The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-08-10
INsULTED A HOG.
100000 Damages For Defamation
of the Porker's Character.

or the POrk9r'S Character.
George C. Council has begun sui,
in the circuit court in Springfield, H.
to recover $40, 900 from Charles A. Viga
because Vigal has said the hog tina,
Council sold to syndicate as famous
porker known as klever's Model was
not klever's Model at all, but just q
plain, every day ringer" Now the
term ringer" as applied to swine does
ring in its nose to keep it from the 'un-
pleasant habit of roofing up young on
ion beds. The syndicate that bought
the hog of Council calls it ringer
because, its members say, 1t Is not the
hog that Council claimed it was at all.
The hog the members of the syndi-
cate wanted to buy was proud, aristo-
cratic swine Of the Poland China breed
called klever's Model and they paid
$500, said to be the highest price ever
paid for hog in the United States,
for one they thought was Klever's
Model. But after they had the animal
In their possession they claimed to
have discovered it was, instead, only a
low. common, baseborn porker known
as Columbia Wilkes, which they say
would have been hard to dispose Of at
$40. They refused to pay a matter of
some $1,000 on notes they had given
Council when the hog was bought.
Council sued on the notes. They had
Council indicted by the grand jury.
There have been suits and cross suits.
The litigation over the hog already has
cost over $4,000. The last time Coun-
Gil sued to recover on the notes the
jury declared him in the right and
gave him judgment. Now he has start
ed after the men who said Klever's
Model was plebeian hog in disguise
and has begun by suing Vigal for $780,
900.
The story Of Council, the syndicate,
and the hog is long one, but every
child in Sangamon county knows it by
heart. 1t began in 1897 at the State fair
grounds in Springfield. Council decid-
ed to publicly auction off famous hog
he owned, known as Klever's Model.
The hog came of an ancient and highly
respected race, and his fame was known
the country through, SO when he was
put up on the block on September 8
to be sold to the highest bidder stock
men from all over the country were
there. anxious to secure the prize.
The bidding rose higher and higher
and finally Klever's Model was sold to
syndicate for $500. The syndicate
was composed of James e. Snare Of
Wyoming and George A. Heyl and A.
NJ. Caldwell of Washington. They es-
:orted Klever's Model home in triumph.
All was serene until Councils hired
man whispered about the country a
horrible secret. He was Swede, named
canned Arthur Thielander. He said his
conscience troubled him so that he felt
ne must speak. He declared the big
Poland China hog that went under the
name of Klever's Model was not Kle-
ser's Model at all. The real Klever's
Model. he said. had died nearly a year
before the auction sale OF one of the
pSStilSANS0 RSCuldA " ILC AO6 AdSS.
The hired man said he had been
with Klever's Model when it lay down
and died. had been chief mourner at
the funeral. and had acted as under
taker for the deceased porker. He re-
ated how at the dead Of night by the
,ickly glare OF barn lantern. he had
laid Klever's Model in a grave. The
aext day. he said. Council built straw
stack over the grave and put new low
corn hog. Columbia Wilkes. in the
place formerly occupied by Klever's
model. This degraded hog was intro
iuced around as Klever's Model. 80 the
aired man alleged. and finally sold as
the original animal.
When the members of the syndicate
heard the hired mans tale they were
greatly exercised. They sent man to
exhume the remains under the straw
stack on the Council farm. The grave
was opened. but instead Of finding the
skeleton Of one hog they found all that
remained Of two. Council had not de-
MED the existence Of hog bones under
the straw stack. but said they were
those Of two hogs that had died Of
cholera. and he had buried them to pre-
vent the disease from spreading. Mel
Their OF these hogs, he declared. was
Klever's Model. which he insisted he
had sold to the syndicate.
The syndicate men. however. were
not satisfied. They took the hired man
over to see the hog they had bought
and the hired man pointed his finger
at 1t and said. like the hero Of q melo-
drama. IT know you now. You are no!
the aristocratic Klever's Model, but the
base-born Columbia Wilkes"
So the syndicate men posted of to
Springfield and put the hired man in
the grand jury room, and the hired
man told the grand jury his story and
Council was indicted The case came
up for trial and the states attorney
was preparing to wage vigorous pros.
ecution against Council and the false
Klever's Model. when he received ar
Afiidavit from Thielander stating thai
he had sworn falsely before the grand
Jury and that the real Klever's Mode
was alive and not Wondering in tht