegards by reminding
them that IL they want to see the hog
killing they had better hurry down to
breakfast. The farm bell is rung and
the tocsin brings over then eighbors.
A hasty breakfast is eaten, for delib-
GRAFTON has no place at a hog-killing.
Then a big fire is built. Large stones
and pieces OF iron are placed on the
fire and heated to a degree Of intensity
not known at any other time An old
hogshead, set in the ground at an an
gle Of forty-flve degrees, Is filled with
water. Knives are given a final whet-
ting and then the hogs are awakened
to a realization that IL is their last day
on earth. In the gloom OF early dawn
they gaze at the men who are swap
ping bets ON their weights when killed,
scraped and dressed.
The farmland brings an axe and
knocks down about one-half OF the pen
! 20 afford a means Of egress for the
porkeFs. One board would have euf-
feed but in boyhood the Wayfarer
frequently noticed that a professional
farmland ali a hog-killing is never
content with the demolition OF less
than one-haif of the pen pOrker
whddles out. II is seized by the ears
by one man, and by the tail and one
hind-leg by another and Immediately
bceins singing It's swRn-like song.
When il has been thrown on its back
, the lord high executioner draws his
keen blade, grabs the animal by the
enout, holds its head we'll back and by
a few def movements, sewers the jugu-
lar vein. The animal. which has been
done to death, is released and regains
/ its feet 1t walks around until the
! loss Of blood causes it to fall from
sheer weakness, and few seconds
later its soul departs TO join those of
the millions Of other hogs which have
= died that the cravings Of mans appe-
= tite might be satisfied. While this is
Q going on the wnmen-folk take refuge
a in the kitchen and peep out from be-
hind the chintz curtain
Sometimes, after the hog has been
, stuck, it walks around for such a long
/ time that a neighbor sarcastically sug-
gests to the farmer that II he will give
the animal a feed Of corn it will get
over its hurt, the imputation being
that the butcher has made a bctch of
his work. This rifles the man and he
8 and his assistants catch the stricken
p animal and give it the stroke Of grace.
The hot stones and iron are thrown
into the waiter in the hogshead, and il
soon comes to a boil Then the body
OF the hog is cast into the hot water
d and scalded, a hook being used to work
r Il up and down and to haul It out on
the scraping board After being de-
|, nuded of the hair and bristles the car.
/ cass is hung up by the hind legs, eplii
D down the stomach, the "innards" re-
p moved and placed in a tub, the cavity
d Is washed out and spread wide oper
l. with a stick and then the cooling pro
cess begins. In this manner hog after
hog is disp5Sed Of Then comes the
weighing; the cutting up; the curing
S the delights Of working the saus3 9,
IS cutter and suffer; the rendering O.
p lard; the crisp and brown "crackhns;
= the making of pan after pan OF scrap
pie and hogshead cheese; the food an,
. fog of grease for five or six days; tn,
h cloud Of substantial smoke which &
n laden with enough hog to satisfy tn
n most ravenous appetite; hard work 70
. the women and discomfort for tn
men; the contentious among the chill
dren for the bladders and swallows
" But think Of the satisfaction of hav
+ ing The celiar and meat-house full o
homemade "hog-meat;" the edihca
q tion of sitting by the stove at tn
crossroads grocery store and swap
ping facts and fancies concerning tn
q weights CT all the porkers in th
n nelghborhood; and the glory whic
comes with the publication in tn
nearest country weekly Of the fact tina
!. ''Mr. So-and-So raised the biggest hog
- in this section Of the country. The
5 weighed 400. 425. 525. 574 and 60
! pounds respectively
The Wayfarer does not wonder tina
! lConductor Beth glores in the fac
that he will be at home for the hos
killing. Let HIS colleagues go of hunt
y ing for pleasure, quail and rabbits,
will get more real enjoyment out {
" this pastoral saturnalia Of blood an
m grease than all Of them combined
!" A REMOTE DISTINCTION.
General John p. Donahoe, of TIL
city, was much amused this mornin
,e to receive copy Of the Ohio Pres.