The sun., 1872-12-23
THREE BLACK TOM CATS.

MIR. A. r. Hesers's Bsperiment-Dep't Ad-
vertise In The sun n yeu Den't Want yeur
Advertisemsnt Answered One Hundred
and Eishty Cats offered for Sale.
The following advertisement appeared in
TEE Sun OF Wednesday morning;
yNANTED-Thrce good tom cats black preferred.
w Apply to A. P. ROGERS. 80 Warren st. frat floor.
On Wednesday afternoon SUN reporter called
on Mr.. Rogers, to ascertain whether the Adver-
tIsement was genuine or the result Of practical
joke. Mr.. Rogers informed the reporter that
| nearly one hundred men, women, and children
had called ON him 10 ask the same question, and
on being told that the advertisement was really
genuine they left promising to catch all the stray
cats they could on Wednesday night and bring
them to him yesterday morning.
On Thursday morning the Sun reporter was on
hand bright and early, and so was Mr.. Rogers.
Soon an old woman entered. ON her arm she
carried large covered market basket; on her
shoulders was well-wOrn black shawl; on her
head she had large black hood, and her body
was encased In faded calico dress. lnquiring
for the cat man., she uncovered her basket
and showed three elegant specimens OF Manx
Is il cats yc want ?" tho lady asked in voice
Heres the noicest, foinest, darIinest cats ye
liver seed. Look at thin. Barnum offered me
nine dollars a piece for thin; yees can have
thim for siven dollars piece, or twenty dollars
for the whole lot"
NO, | believe don't care for your cats at
tom cats, good rstters, with long tails, and can't
afford to pay more than dollar apiece for
them"
Then I'll take these cats to Harry Hill," rc-
Joined the woman. "Tve heard that he buys
curos," and she strutted out with her tailless
"Gattsl gatts." cried a newly imported
Italian, as he rushed up stairs with large gray
cat in an old gunny sack; two dolley," mean
ing, doubtless, that two dollars was the price OF
the cat Mr.. Rogers declined To purchase the
cat, although he was Of the masculine gender.
because of hiA color.
The next visitor was a ne,legged bootblack,
with 2ne-eyed BLACK cat. =, The boy stated that
and that their efforts had been rewarded by the
brought to the store during the course OF the
morning. Acting on this hint, Mr.. Rogers threw
aside his hat and coat and quietly awaited the
gentleman entered. He was dressed In the
height of fashion. lie wore Imitation diamonds
and a black moustache. HIS hair was q carrotty
color and his business that OF dealer In cats.
APPROACHING Mr.. Rogers, he introduced himself
| as Mr.. McCanerty Of Donovan's alley, and said,
81 have many remarkable varieties OF cats In my
collection, sir l have Maltese cats, sir. OF a
blush gray color, and have Persian cats, sir,
with long white hair, and have Angnra cats,
sir, with brown silky hair, and have tortoise
shell cats, sir: worth sloO apiece. sir; and
"Hold on" said Mr.. Rogers. " l only want two
| or three black tom cats. Have you any Of that
| description"
mon. My cats are all thoroughbreds, sir" and
he walked out OF the store In evident disgust at
Mr.. Hogers'e bad taste.
1t was now ten o'clock and Mr.. Rogers had
not vet purchased a cat, nor had he even seen
one which answered his purpose He was about
giving up in despair, when troop OF men and
women, girls and boys, old and young, white and
black; entered the store. In their hands or on
baTrelso oS bare S,ts Tbey rentesenisd All cIsss,
es Of society and carried all kinds OF cats. There
was the matronly Washington Market woman
and the irreverent boot black, the Italian organ
grinder and the timid shop girl, the wild news
hoy and the dirty street sweeper. the old policy
dreamer and the young policy player, all had
| cats to sell, all spoke at once, and amid the
babel OF sounds "a each tried to show his or her
cat and spoke OF ITS good qualities, 1t was impos-
sibe for either Mr Rogers or the reporter to Sc
| lect those which were really valuable. Order
| being however, estored. the people were plac ed
In line and Mr.. Rogers and the reporter in
| spected each cat as 1t was produced, and either
barganed for the purchase or declined It per-
advertisement read BLACK cats preferred
many OF them were u other colors.
The eleventh cat shown was nne specimen
HIM" asked Mr.. Rogers.
" Fin dollar, responded the youth, who
Dickens Pickwick Papers, and barrel Of sour
kragt;
was paid, the cat was tumbled into barrel and
the TAT boy took his departure, minus his cat,
but with crisp new. rrecnback In his pocket.
and still Mr.. Rogers had only succeeded Ia get
ting one that suited him. An intermission Of
one hour was then taken for refreshments and
at | O'Clock there were about seventy-nye per-
sons still in line waiting 10 show their cats.
Many OF them were women with pretty little
pussy cats. BY half past I. however, Mr. Rogers
had purchased another large black tom cat and
a nne gray cat for 81 each. lie then declined
buying any more, but at half past | an old negro
stepped in with nne big Maltese cat, which
Mr.. Rogers also bought for ~.
The reporter then asked Mr.. Rogers what he
wanted the cats for. Well. you see" he re-
Piled, q" we have any quantity u mice here, and
wanted good cats TO catch them. that's ALL"
Bat why black cats - asked the reporter.
=" Well you see. like black cats, and want
ed TO ind out II there were any for sals I'm New
York. have discovered two or three facts by
this experiment which you can tell the readers
Of The SuN. II you wish. First, black cats are n
scarce article secondly, culored people never
Keep any black cats ; and last, II you don't want
to be oyerrun with replies to an advertisement,
beside The sun"