The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1907-02-14

bad hog stffnE time. troSinE
the real ~.spsfica DC. az II. or it's
origin The expression ls a negro
ism. the genesis OF which dates back
To The days ~hen every farmer and
many people who were not farmers
raised and cured their own bacon
TO "a ;sr,e when packing houses were
unknown in this country. and the
killing Of fifty hors day was q
notable event in any nsighborhood.
To people who are now familiar
with The methods OF killing hogs
and making bacon at the big packing
houses in Fort Worth. the crude
methods Of fifty years ago can hard
~ be realized In the old times hog
killing was not an individual but
neiShboYhocd affair. and 10 the
negroes 1t was day OF delight, sur
passing even the corn shocking"
az 1t was called 10 the south, or the
husking bee in the north, where
there were no negroes.
The Negroes Holiday.
A hog killing time in the days be
fore the war between the states was
the occasion OF more real enjoyment
to the nesroes who did all the work
than anything else In their lives,
and II was from this unlimited en-
joynent that sprung the expression
la hog killing time II was looked
forward 10 with fond anticipation,
and looked back on with regret un-
| til anothe. one came.
Maybe two months before hogs
| were killed on a farm or plantation
in the south the farmer or planter
would have stocked In pile OF big
oak and hickory logs laid horizontal
lily; between each two layers Of logs
and on top of the pile rock about
| the size of a mans head would be
placed. When the time for hog kill
! ing arrived these logs would burn
like finder and would heat the rocks
to white heat.
| Near the log pile an excavation
| would be made in the ground. and
in it would DO half sunk a hogshead
that would bold probably 200 gal
Ions of water, and in front Of it a
| wide platform nearly level with the
ground would be built. This plat
form was the working board. where
the hair pulling contests were pull
ed off. The hog pen where hogs were
being fattened were always within
l. - - to 1<>np ~IN I'D
the hogshead we're located.
II Hogs were never killed then OF
warm day, and the colder thu
weather was the better the farmer
liked it, as the weather had to b.
depended on to kill the animal hea
lin the slaughtered hogs to prevent
ffthe meat from spelling. When every
thing VS. ready and the hogs fat
enough and the weather was cold
and frosty, an the negroes in the
lneighborhood would be notified that
there would be a hog killing at such
and such a place, on such date,
and from that time on until the hap
by day the blacks talked Of nothing
but the coming good time. There
would be plenty Of work to do they
knew, bat the good times offset the
work; and it was a mighty mean
slave holder who wouldn't let his
hog killing.
! They didn't walt for daylight then
| to begin work, but about I a. In.
the fire would be started in the
wood pile and in an hou. the rocks
between the ioSs would BE- red hot
and a. white heat With the first
Ykam OF the fire light tho negroes
would begin dropping in from ad-
| Joining farms, singing plantation
songs AZ they came, and there would
be heard floating out on the stili
cold night air;
"Roct me, Lucy. rock me-"
1 count seven.
Went 10 IN hog killing and thought
| no got 70 heaven,"
Th.~s refrains were kept up until
the last hos was Killed and dressed.
| for th.i. war stimulus In the
work that made the negroes forget
their troubb<~ az they had any and
make IN. most f the opportunity
for having tts.s h-s' tine in mig
gers" Mo.
There vsA always AT the hog Kill
inss a sce of whisky that would
hold enough 20 supply the entire
working sorce With 'drams enough
| "a last Throughout, tho killing
dram Of oooA old Robinson county
Tern whisky xas liquid II deligns
| 10 |. p.Eyo aud II sas the Gins~t suss-
+ ssfum snUva th~s to sss work out ~
. n.ssro at !. hos siiiln8
u When the sc~ks Ia the ~e-odpllc
I ~.rw hot @uosGh they would he
fish.-i oat With = Ions handled sans-
ii and piuDe~f htssinx into tas
nocshssd ns~Siy full ~ water, an'il
\ tie water vaa Ioss hot enough Tn