Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 131, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 June 1911 — WANTED PIG FOR PET; HAD EXCITING RACE. [ARTICLE]

WANTED PIG FOR PET; HAD EXCITING RACE.

Autoists Stole Suckling Pig and Farmer Chased Machine and Fired At Fleeing Tourists. . - ■

Lake County Times. You can take it from me that whenever I go on any more auto rides through Indiana with a party and get an ardent yearning for a young pig, they will have to let me out of the machine and do their own stealing. 1 solemnly hold up my right hand and say, “Never again.” Frank C. Williams. Chased by an irate Newton county farmer, his. son and hired man armed with shotguns, because they picked up a fat little poland china suckling pig, a party of autoists, returning from the speedway race “blew into” Hammond shortly before noon today with a tale of adventure that makes the late lamented mattle of Jaurez look like an Ice cream sociable. In the party were Frank C. Williams, formerly of Hammond; John A. Dickes, of Aurora and Misses Jessica Salfisburg and Winnie Browne, two broiler friends of Mr. Dickes, who simply “think young pig is too lovely for anything” when accompanied by the customary cold bottle.

And thereby hangs a tale. When the big Dickes Cadillac was bowling along this morning between Aix and Thayer Miss Browne’s bright blue eyes noticed a litter of Poland China sucklings hear "the roadside and expressed her desire for one of them to Mr. Dickes. Nothing -doing but for Dickes to shut off his gas and the four chased the litter into an orchard behind which was reared the, lowly domicile of a husky farmer, who, as the party afterwards found out, was watching the proceedings frdth the time the auto., stopped. Mr, Williams, having the longest legs, outsprinted his companions and tripping on a bunch of stubble fell flat on his prize, By this time the farmer in language not at all fit for Sunday school picnics, shouted: “What in air you doin’ to thet pig o’ mine?” “Why we are just going to give it a little automobile ride, have you any objections?” gleefully retorted Mr. Dickes as he advised the “broilers” to cut lickety split for the touring car. Mr Williame says the party evidently thought they were playing last man

in, for when he got to the machine and threw the pig into the tonneau, Mr Dickes was seated placidly at the wheel advising him as official cranker of the party “to get a blanketyblank move on him or get shot.” When Frank got the iqachine purring the machine was under way an<Wie had to scramble in as best he cotnl, his legs dangling out over the side of the car for 200 yards before he could get breath enough to fall inside. By this time the farmer and his son and hired man, two of them with shotguns, had clambered in a light wagon hitched to a team of horses and were coming rattlety-clack after the auto faster than Paul Revere on bis memorable ride. The broilers were screaming, the pig squealing and the infuriated tillers of the Newton county loam were threatening to shoot unless the auto was stopped. “Shoot your antiquated revolutionary muskets," snorted Mr. Dickes, and just then bang-bang and birdshot rattled over the hood. In his excitement Dickes flooded his carburetor and the engine nearly came to a stop. On came the farmers and for two miles with an occasional volley from the jaspers, the merriest little race that ever was pulled off in Newton county b’gosh, took place. Then mind triumphed over matter and the touring car lurching from one side of the road to the other, leaping over bumps, the broilers in the air one moment and the pig in the air the next, gradually drew ahead and plenty of rubber was burned between Thayer and Hammond for. fear the farmers would telephone the Lake county authorities. But Mr. Williams will not have any young roast pig and apple sauce for dinner tonight, and doesn’t care what John L. Dickes, of Aurora has.