The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-01-31
A PIG ALMOST CAUSED A WAR.
A Story From the Early History of Pu-
get Sound.

A Story From the Early History of Pu-
get Sound.
1t is seldom that the roaming propen-
sites of so prosaic an animal as the
hog have led up to International diff
culties and even threatened the peace
Of two continents. Only once do we
find his unlovely shadow thrown across
the pages of our country's history.
This unique instance is bit Of the
local history of the northwest, and be-
longs to that hazy period when the
boundary line between British Column
bia and Washington Territory was still
mooted question.
, The Haro archipelago a beautiful
group or more than four hundred is
lands lying at the entrance of Puget
Sound, was at that time claimed by the
British government through the power
full Hudson Bay Company, which was
utilizing them for a sheep pasture. Our
own government, with but vague idea
of the importance of it's great north
western domain, seemed oblivious to
the danger from British encroachments.
Something must happen to rouse her
interest in and fix her attention upon
her remote territory. And right here,
If you please, something did happen,
through the 1awless peregrinations Of
the swine aforesaid-and this Is how it
came about.
An American had made clearing
among the forests of San Juan Island,
the largest of the griup. From the
timber on his claim he had built his
home and fenced his field. In that de-
lightful climate and fertile soil his corn
and potato patch had thriven nightly.
and he was looking serenely forward to
a bountiful harvest. Imagine, then, If
you please, what must have been his
sensations ON going out early one fine
summer morning to find his hopes
crushed as fiat as were the corn and
potato stalks which the vicious brute
was, even now, roofing up and tramp
ling upon. AS he surveyed his devas-
tated crops, anger and amazement held
him dumb for a single moment: then
his tongue was loosened and he gave
free vent to his pent-up feelings.
The intruder, Interrupted in his work
of ruin, vanished abruptly through
breach that he had made In the rail
fence. But he was marked for ven
geance, and the next morning his life
less carcass was found just outside the
Americans enclosure. whittier he had
returned on another of his predatory
excursions.
The shot that ended his career precip-
itated crisis. The Hudson Bay Com
pany, whose property it was rose up in
its might. as one man, to crush this au-
dacious Yankee who had had the te-
merity, not only to defend his property
but actually to kill one Of their stock
animals for encroaching on his pretnis-
es. He was arrested and summoned to
appear at Victoria, on Vancouver Is
land, for trial.
Then all his smoldering passion burst
forth The spirit of Bunker Hill and
'76 blazed in his eyes and leaped from
his tongue. He snapped his tigers in
their astonished faces and defied them
to lay their hands upon him, affirming
that he was upon American soil, and
they, not he, were interlopers.
He was carried to Victoria, but hav-
ing appealed for protection to the gov
ernor of Washington Territory, that
official laid the matter before General
Harvey, at that time commander of the
military department of the Columbia.
General Harvey at once dispatched
company of infantry and one of artil-
lery to the scene or the dispute. The
British government retaliated by send