The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-05-26
ADDITIONAL CITY NEN&.
HOW WEGEmAN WAS WORKED
An ImDOstOr Run IN on Him Prize
Hog.

!
Wichita Mr. Wegeman is a cattle and
sheep breeder Of some note and he has
also owned some prize winning hogs. Up
In Bentley & Hatfield's Office the other
day he was telling how he and nine other
Wisconsin men bought the celebrated
Poland China boar. Clevers Model, at
public auction for s. 100 some ten years
ago. Mr.. Wegeman said that up 10 that
time he had not paid much attention to
hogs and that one day he went 70 little
town in Wisconsin on business ard stop
ped at a certain hotel for the night. He
I was aroused at al early hour in the
morning by, what seemed to him 10 be
/ a large number of men tramping down
the corridor in front of his room. he said
he could not sleep after he was once
awakened and although il was yet quite
early and before his usual time OF arising
he got up and dressed and went down
stairs into the Office and found il fun OF
men who we're gathered there IN little
knots talking to one another in under
tones. he was told by the clerk at the
desk that these men were hog men and
we're used TO getting up early, and that
( there was to be a sale of fine Poland
( China hogs in the town on that day and
! that the celebrated champion prize win
ner, Clever Model, was to be sold to the
highest bidder. Among the men in the
room, Mr.. Wegem3n recognized several
well known fine stock breeders and he
approached one Of them, that he was well
acquainted with and said, Took here
Jones, what's all this pOw-wow among
/ you hog men about, and what's coming
off that there IS such an air OF mystery
/ and secrecy floating around After
| little talk the breeder told Mr. Wege-
man that they were trying 10 form a COM
pany to buy the famous Poland China
that afternoon and they thought that if
/ ten men went in, that they could afford to
pay more for the prize hog than one man
/ could. Mr.. Wegeman says he had no
more idea Of buying prize hog than Of
! buying the man in the moon when he
went there, but the talk Of this breeder.
Jones, interested him and he said to him,
let me in on it, III make one of the ten
men," and the breeder replied, all right,
meet US in room II at 10 O'Clock, we are
going to organize the company then.
/ Mr. Wegeman attended the meeting at 10
I o'clock in room 12 and the company was
/ organized and he was in on the ground
/ floor as a member OF it. It was agreed
among the ten members that they would
bid the prize hog as high as $4,000. il
they were forced to go that high. But
they decided on plan of action TO try
and buy him at a less figure. They ap-
pointed one man, who was to be the
| authorized bidder for the company. to run
I
vas q raise Of this bid to announce TO
the auctioneer that he was as high as
the company would go and that they were
out of it. Another man was appointed
who was not to be known to have any
connection with the pool and he was to go
on bidding against his fellow member
and on UP against anyone else to $1,000
If necessary 10 set the hog.
The man who then owned Clever Model,
Ind NH
was known to be very crafty and tricky
and the members Of the pool took these
steps in order TO stall him off and pre-
vent him getting in a couple OF by-bid-
ders who would run the hog up TO high
water price. They went out to the sale
and the prize hog was put up and the
aucuoneer told his pedigree, age and his
prize record, and also stated that Messrs
sO-and-so, naming the ten men, had
formed a company. and Mr.. so-and-so
as the authorized agent would be the only
bidder Tor the company. The bidding
on tho famous hog was started
Some man started it at 81 800 and it
went 10 a hundred st a shot The com
pany's agent bid 5000 and some one else
bid $3,100 The agent created a sensation
by stating that he had made his last
bid, and that was as high as the com
psny had agreed to go on the hog. The
other company agent had been bidding
along a little. and he now took UP the
chase, and, bidding against the by-bidder
for the owner, he carried the hog up to
S. 100, and the animal was knocked Off TO
him and he paralyzed them when he an
nounced that he represented the company.
Clever Model, or what the company
bought for Clever Model, was then loaded
on the cars and shipped to his new home
at another town IN Wisconsin about two
hundred miles distance from the place
where the sale was held. care taker
was furnished for the prize hog and he
was groomed and polished and on dress
parade every day. For breakfast his
meals consisted Of tender raw beef steak,
sweet cows milk and eggs, and he re-
oeived more attention and was considered
an object Of more Importance by the
people OF the town than anything Of the
day Clever Model, the 5000 prize hog
was the talk Of the county for some time
and IN seven months his earning in the
stud, at a service fee OF 800 was s. 600
in notes payable the first OF the next
year. At the end Of seven months the
secretary received a telegram from the
man who had formerly owned the prize
hog, stating that he was then sick. and
about to die, and that he wanted 20
make a confession about the hog 10 the
company.
The secretary got on the train and
nlkeG over 70 TINS man s LOHfs ana En@Fe /
the sick man made a confession that the 7
hog that had been sold at auction was I
not Clever Model at all, but a son Of his. 4
that looked almost ike him and that 4
Clever Model had died Of hog consurp- [
ton TWO months prior 10 the sale and I
that the young hog had been rung in IN 4
his place. This was q hard blow to the /
company and when the secretary report I
ed. there was the biggest hurrah that ever /.
happened in the county The man who /
made the confession did not die. and .
after he had recovered the company be- i
gan suit against him. but he had put all
OF his property IN shape that IL couldn't .
be touched and the bank who held the /
c0mpany's paper. the prize hog had been 4
bought on = months time, stated that
it would irnpeach his eveidence and the {
company decided that they never could 4
get the money ont II him or from the \
bank. and 50 they dropped Il and Just paid
the notes The rotes they had taken Tor
s.. 90 in service fees had % De returned 4
70 their owners and the company was
glad 20 get Of that easy with them
The thing the comTanv regretted the
most was the way thar bogus prize win
ncr had been pam erad and grocmed and 4
fed on the fat or the lana and al the
time was an funcster
Excursions 20 Buffalo Exposition via
Nickel Plate Road.
On Ma 7rh 18th list am Eth. respect