Flatonia says, “Don’t hog all the beer!”
Hogs were apparently a common sight on the streets of Flatonia in 1879. They were running loose and becoming so troublesome that one resident complained they were so determined to invade his property that they would root the gate of his front yard off its hinges and enter. It was said that there were fewer dogs and cats in Flatonia than any place of its size, but none could compete in the number of hogs.
Now you might not know that hogs can’t hold their liquor worth a darn, but it seems they can’t. With all the hogs roaming the streets of Flatonia and a brewery in town, one could almost predict there would be an incident sooner or later. The Flato-Amsler Brewery is said to have been located at the southwest corner of Penn and Second Streets, near what is today a gigantic oak tree. One of its competitors, Rocky Creek Brewery, operated just a few miles south of Flatonia.
The trouble began to brew when, to quote the Flatonia Argus of June 5, 1879: “Mr. Richter, proprietor of a brewery on rocky [sic], a few miles from this place, was in town last week and while here, bought some sausages and went to the brewery of Mr. L. P. Amsler and threw them into a vat of beer, thereby spoiling all the beer in the vat. He was arrested last Monday morning, tried, found guilty of malicious mischief and fined twenty-five dollars and costs.”
Apparently, the hogs soon learned of this windfall and showed up on the scene. Again, from the Flatonia Argus: “It seems that all or nearly all the hogs about town got on a grand drunk the other day. They happened at the brewery about the time Mr. Amsler turned out the beer that was spoiled by the sausages thrown in it by Mr. Richter, of which mention is made in this issue, and drank it. The result was they became unable to walk, except with great difficulty. Who says lager will not intoxicate?”
The sight of drunken hogs staggering around town must have proven to be too much for the citizens, who soon afterward petitioned the board of aldermen to address the hog nuisance. Yes, there were defenders, one member suggested that passing an ordinance to prevent hogs from running at large within the corporate limits “would in effect result in the confiscation of all the porcines in town; that the owners could not afford to buy corn and feed them in enclosures; that it would devolve upon the town marshal to kill or otherwise dispose of them, and that such a course would work a great hardship upon the owners.” Another member agreed and said that the heavy mast crop meant the “familiar grunt of his swineship” would soon be heard no more, as they would all take to the woods in search of acorns--their favorite and natural diet. The next speaker thought the last point was very plausible but pointed out that nearly every citizen of the town had signed a petition asking for the immediate passage of an ordinance to remove the nuisance, and that this petition deserved respect. Another member muttered something about the signers not being property owners. Someone called for the reading of the names. The secretary proceeded to read them. After that one of the aldermen wanted to know who of the citizens had failed to sign the petition. When it was mentioned that the owners of the hogs were the only ones who had not signed, the discussion was suddenly halted by a motion to refer the petition to a committee of three, with instructions to report at the next meeting of the board.
In a subsequent letter to the editor of the Argus, an anonymous petitioner wrote: “Nearly one hundred citizens of the town of Flatonia petitioned to the mayor and town council for relief against the depredations of hogs. What do they do? They refer it to a committee to report one month hence, upon the plea of framing an ordinance, when the hog ordinance of the town of LaGrange was in the pocket of the mayor, and not produced until after the above action was taken.” This was followed by more heated words regarding the “pet hogs.”
The Aldermen evidently took heed. One month later the ordinance prohibiting hogs from running loose within the town limits of Flatonia was adopted. By December the Argus reported that “The hog ordinance has been religiously obeyed by our citizens. Not a ‘grunter’ is to be seen now, where there were scores of them before. The demand for flea powders in the future will not be so great.” No more would they be seen roaming the streets, tipsy or not! Although unrelated to the pigs’ loss of freedom in the town, Flatonia would soon lose its ready source of local beer, as the Flato-Amsler Brewery declared bankruptcy and shut down just a year later.
Sources: The Flatonia Argus, June – December, 1879
