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THE AMATEUR BUTCHER
He Distinguishes Himself on Hog
Killing Day.
A MOST IMPORTANT CEREMONY.
lii Rural Communities the Slaughter of
the Family Hog Is an Event Looked
Forward to With Great Eagerness—How
the Job Is Done.
The fanner doesn’t look on the calen
dar to find out when hog killing day
comes. He wouldn’t find it it he did
look, for it isn’t there. But he doesn't
need it. Hog killing time conies along
about this time of year in almost every
state in the Union, but no special day
is set aside for the porcine massapre.
Just two conditions fix the date. First,
the farmer waits until the hogs are fat
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SIZING UP THE IIOGS.
enough to be killed, and then he waits
until he is ready to kill them. Very
simple, you see, but beyond the prov
ince of the almanac maker.
To any man who has ever lived on a
farm the mere recollection of hog kill
ing time summons to his mind more or
less mixed emotions. There is no poetry
about such an occasion. There is lots of
hard work, though, not to mention some
that is rather unpleasant. But to a
healthy, vigorous farm boy there is the
charm of excitement, an unusual ele
ment in his life, which makes up for it
all and leads him to look forward to hog
killing day with lively expectations.
It is only after due deliberation that
the date is finally decided upon. For
months the porkers have been fattening
in the pen, the result of a daily meal of
corn, with Numerous lunches of sour
milk and small boiled potatoes. Os
course the neighbors are asked in to give
their opinion as to the condition of the
hogs. They—that is, the neighbors, not
the hogs—would feel slighted if this
custom were not observed.
“Yes, they’re a fine lot, Zeke. I Reck
on thet big feller’ll dress nigh on to
500.”
“Shouldn’t-wonder a bit, Sam. An
say, do you know thet feller wuz the
runt of the lot up to the time he wuz 2
months old? ’Long about June he begun
to pick up, an flow, b’gosh, he can’t
hardly waddle an is most twict as big
as thet spotted one there.”
“Goin ter stick ’em Monday, eh?”
“Yep. Comin round?”
“Guess I’H'have ter, Zeke.”
Such conversations mark the approach
of the fatal day. When it comes, the
whole household is up much before the
usual early time for arising. By 4
o’clock there is a roaring fire in the
kitchen stove, and long before daybreak
the breakfast dishes have been cleared
away. Out in the yard the numerous
preparations for the slaughter have been
made. A hogshead is two-thirds sunk
in a pit which has been dug handy to
the pen. Near it is a stout bench, and
at no great distance the big soap kettle
is suspended from a crane over a rude
fireplace made of rocks.
The boys of the family are doing the
hardest part of their work early, for
they'‘are taking turns bending their
backs over the handle of the grindstone,
while the farmer, with a formidabla
ASK the recovered
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array or butcher knives beside him,
bears down hard on the blade he is
sharpening and encourages the victim
by such remarks as: “Spin ’er round
there, sonny! It’ll makeamanof you.”
At last the knives are all sharpened,
the big kettle is full of. boiling water,
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THE CHAMPION PIG STICKER.
and the neighbors who are to assist
have arrived. Among the helpers is sure
to be the champion pig sticker of the
district. Sometimes he is paid for his
services in money, but more often he
does his work for the mere glory of add
ing to his reputation 'and takes as his
reward a few choice ribs or some other
delicacy which the hog provides. Your
true pig sticker takes a deal of pride in
his skill. While waiting for the opera
tions to begin he runs his thumb along
me keen edge of his knife with a critic
al air and tells of former feats of prow
ess. He is listened to with respect, too,
for on this occasion his worth is recog
nized to the fullest extent.
When the fated porker has been placed
in the proper position, an operation
which he superintends, but takes no
hand in, the executioner advances and
gives the fatal stroke. Each champion
pig sticker has his favorite method
and will explain at great length the ex
act point at which the knife should en
ter. It is just as well to state that no
two “champions” will agree on the fine
points of pig sticking, but this mere
ly proves that each is a genius in his
own way.
