The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-06-10

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 were addicted to, or excelled in.
He Pinched their ears, twisted their legs.
! stuck pins IN thetr--their rotundities, and
used other pleasant devices to develope the
music. But he found no way 80 certain
of bringing out the sound as the applica-
tlon OF the back of a case knife across the
tail. This never failed to elicit the note
IT there was any talent at all in the ami
mal-the nodulations, piano and forte,
being easily obtained by making the blow
light or heavy.
This remarkable discovery Curtis be-
lleVed might be so managed as to make
him fortune equal to Nick Lougworth's 8
or any other mans. So up he goes next
morning, after he had matured his plan,
to Columbia market, and inquired of ev~
cry 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 sup
posed could De found in Hamilton county.
He had employed an Englishman named
johnson, drinking fellow, but musical
wlthal, and who could build organs, to
make one TO serve as an accompaniment
| to the cat voices. johnson informed him
that one of six octaves would do, at least
for the experiment. Curtis reckoned up
the octayss and found that four dozen
cats would fill the bill. But he ordered
two dozen more, for fear that some might
have detective voices, or prove obstinate
or capricious, like the operatic tribe gen.
orally. Six dozen then were ordered,
and accommodations prepared for them
HI sundry boxes, barrels, kegs, etc., in
the back yard. But, bless your soul! six
dozen were nowhere. All the boys in
all the counties around, in Kentucky as
well as Ohio, heard of the unprecedented
demand for the animals, and every mar
ket day lots of them might be seen with
baskets anS bags vending their way to
Western Row, to get the ''quarter" or
''half dollar" the price Curtis established
for kits and cats, as per size. In a month
or less his six dozen was made up, COM
prising every age, size, sex and color
Curtis then published that he had his full
complement, he could not buy any more,
had no room for them. But still the boys
came on, in almost unbroken file, and
finding mo SALE" incontinently dumped
the Gals 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 adaptation of the extra
blade keys to the cats tails. He arrang-
ed that the singers should be confined in
narrow boxes, which, while they allowed
free play to the lungs, guarded against
clawing by having four holes in the bot
tom through which the legs protruded -
The tails were enclosed in tubes provided
with longitudinal slots-we like to be sci
entifc and precise in description-across
which the blade keys worked. These
extra keys were connected somehow with
those of the organ, 30 that the keys and
their appropriate voices should be in per-
feet unison, and thus produce, as the in
ventor expected, that concord of sweet
sounds" that rapturous harmony which
is said to constitute the language of an
gels and so forth.
Curtis, on his part, proceeded with the
musical education of the cats, aided occa>
sionally by Johnson, and in a month or
so had complete choir, from the kitten
of two months his trebles and falsettos, and
his pussy sopranos, up to the venerable
toms, who growled out double bass equal
! to Carl Formes.
His greatest trouble arose from the
prodigious number of tom cats turned
loose by those reckless boys. AS might
have been expected in that immortal city,
they soon became dissipated vagabonds,
keeping late hours, visiting Curtis musical
family without leave, and drawing away
the thoughts of the younger ones from
their professional studies.
But at length the organ was completed.
and the six octaves of cats arranged in due
order. A few rehearsals were given be-
fore select audience ofcritics-mates, pi-
lots, ETC., from the steamboats, in port,
and these were willing to make affidavit,
if necessary, that such concert had new
er been arranged since the days of Han
del, Orpheus, or Tubal Cain.
The second story ofa warehouse near the
landing was rented-a stage, drop scene,
and tiers of seats provided-the whole in
tended to accommodate four or five hun
dred people. The organ and cats were
safely transported to the place of exhibi-
tion or performance without accident, save
that the two principal bassos, being acci-
dentally put in the same box, had an aw>
full fight all the way up from Western
Row, and were obliged to appear before
the public with very rueful faces and
bloody noses, which, however, did not at
all detract from their popularity.
Everything being in readiness, Curtis
had flaming posters stuck up all about
the levee, displaying in huge letters:
| CTVDTTSS, ~ 4 ID