Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-04-20

MePl over Ihe CITY ana uttered the prophecy of
On Monday he denonnced the pharisees. for
which they resolved to destry him.
On Tuesday he again went into the Temple
and foretold the exact time of his own betrayal
and crucifixtion.
On Wednesday he offered up those nterces.
sorry prayers recorded by St. John. That eve.
ming at supper with the twelve he washed the
disciples feet and foretold the denial of Peter
and the betrayal of Judas.
Thursday was spent in preparing for the
passover. The Sacrcment of the Lords supper
was instituted. Judas comes with n band Of
soldiers and Jesus is bound, and led to the
house of Annas.
On Friday after 10 o'clock at night, until
o'clock in the morning, occur the various events
connected with his trial. At o'clock, the very
time when the morning sacrifice was offered in
the Temple, Jesus was nailed to the cross.
On Saturday the scpulchre is secured by
body of soldiers, and the women procure the
spices to embalm the body.
Such are the events of the week until Easter
morn.
"a RAT ITEM. Under this heading writer
in the Philadelphia North Americaa furnishes
some interesting information in regard to the
rats of that city, which may suggest a new
business to some enterprising man of Wheeling,
WneT6 we are aSSuTeu Lncre are an abundance oil
these vermin:
That Zone half the world doesn't know how
the other half lives" is an old saying, Of whose
truth we were never more convinced than
Yesterday. While exploring among the i'm
plovements of West Philadelphia we encounter
ed an odd looking genius, with cage upon his
back, containing n dozen or two OF plethoric
and full grown rats They were the fruits ofa
nights labor at the stables of the West Phila-
4 r. 4
us that he is the proprietor ofa pit, in which
regular exhibitions of rat fighting given
three times week. The average consumption
of rats in this pit is about hundred and fifty
per week. The catcher knows all the spots in
the city-eXcept the vicinity of the North Ame.
ricdn olfice-where rats are most abundant,
and there are his traps regularly set on every
night in the year. His best results are obtain
ed at the breweres, the livery stables, and
around the old and delapidated quarters of the
city He boards every foreign ship immediate
ly upon her arrival, and during the first night
generally captures every rat that hndsa liarbor
among its timberS. Sometimes as many MS
hundred are caught single night from one
vessel. The visit of the rat catcher on board
newly arrived ship in generally met with
hearty welcome; the sai.ors-if they remain on
bUard-enering into the sport with all the
gusto of so many school boys on chipmonk
huntl
The mode of catching the rats is by means Of
patent trap of large size and most ingenious
construction. 1t was invented by convict in
the Ohio Pcnitentiary. 1t is an oblong box,
open at both ends, and baited with roasted
cheese, sprinkled with oil of cOrroway. Mr..
Rat smells the delicious bait and walks in
As he does SO, he treads upon sliding trap
this lets him down into a grated apartment,
and then resumes its former position to accom-
modate the next customer. trap OF this kind
is made at each end Of the box. One rat hRv-
ing entered, the box is soon filled, and when
the eXulting rat catcher visits his trap, lie Is
almost certain of having satisfactory SPOIL
When the stock on hand becomes large, our rat
catcher deposits the surplus in suitable re-
ceptacle ready for use when wanted. Some
times he has on hand u thousand at 4 time
They ARE fed meanwhile upon dead pigs, or
whatever offnl of the sort may be procurahle,
and the speed with which they will convert
such n carcase into polished skeleton should
be seen to be fully understood. Frequently an
order is received from New York for n supply
of ''good, lively rats, regardless of price, and
in such case the rat catcher often finds IT more
profitable to forego the engagements OF his own
pit, and forward his game elsewhere. Our in
formant assures us that he received $50 week
or two ago for an equal number OF rats and
that the purchaser never expended money with
less reluctance than in perfecting the bargain.
What renders the matter the more noteworthy
is that the entire fifty rats referred to were ta-
ken on q single night, IN IN culvert IN tue
vicinity of Walnut street wharf
Our rat catching genius informed us that he
had secured four assistants, and was about TO
devote his whole attention for some dnys TO the
market novels, as soon as they are removed
He has a number of Scotch terriers trained to
CAPTURE rats without breaking their bones, and
with the mid of these and his traps his anticipa-
tion is that he will secure very large lot of his
pecuIiar game when the pavement of the novels
is torn up The rat catchers apparatus is now
ot tavern in the vicinity of the new Western
Market house By reading the papers, the rat
catcher has learned that the shanlieS in that vi
cinity will be;removed on Friday, or thereabouts,
and Is ready to annihilate the muscine species
who have burrowed there from time imtnemOri-
nj. Mr.. Catcher says that, in this vicinity, un-
tIess he bags two thousand rats, he shall be- great
| Nv disappointed 1t is altogether likely that his
lexpectations are not at all extraVagant, as the
Ground around the novels is fairly riddlcd with
Tat holes, and the family has enjoyed entire
Immunity from capture ever since the shanues
were first erected.
In Paris, if we reed correctly, rat skins are
converted into "Sid" gloves II this be the case,
,yby could not the business of rat catching be
rendered profitable for other purposes than that
of making matches for dogs TO kill! Our rat