Long before the knife has touched his
throat the hog lifts up his voice in vain
protest, and as his lifeblood gushes out
he increases the volume of his piercing
squeals until they die away in a wail
ing shriek that makes the women and
girls in the kitchen shudder and stuff
their aprons in their ears if they be of
nervous disposition. j
While the crimson tide is still flow
ing from piggy’s throat he is uncere
moniously yanked to the partly sunken
hogshead, which has been nearly filled
with hqt water. Into this he is dumped,
with a great splash, and soused around
for a few minutes. This process loosens
the bristles, which are later removed
when he is stretched out on the cleaning
table. The scraping is a rather tedious
process, but many hands make short
work of it, and by the time the first vic
tim has been given what a barber would
call a close shave, which leaves his
skin looking as clean and pinlc as a ba
by’s, another steaming carcass is ready
for the knives.
After the scraping the hog is bisected
from snout to tail. “Unbuttoning his
vest,” the wags of hog killing time call
this process. Next his interior economy
is rudely jerked, smoking hot, out into
the cold, crisp air. The man who does
this part of the work has one brawny
arm stripped to the shoulder, and, after
the first half hour, presents a most gory
appearance. Indeed a gang of hog kill
ers, with their rough, blood stained
clothes, their long boots and their sharp
knives, might pass for a brutal pirate
crew if placed on a ship’s deck instead
of m the peaceful surroundings of a
barnyard.
One more little attention, and the
piggy is left tocool. The gambrel stick,
made of stout oak, is inserted between
the tough tendons and bones of the hind
legs, and then he is lifted to the string
er, where he hangs in a position which
makes it easy to take out the great rolls
of fat which line his ribs. When the solid
white flakes are taken out, they are car
ried into the kitchen, where the women
are ready to "try it out” into leaf’lard,
which every farmer's wifi) insists she
must have for Booking.
The farmer’s boys generally manage
to have a good deal of fun out of the
hog killing. They keep the fire going
under the and sometimes heat
rocks to throw into the hogshead when
the water becomes cool. Even scraping
off bristles is a fascinating sort of work,
and they would do it gladly even if it
were not for the promise of a pig’s tail
*
ft
.fBP
piggy’s post mortem shave.
apiece. It takes the-healthy appetite of
a boy to appreciate a roasted pig’s tail
cooked in the coals and eaten while still
hot and half covered with ashes.
When the killing is over'and the last
porker has been strung up, there is a row
of white, silent bodies that are left to
Til Hi ROMS TBIBUNJ, & NDAY, NOVEMBER 1.
hang out all night in the frosty air so
that they may be ready, in the course of
a day or two, for the cutting up and
packing. For weeks after the hog kill
ing the farmer has rare delicacies on his
table—pork tenderloins, spareribs, head
cheese, scrapple, or cracklings, as it is
sometimes called, and other tidbits.
The boys, of course, claim the hog
bladders, which they blow up with a
goose quill and keep inflated by tying a
string around the neck. These fire al
lowed to dry, and generally a few peas
are put inside before the bladder is
blown up. This makes a famous rattle,
and the boy who carries one to school
generally has lots of fun until the
teacher confiscates it or the bladder
bursts.
Os course hog killing day in the coun
try is not what it was 25 years ago, be
fore the great city pork packing houses
began to monopolize all the business.
Nowadays the farmer kills only what
pork he wants for his own use, as a gen
eral rule, and if he has hogs for sale he
ships them off alive to the city, on the
outskirts of which there are great yards
where it is hog killing time all the year
round.
This is a wise change, for the Ameri
can hog has become so popular abroad
that he has to be sacrificed in large
numbers every year. A bulky, red cov
ered book issued by Uncle Sam contains
a concise record of the extent to which
foreign orders fdT our hogs were filled
in 1895. In that year, it seems, the
world in general bought of us 90,000,-
000 pounds of hams for breakfast, 362,-
000,000 pounds of bacon to cook with
greens, 56,000,000 pounds of fresh and
salted pork for dinner and other meals
and 414,000,000 pounds of lard to fry
their doughnuts in. Great is the Ameri
can hog, and greet is hog killing day.
Cyrus Sylveseer.
Spiders’ Eyesight.
How far away can a spider see a fly?
