The Louisiana Democrat., 1866-12-19
"A MAN RAT KILLER.
BRUTAL SCENE AMONG 1.-THE FANCY" Il
THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE.

THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE.
Correspondence New York Herald.
PhlLADELpH1l, November "a.
Some time since we we're induced to visit
a rat match in the Northern portion of
and, under the guidance IF
" knowing one" prominent in sporting cir
cles, found ourselves in front Of an ordina-
ry looking tavern, a three story brick
house, with tall sign post. We reached
this place after traversing street and alleys
l had never seen before, but from fiay pre-
vi6us Knowledge of that part of the city I
should judge was not far from Second and
Poplar streets. On entering the barroom
there was nothing to distinguish it from
hundred similar places had setn except
that behind the usual t,imbler and decap--
ter loaded counter running along one side
Of the room there stood, not ahirshute bar
tender, but remarkably pretty and mo-
dest-loOking young girl. Neatly dressed
and smiling she presented strange con-
trast to the vulgar r0wdyis1n by which she
was surrounded. 1t was Q painful thought
that she must have had long experience,
young as she was, thus to encounter una.
Dashed the brutal language, aud. more
brutal looks OF the ruffians she served with
drink. The greater part Of the company,
in the intervals between drinks, crowded
round stove in the middle of the room
most of them could be recognized at q
glance as sports, gamblers, shafpers and
pimps; there was also q sprinkling Of stu
dents from the medical college, and one or
two officers from.a ship-of-war in the har-
Dor. The proprietor of the house, a thick
set Englishman, seemed we'll acquainted
with my conductor, for he not bnly fur
nished tickets for our admission to the
corning fight, but offered to take us. mp
stairs to see his canine menagerie. We
accepted the offer, and climbed up to the
attic, which smelt badly enough. but not
so bad as the bar room. Here there seemed
to be dogs of all sizes, ages, shapes and
hues. The proprietor produced two or
three pet puppies for our admiration, dila-
ted on the superiority of his dogs and then
let us down stairs again to the rat pit
which was in the cellar, probably for secu-
rity from the attacks of the polite: 1t.was
. dark, dirty place; rough plank seats rose
in tiers from the pit in the center to the
moldy, snail tracked walls, with here and
there a gas light sticking ont in vain at
tempt to enliven the dreary den. Tie rat
pit itself was circular, about six feet IN
diameter, with fence round it, to keel
the rats from jumping ont. The bottom
was covered with sawdust. The seat'
/ were soon filled, and then a bull.headet
little man. dressed in fighting trim, short
land tights, jumped into the ring, and In
formed us that he was disappointed in th'
non-arrival of q celebrated dog Unexpected
from New York, but in order that We nigh
not lose our sport, the rats should be pu
into the ring, and he would either mattel
a dog of his own against them, or xii
them himself, just as we pleased. Ih
majority of the crowd seemed delightedta
this, and howled out q request that b
would kill them himself A boy the
brought in large bag, and; lioldingit b
the corners, emptied two dBzen big shi
rats out of it into the pit, pretty much i
the style that Professor Anderson shake
out his egg bag. The pnsightly animal
ran round the pit for a few seconds, tryin
to Jump over the fence, or find some othe
mode Of escape, but failing in this the
collected in big black uglyr masses, wit
; their little eyes shining like BEADS Th
ratcatchef then jumped into the pit an
knelt on one kiiee in the middle Of it. .
confederate stood outside holding stO
watch, and all at once gave, the signal |
begin. Then came horrible spectacle.-
Quick as lightning the man plunged b
hand into the mass ofrats, seized. one b
the back and carried it to his mouth--the
E squeak and crunch and the lifeless ca
: cass was tossed aside with broken nee
\ \ As soon as the rats found eout what W;
going on and that there was no escape f
. them, they attacked the man, climbing !
e on his thighs, but he was too quick to !
: : them get higher; he kept both hands hn'
u and looked as if he WIS amagician, pullir
s a constant stream of dead. rats from b
mouth. Before as long as it has taken
tell it, the bottom of the pit was cover
with dead bodies. One or two terrific
survivors were caught and killed, ard TIL
i amid acclamations Of delight from the a
# dience, the man jumped up, felt bis i
q which had been bitten once or twice, pu
: ed the rat hairs from between his test
y aud washed away the taste with q glass
y liquor. Such description needs no Fl
70 ther comment.