Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1869-07-10
The Catharmonicon.
AN ORIGINAL coNcERT--wEsTERN Music FORT
YEARS AGO.


the st. Louis Philharmonic and other SIM
liar societies are doing much to improve
musical taste and skill, it may be we'll to
collect and preserve records of efforts in
the same line by the past generation, to
show the struggles of musical genius in the
earlier days ofthe West, and to prove that
long before the Dutch, with their brass
bands, conquered the country, there were
untutored Americans who were filled with
musical inspiration, and who only lacked
the opportunity to astonish the world with
their achievements. We will, therefore,
try to rescue from oblivion the history Of
one of the most original attempts ever
made in the musical ine-one that pro.
duccd a remarkable sensation from Pitts.
burg to New Orleans, at least in steamboat
circles.
Among the citizens of Cincinnati, some
forty years ago, there was one named Cur.
tis--we forget his Initials glider by
trade, and genius in his way, but that
way ran in the line of mirthlulness rather
than mQncy-makipg. OF course, he was
poor. Did the reader ever see q merry
rich man? But he was none the less pop.
ular among his special friends, the steam
boatmen, who never employed any other
to gid their picture frames or "horns," "
which the fastest boat was allowed to carry
on her pilot house.
Our hero was not at all contentcd with
his poverty, and many and original were
the plans he formed to mend his fortune.
He was an observing man, too, and had
not failed to notice how often fortunes
were made out ofthings apparently triAing.
He noticed particularly how easy money
was acquired by musicians, singers, con-
ccrts and all that sort of thing, and he be-.
licved he could get up something of the
kind that would please the public and pay
we'll, though, in truth, he knew no more
than mule about flats and sharps, min
inns and quavcrs. But he had biz croch-
ct in Lis head and determined to work it
out.
Living near Western Row." where cats
abounded, Curtis did not lack opportuni-
ties to study the musical capacity Of the
feline race. They had kept him awake
many warm moonlight night when he
preferred sleep to their internal screnades.
SO he determined to get up a grand Phil
harmonic concert, in which cats should
take prominent part, and if he failed to
make either music Or money, he would at
least have the satisfaction Of having some
fun out of it.
Taking few cats to experiment on, he
tried various modes of bringing out the
notes they We're addicted to or excelled in.
He pnchel their ears, twisted their legs,
stuck pins in thcir-ther-rotunditics, and
used other pleasant devices to develop the
music. But he found no way so certain
of bringing out the sound as the applica-
ton Of the back of case knife across the
tail. This never failed to elicit the note,
if there was any taOlent at all in the ami
mal--the modulations, piano and forte, be-
ing easily obtained by making the blow
light or heavy.
This remarkable discovery, Curtis be-
licvcd, might be so managed as to make
him fortune equal to Nick Longworth S
or any other mans. So up he goes next
morning, after he had matured his plan, to
Columbia market, and inquired to every
man, woman and boy he met if they had
any cats at home to spare. OF course they
had lots Of them. and before long he had
more brought to him than he supposed
could be found in Hamilton county. lie
had employed an Englishman named John
son, drinking fellow, but musical withal,
and who could build organs, to make one
to serve as an accompaniment to the cat
voices. johnson informed him that one
ofsix octavcs would do, at least for the
experiment. Curtis reckonod up the oc-
taves, and found that four dozen cats
would fill the bill. But he ordered two
dozen more, for fear that somo might have
defective voices, or prove obstinate or ca
PRECIOUS, like the operate tribe generally.
Six dozen of them were ordered, and &C.
commodations prepared for them in sundry
boxes. barrels, kegs, &C., in the back yard.
But, bless your soul! six dozen were no.
where. All the boys in all the counties
around, in Kentucky as we'll as in Ohio,
heard Of theunprecedcnted demand for the
animals, and every market day lots ofthcm
might be seen with baskets and bags wcnd-
ing their way to Western Row, to get the
"quarter" or "half dollar" the prioe Cur
tis established for kits and cats, as por size.
In month or less his six dozen was made
up, comprising every age, size sex and
color. Gusts then published that he had
his full compliment; he could not buy any
more; had no room for them. But still
the boys camc on, in almost unbroken file,
and finding "no sale" incontinently dumped
the cats down at his door, whence they
scattered up alleys, down cellars, over
fences, and into doors, as Curtis often as
serted, "to the number of six hundred
and fifty"-he sometimes added thousands.
johnson went on with the building Of
the organ and the adoption of tho extra
blade keys to the oats tails. He arranged
that the singers should be confined in mar
row boxes, which, while they alloyed free
play to the lungs, guarded against clswing
by having four holes in the bottom through
which the legs rrctruded The tails were