The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-01-03
Altar Cats The Adventure" Oh NAT
0uxer I'm Pursuit OF vengeance.


Thu Fact that Mr.. Oliver lived in uni
form row OF houses in the Fourteenth ward
was the reason why he was unfortunate.
One moonlight night last week the noise
made BY the cats on the roof was simply
awful. Mr.. Oliver lay in bed irving in vain
to get 70 sleep. grinding his teeth with rage,
until at last the uproar overhead became
uncomfortable. Mr.. Oliver crept out Of bed
softly. SO that his wife would not he
awakened. He put on his slippers, seized
boot with each hand, and, clad In the
snowy robes Of night. he opened the trap
door and emerged upon the roof. There
were thirty or forty cats out there holding
kind Of a general synod in the cool of the
evening, enjoying the bracing air and sing
ing gfees. AS Mr.. Oliver approached, the
cats moved over to the next roof. Mr..
Oliver advanced and flung boot at them.
They then adjourned suddenly to the next
residence. Mr.. Oliver projected another
boot, and went over after the frst one. In
this manner the synod rctrcated ana ollver
advanced until the last row OF twenty
houses was reached, when the cats arranged
themselves in a line along the parapet, ruff
fled up their far, curved their spines, and
spat furiously al Oliver. That bold warrior
gathered up his boots and determined to
retreat. He walked over dozen houses
and descended through trapdoor. He
went down stairs to his bedroom, and
opened the door. There was man in the
room in the act Of walking up and down
with baby. Before Oliver had rec Jvered
from his amazemcnt, the man flung the
baby on the bed, and seizlng revolver
began firing rapidly at Oliver. It then
dawned upon Oliver that be had come down
stairs again suddenly, the man with the
revolver practicing 1T him in a painful
manner. When Oliver reached the door he
shut the trap quickly and stood upon it..
The man fred through the boards twice,
and then hooked the door upon the inside.
A moment after Oliver heard him springing
watchman's rattle from the front window.
As soon as the neighbors knew there was q
man on the roof, they all flew up stairs and
fastened hers. with the firm conviction that
some predatory villain had entered while
she slept and stole her Oliver. When he
tried the door it was fast, and Mrs. Oliver
was screaming so fiercely that he could not
make himself heard. BY this time the street
was filed with policemen, all Of whom
were blazing away at Oliver with their re-
volvers, while the young men in the houses
across the street kept up steady fire with
pistols, shot-guns, and miscellaneous mis-
SHES slies; Oliver, with every adyantage OF
,'AAAS oA SplulOu, Chat oSLIs oo IA 3
mere skirmish to it. He hid behind
wac ~"v and lay up against the bricks
tn tine t se Sirnsen warm, while the policemen
s sts assp M su1q s 1hs sd duWs
to capture him when he W. Div 1iive ro did 4
one Of the water spouts. But Il night.
not slide. He sat out On the roof q. IN his
with the bitter air circulating tlronA wi.
too trifing garments, listening to the y. re
ing cats and the occasional shouts from l. :
picket line below, and thinking OF the oio
Jews who used to pray from their house
tops, and wondering if Musselmen were
ever shot at or bothered with cats and
policemen when they practiced their even
ing devotions on their roofs. And then he
wondered how it would do to take OIL his
night-shirt and wave it over the edge as
flag of truce! He concluded not to, be-
cause of the danger Of q bullet from some
misguided policeman not familiar with the
rules Of war. when daylight came. the
neiehbors rallied in 4 crowd, armed With
all kinds Of weapons from howitzers down,
and mounted t. the root. Oliver was taken
down and put to bed, and he now has more
influenza for a man Of his size than any
other citizen of the Fourteenth ward. tie
says he is going to move rs soon as he Sels
well-he is going to move into house that
is next door TO nobody, a house that stands
in the middle OF prairic of some kind,
and he intends to stencil bis name In Whlte
on the trap-door.