Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-06-03
Fcom the Washington Union.


! foie judicial tribunal of the State of Mary
land, aud presents many remarkable fea
tulcs of the ingenuity and Speculative ca
pacity of the defendant in the case Fo
; the benefit Of the legal profession aud gen
, tlcmen generally who wish to enter ncy
; field of speculation. ] will give short his
: tory of the case as L heard it
Some few years ago gentleman of Mary
land conceived the idea that an imucnS,
fortune could be realized by the rearing o
black eats for the sake ofthcir skins Tn
principal obstacle to the plan was the i'm
possibility of keeping the animals togethe
and preventing them from wandering off
as their activity, assisted by the penetra
ting qualities of their claws, would enabl,
them to defy any inclosure; and at last, af
ter much thinking, the idea suggested it
self To his mind that water was the only
barrier that cats would not pass. Being
in possession of an island that Appeared to
be just suited for the experiment, h. found
all obstacles to the succe IS of his plan lc-
moved, and set about organizing the al
fair
He employed an agent and put out a cir
cular, in which he stated that he would
, give SO much head for every black cat
that could be got This advertisement was
circulated through all the counties border
ing ON the Chesapeake Bay, and the ne
roes got hold of it. In a short time,
all the black cats through those counties
were stolen by the negroes and sold to
the agent, who had depots established
at different convenient points. Old la
dies missed their favortc cats, and mourn
ell them as dead-but the negroes, in
cited by the price offered, spared none
In this way one hundred and fifty black
cats were collected, and Transported 10 the
island; and the agent took up his abode
there, like another Robinson Crusoe, as su-
pcrintcndent and guardian of the CATS
Those animals seemed to enjoy themselves
vastly when first put on the island and spenl
their time i'll either PLAYING with each 9th
er. or hunting birds and ground mice, but
at last their game failed them, and, having
no other supply food. they became hun
cry anil desperate, and roamel about the
island in large bands, yelling for food
They at last became dangerous, and the
agent wrote to his employer statement of
these facts, accompanied 10y . request to
know how he was to feed them He wrote
back TO the agent to set a couple Of negroes
TO work to catch AMI open oysters Tor the
cats, which or,lcr was carried out. The
cats having the alternative of oysters or
starvation before them, very naturally
chose the former; but not being accustom
4 e.. Il >f
cholera broke out among them, and one
half died.
This calamity drove the survivors mad,
and they either committed suicide, or in a
TIT OF desperation swain to the niaiu laud
AT any rate they disappeared and were nev
CT heard of more.
The agent then wrote again to his em-
ployer to acquaint him with the result of
this new treatment, which news was ac-
companicd 10y modest request FOR the pay
ment of his waGcs--for this cat experiment
occupied space of upward of year
The latter was SO indignant at both the con
duet of the agent and the cats that he flat
ly refused, and the consequence of his re-
fusal was sat brought 10y the agent to re-
cover his wages. This suit has been de
Tended for some two years, and during its
progress have become acquainted with the |
facts.
As far as the theory of the speculation |
went, it was magnificent idea The skin /
of black cat is worth, in Boston, fifty |
cents. The cats, ! am told, cost the agent |
Just that sum. 1t was supposed that they
would increase tenfold per annun. Then |
say-hrst year, number Of cats. $50, sec
ond year, L. 500, third year. IL. 900. fron,
which there could be obtained 5000 toms
for sale, bringing s.. 500, and leaving 10,
900 stock cats remaining. which at the a
bovc ratio Of increase, would give, the
fourth year. the enormous sum of loo, 600
cats upon the island; after which all the
surplus, over alll above the last number,
were to be caught in box traps. and the
skins soil to the Boston furriers This
stock of 1oo, 900 cats were to produce I :
300 900 per annum, and the revenue con
to he derived from the island
would be in the ncishborllood Of $500, 900
per annum.
The principal drawback to the enterprise
was the utter inability of the cats to organ
ze or band together for the purpose Of as
'isting each other. and thus facilitating their
hunting operations; so, after deep reflection
npon the subject. il was determined TO i'm
port couple of wild cats from South A
nerica, whose aamixture with his cats
would not only add strength to the body
md value to the fur, but whose executive
qualities might be brought to bear in or
yanizing the origninal settlers into large
lunting packs--and thus enable them to
pursue the squirrels end ground
nice with which the island abonnled-
n fact. TO teach these unfortunate animals
Who, torn from the comfortable firesilc, Il
we're. of course. ignorant Of the necessities i
'f savage life, the mysteries of the chase
lie readily found frienl willing to procure
he new cats. Pm afraid this frienl re-
,arded the whole matter az a Joke, but at
my rate he was faithful TO his promise aud
IS soon after his arrival in Rio Janeiro as
possible he set SOME natives hunting. who
.aught two young tiger cats of extraordi-
lary ferocity, which he placed in a cage
md shippel to Baltimofc Hs ss Il
When he had almost forgotten the mat
Ell Ire was surprised by the receipt OF a let /
er apprising him of the arrival of these