After several years of ingenious experi
menting Mr. and Mrs. Peckham, the
naturalists, have concluded that the
greatest average distance at which spi
ders are able to see objects distinctly is
about one foot. Beyond that distance,
then, we may assume that a fly caught
in a spider’s web would be safe from
detection by its enemy if its move
ments and struggles to get away did not
betray it. The same observers think
that spiders have the senses of color and
of smell, but feebly developed.—Youth’s
Companion.
Earl Fitzwilliam, in Wentworth,
Woodhouse, near Rotherdam, York,
has the largest private house/in Eng
land, but had he not an income of over
sl,ooo,oooayc;'.r he would probably re
gard the place as a white elephant.
There are 175 rooms in the building. “
The red mullet is scaled immediately
before its death to induce permanent
contraction of its superficial pigment
cells, which causes the fish to become
the intense red color sc beloved of the
trade.
FREE
It you seua your name and address, mention
ing this paper, % Dr. Hathaway & Co., 22% So.
-iroad St, auanta, Ga.. you will receive their
vainaoie 64 page Reference Book'for Men and
Women.
i Thia book has just been issued and is full oU
v doable information to those afflicted with any
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SPECIALTIES-
Specific blood poi- r
soning, nervous de- 7 wKSI
bility, kidney and ViwY
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cele, hydrocele, pun- '
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tlem, skin and blood ,
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catarrh and diseases
of women. Address
or. call on Dr.
away & Go., 21% So rsroac st, Atlanta. Ga
Mail treatment given by Bending for symptom
blank. No. 1 for men, No. 2 for women, No. 3
tor skin diseases. No. 4 for catarrh.
MARY BALDWIN SEMINARY
FOR YOUNG LADIES,
STAUNTON, VIRGINIA.
Term begins Sept. 2d, 1896. Located in Shev-ndoaL
Valley of Virginia. Unsurpassed climate, grounds
and appointments. Board, etc., w'.th full English
course, $250. Music, Languages, Elocution, Art, Book
keeping, and Physical Culture, extra. Pupils enter
any tima. Writ© for Catalog. M. J. Baldwin. Prin.
Buy a mßfes
Smooth
White
Skin
For Your Face!
It probably needs renewing, for It Is rough, red
/reckled, blotched or pimpled, until it bas become
repulsive instead of attractive. Healthy skin is
always beautiful. The sun and wind, impure
soaps and cosmetics Injure the skin.
Viola Cream-
cleanses, nourishes and restores the skin, making
it soft, white and beau Hut, It ii not
—does not cover up, hut removes blemishes. It
is harmless and always docs just wh.it we claim
for it. The only preparation .bat wld ’>
remove lueckles, BJ. qkhuuds. 3 an, aunburn anc
Pimplei ITundjed i« fto if imohialj from promt
neat lutlies. y -- - at druggists
G. C. 3ITTN r ’ •'V. enn nntr.
NOTICE.-
J. A Bh's ' i Petition t.p foreclose mortgage,
vs J 50.7. Floyd Superior Court.
J. F. Tu-cer July term. )89>.
Tothe lietendsni J F. Turner:
The d-fendint ie b.reby -equlred personally,
or bv s'tp'ney. to b« and appear at tne next Su
per! >r Co< rt ro be held iu and for said Couniy
mi ihe third Monday In Jarnary next, then and
there to answer the i Ulntifi's petit on to fore
close mortgage, a- la < .fault thereof -a'd Court
will proceed as »o j istice ehaltanpe’tafii.
Witness, the Honorable W. M. Henry, Judge
o£ said Court, this 22d diy of Sept ruber, 1896
WM E. BkY-IKGEL.
Clerk Superior t'onrt,
F.oyd County, Ga.
PROPOSAL!
NOT FOR YOUR HAND, BUT
FOR YOUR TRADE.
i
We have the largest and most varied stock
of goods ever brought to North Georgia, . .
We Need Your . Dollars,
And to get them we make this proposal : [no
matter what you wish in our line we will
■save you . , .
From 10 to 25 Per Cent
On every dollar spent with us. This may
seem at first glance a rash promise, but we
are prepared to prove it, if you will give us
the opportunity. , , , , ,
SUIT OF CLOTHS $2.50.
Men’s Shoes SI.OO.
