National Republican., 1875-07-23
A JOLLY TAR DEFEATED.
A Naval 0ficsr Wounded and Driven from the
Field by a Large Rat.

u NAVAL Umcer Wouuaea anu UI1veu IIom bn9
Field BY Large Rat
A Washington correspondent Of the N. Y. Sun
gives the following account Of combat with .
rat:
No less person than EngIneer-in-Chlef Of the
Navy W. W. W. Wood came hoobling like
wounded soldier, and with his ankles bandsged,
into Welker's this morning in search Of break
fast. -
"Gcut, gout," said 1; ''too much of Robsson's
old MADEIRA"
mo, no." he replied soIemnIy. "Rst, ratI''
and he proceeded to tell me OF q desperate com
bat, lasting nearly an hour, that he had with
monster rat the night before. The family being
away, and the rats not getting anything to eat
for some days, had become hungry and desperats.
Mr.. Wood was sleeping alone in . back room, the
bed being near door. About one O'Clock in the
morning he was awakened suddenly by severe
pain In his foot, and heard something jump
heavily to the floor. A light revealed the fact
that deep cash had been made on the ball Of
his left foot, from which the blood was flowing
freely.
As there was no cat in the house, Mr.. " ood at
once cenciuded that 1t was rat, and that it had
made its exit After washing and bandsging the
wound, he again stretched himself on the bed and
fell into doEe. The rat came again, this time
making an ugly cash in the heel Of his right foot
After oandsgfng the second wound, Mr.. Wood
"Onb III search OF the rat, re3OYeQ 20 extermlnale
him II possible. But hfs ratshIp had eaten his
way into a bureau In the front room. A screw
driver was brought into use, and one the drawers
were opened, and there In the lower one was
found, to use Mr.. Woods own words, ''Mr. Rat,
half as big as the water pitcher, aud looking d.
reetly et me with pair Of the wickedest eyes,
Then he made desperate jump directly in my
face.n Mr.. Wood had shut the door and the
only thing he had to defend himself with was Q
small rattan. The rat made q desperate fight
with him, more than dozen times jumping to
the top Of the bureau, and thence In Mr.. Woods
face and at his throat. The combat lasted
nearly an hour by the clock, when, finding that
ne could neither kill nor wound the infur1sted
jured, he withdrew, leaving the rat In possession
Of the ield, and, indeed, victor. .rr
WOOD waited for morning and his servant man
10 arrive. In the meantime the rat went des-
perately TO work gnavfng at the door, In order
to again attack the chief engineer, and had got
more than half way through when tho servant
came, and the two entered the room, armed with
the furniture but the bureau, into which the rat
mad again retreated, they drove him out and re-
neWed the hight. The infurlated creature fought
as desperately as before, now jumping at the
tnroat OF one OF his assaiants, now At the other,
inhictng ugly wounds on beth; and It was not
that the rat was killed. His big head Is now ex-
hibited az the Navy Department as trophy.
The PGH Nall GG=ette quotes with admiration
the beautiful language OF the Herald, ayerrIng
that "the fountain Of tears lies very near that of
loy and the successful jubilant celebration of the
hundredth anniversary of Bunker Hill, now that
II is over, gives place to sentiments that have o
tinge Of sedate melancholy"