The Daily Dispatch: November 13, 1863., [Electronic resource]

The Hog Fever has become so high among the swine families that a man has only to cast his eye into a pen and give a grunt to raise the bristles of the porker's owner, and ensure himself a lodgment in a legal pen, for a short time, at least.

Yesterday morning a Louisiana Frenchman, called V. Gerard, was arraigned before the Mayor to answer the charge of attempting to steal a hog from Mrs. Mary Stokely the day before. Mrs. S. lives on 25th street, between Main and Cary, and has penned in her yard one or two pet pigs, which she is feeding well to save their bacon. Whilst engaged in the forenoon dyeing some cloth, she heard a squeak from the pen, and thereupon sent one of her children to feed the pig. The child was engaged obeying orders, when Mrs. S. observed Gerard approach her gate in a familiar manner, and, without speaking a word proceeded to unhook it.--He then stood awhile, and afterwards walked to the pig pen, and, looking in, as if admiring the fair proportions of the fattening grunter, made a half. Unsatisfied with the scenes around, Gerard moved off to a neighbor's gate, but returning hurriedly to the pen, asked the child how many hogs we had.--The child made no reply to this interrogatory, but Mrs. S. did, and demanded to know, "what business of your's is it?" Gerard said, "it is my business — the Government impress — the Government impress — if you have three, I will take two--if you have two, I will have one of them." Mrs. S. defied Gerard to touch her hog — told him what she had seen in the papers on the subject of impressment, and threatened to report him at the market-house the next morning. Not fancying a contact with the butchers or the police, Gerard started off, when Mrs. S. gave the alarm, and caused him to "double-quick it" across the old field near by.

Seeing the "impresser" making tracks, and supposing him to be a fair subject for the $1,000 reward offered by the Mayor, one or two soldiers gave him chase, but he outfooted them and escaped their clutches. He, however, soon after fell into the hands of E. S. Jones, who went with him home, and, hearing his statement, left him there till the soldiers trailed him up, got the aid of officer Bibb, and he was put in limbo.

Gerard's counsel introduced several witnesses, who proved that the accused was a sutler in a Louisiana regiment; that he had bought largely of candies and cakes, and had always paid for them; that he lived on Main street, between 22d and 23d; that he, too, had a pair of pet pigs, but that one of them had made his escape last Friday night, and that he and his friends had been searching in vain for the homeless wanderer since that time. As Gerard speaks bad English, it was contended that the ladies who testified to his threatening impressment, misunderstood him, and that his conversation about two hogs referred to his own, one of which had made its escape, and for which he was in search. His former good character and honesty precluded the possibility of his being a hog thief.

The Mayor, after hearing the witnesses, deemed the case worthy of further inquiry, and therefore held the accused to bail to answer an indictment for misdemeanor by the Grand Jury, which meets to-day.