GOOD ALL WOOL JEANS
'■ S z
From 15 to 33 Cents Per Yard.
. * •
All Wool Undershirts 50 Cents
SOMETHING NICE.
When you come to Rome don’t buy one thing until
you have seen us. We are ’headquarters for everything
you need.
Ladies’ shoes 75g. 100
Calico 4to 50. Cotton Checks 4to sc. A. A. A. Sheet
ing 4 to sc, the best, A. C. A. Bed Tidk 13c.
Men’s Work Shirts 25c Jeans Pants 60c to 1-25-
WHY NOT COME TO THE
CUT PRICE HOUSE
—’ l - f
and get your goeds cheaper than anybody else in Rome
can sell them.
We are your friends and have been for years. Bpy
j out cotton and pay more for thstt than anybody in Rome.
We have bought very,largely this season expecting a
large cotton crop, but it hasbeen cut off an 1 we have got
these goods un hand and they must be sold regardless of
cost. So come and foreae youi self how cheap you can
buy from
THE MAMMOTH CUT PRICE HOUSE OF
W. H. COKER & CO.
19 & 21 Broad Street.
ROME, - - GEORGIA.
HOTELS.
ARLINGTON HOTEL
EAST HOME.
Mrs. S. E, Vick, M’gr.
MEALS 25e. LODGING 25c.
Open all hourp, night and (jay.
Good sitting room free.
Refurni hed throughout. Neat bed
rooms and good fare
HOTEL MARION.
ATLANTA, GA.
The most delightfully situated hotel
in Atlanta, two blocks from union depot.
Large, cool rooms, with porcelain bath
tubs; latest improvements in hotel fur
nishings, and perfect service. Until
September Ist we will make the very
low rate of $2 to $2.50 per day, American
plan; special rates by the month. Free
’bus meets all trains.
ST. MIS IKITFI.
Broadway Eleventh St.
NEW YORK:
PLAN,
Win, Taylor & Son, Proprietors
IIOTILK:
The Palace Hotel of the South
European and American plans. Perfect
cuisine and service.
The Aragon is entirely new, and has
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science.
It occupies the highest point in the
city, and is delightfullv cool, as well as
away from ALL NOISE, DIRT AND
SMOKE from trains.
Only three blocks from Union Depot.
FREE BUS meets all trains.
RATES —From June Ist to October Ist
American plan, $2.50 to $4.50 pef day;
European plan, $1 to s3#er day.
The New
Soulhem Hotel,
Rebuilt and Refurnished Throughout.
RATES, $2., $2.50 and $3 PER'DAY
Now Open
to the public
W. O. PEEPLES, Manager.
CHESTNUT STREET,
Opposite Union Passenger Depot,
Chattanooga. Tenn
PROFESSIONAL CARDS
SURGEON AND PHYSICIAN,
ROME, - - GEORGIA.
DR. L. P HAMMOND
(X ■»
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEOD
Residence No 408 West First Street.
Office Medical Building, Boom L, Second Floc)
Residence Telephone
Office- . 6)
Dr D. T. McCALL,
Physician and Surgeon,
ROMS, GEORGIA.
Office, 208 Broad Street: Residence. 42 Malt
Street.
Office Telephone 13. Residence Telephone 132
r' ■
ATiORNEYS v
Moens Wbisht. Habpkb Hamilto
WRIGHT & HAMILTON.
ATTORNEYS AT LAW,
‘ffice. No. 17 Po.tottios tsulldln .
ROME. GA.
w J. NEEL,
ATTORNEY AT LA W .
HOME, GEORGIA.
Office In New King Building.
Will practice in all the Courts. Special atten
tlon given to Commercial Law and the exam! ■
nation of Land Titles
’ HALSTED SMITH,
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW v
Office in City Hall, • Rome, Georgia.
T- BEN KERR,
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW.
Practice in all the courts of Ala.,
both State and federal. Will act aa
commissioner to take testimony. Col
lections will be carefully looked after.
Bank of Piedmont, reference.
PIEDMONT, : : : ALABAMA
MAX MEYERHARDT
ATTORNEY-AT-I.XW
ROME, GKOKGIA
Office In Court House, Up Stairs.