It was October, time to kill hogs. Chris and  I kept an eye out watching Brother Hubbard's activities so we  wouldn't miss the big event. Some of Brother Hubbard's friends would help him because he didn't have any childrren, just me and Chris.
          School was out too. Children who lived in the country could help get the cotton, the peanuts and sweet potatoes in before the frost.  They helpled with the butchering too. I really wasn't quite sure what the frost had to do with it, but anyway, that is what they did. After the first light frost, was when the farmers like Brother Hubbard got the barrels ready and started collecting wood for the fire. We knew it was almost time when they brought in the big, tall rack with wheels and ropes so they could lift the hog after they killed him.    
           Finally, it was time. Chris and I dressed really warmly with gloves and scarvs so we could stay outside while the hog was killed. The hog was broght to town to kill him. He was in a pen where he had been kept fattening him up for the kill.
          The men, about four of them, surrounded the hog and tried to hit him in the head. Even though the hog was big, not as big as the ones I saw at the fair, but he was big just the same, he could run. He tried his best to get away. First, he ran this way then he turned around and ran that way. . Seems like  everywhere he turned there was a man with a knife. One man had a sledge hammer.
          The hog was breathing hard. You could see the vapor coming from his nose. Just as the hog got in the right place, the man with the sledge hammer hit him right between the eyes. He let out a squeal loud enough to hurt your ears. Chris grabbed my arm and hid his face in my coat sleeve. He didn't like for animals to be hurt, and we both knew that lick between the eyes must have hurt something terrible. After about two more hard licks in the head, the hog fell to his knees and couldn't get up even though he tried.
          After a some attempts to get up the hog just laid there , breathing hard and eyes looking at the men. Then one of the men with the knife stabbed him in the throat and cut his jugular vain. the blood ran out on the ground steaming. Slowly he stopped struggling and laid there dead.
         The men dragged the animal over to the thing with the ropes and wheels, hooked him up some kind of way and put him in the barrel. The barrel was filled with water and lye heated over night .  The hog was dipped up and down in the hot lye water until all of hiis hair came off his body. A hog with no hair was something to see.They washed him more in the other barrel of hot water but there was no lye in it. Finally, a white clean hog was lifter up and they were ready to cut him open. By this time, Chris was ready to throw up.