Excerpt from The Union Appeal, 1952: H.A. Watkins and O.J. Gordon killed a hog which they shot 14 times with a rifle, two times with a .410 shotgun, and then had to overpower him and cut his throat. When the hog was dressed, it was found that his skull was at least one-inch thick in the thinnest place.
It is doubtful that many who read this piece have ever attended an old fashion hog-killing. Sad! It’s just one of the many joys of growing up on a family farm. A hog-killing was more than merely slaying the beast and butchering the meat. It was an event. Almost like a ritual. My daddy and my uncle H.A. Watkins usually teamed up for the event. They would kill a couple of daddy’s hogs one day and a couple of Uncle H’s hogs the next day. The event took place on a very cold day. It had to be cold to keep the meat from spoiling. They started early on the all-day event. A lot of work had to be done before the guest of honor was introduced. Firewood was cut and ready to go the day before the scheduled event was to take place. A drum of scalding water was needed to soften the hair in the hog so it could be scraped off. Not unlike getting a shave from a barber with a straight razor. The hair had to be removed to prevent it from getting into lard and cracklings. With the water hot and everything in place, the hog was put to sleep. Usually one bullet betwixt eyes did the trick. Then, he was hauled from the pen on Uncle Ha’s ground slide to the staging area where the hot water was waiting, and the scraping began, followed by good bath in a fresh batch of hot water.
By this time, Mama showed up with enough biscuits and sausage from the last hog killing to feed the U.S Navy. Break time but not for long. There was more work to be done. I shall forego the details of the process for the sake of those who are a little on the squeamish side. Anyway, the hog was then butchered with the hams and pork chops being carved out of the hog. Then it was time to cook out the lard and cracklings. Over on the other side of the cooking area, Daddy’s buddy Dave was cleaning the chitlins — a job that nobody else would touch. But Dave actually enjoyed the chore. Probably because he loved chitlins, and he knew Daddy would reward him with a “mess” in a few days. Of course, a sip or two of Daddy’s favorite antifreeze sweetened the job a bit too. Dave was the only chitlin cleaner I ever knew, and he usually had plenty of help disposing of Daddy’s antifreeze. As soon as word got around Greenland that O.J. Gordon was killing a hog, neighbors would stop by for a sip.
The three men were a team and they always got the job done. Finally, the hams and bacon, or “middling” as it was called back then was ready for Uncle H’s smoke house for a few days. Only one thing left to do. With all the butchering done and the chitlings ready for the freezer, it was time to take the trimmings up the Matthews Grocery store in Union. Mr. Hugh had an electric meat grinder. The good-hearted Mr. Hugh let about anybody use it to grind their sausage. It was Aunt Nora Watkins’s show from here on out. She stood by and added the seasoning to the sausage as Daddy fed the grinder. A long day, but it was worth it. Can’t beat homemade sausage and hams. The next day was an encore production as they killed two of Uncle H’s hogs. There is an adage which goes something like this: if you like sausage and law, never witness the two being made. I can attest to the sausage part of that old saying. It’s true.
Ralph Gordon Winner of the William Faulkner Literary Award
