Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-10-08
EVENING STAR
friday. ........... October =, IsT5.
A MouscICatchfnx R.by.

A letter from Erie Penn. 10 the Cincinnati
Enquirer contains the following curious
A singular phenomenon Is lust now Grant
ing sensation few mites sout IN OF this city
IN the shape ola mouse catching infant. sur
passing IN eNpertneSs the agility OF the best
canine or feline monster In the couafry. Toe
report OF this singular freak OF nature reached
me so well authenticated that concluded 10
gratify my curiosity. The little girl in
question Is trife over q year old, aud can
just begin 10 run about the house aud yard.
Ihe moment she wakes and gets out OF her
crib she goes to the old kitchen replace,
which is infested with a species OF small
house mice. and sits down by a hole In the
corner very much like cat, with her eyes
occupies this position for an hour without
moving. till mouse makes Its appearance
when, by sudden start, apparently without
any effort, she selves her victim by the neck.
As soon as her prize is secured she seems 10
be electrified with JOY, and trembles from
head TO foot, uttering kind OF a wild muir
muir or gTowl, resembling the half-suppreSsed
snsrl of wild cat. On arriving at the house
and making known the object of my visit,
the mother expressed the willingness to give
me an exhibition of the strange popularity
OF the baby providing world promise not 70
make their names public Sue seemed 20
dread the notoriety already given 10 the az
lalr- Inc babe was asleep when l arrived.
and on awaking she started a. once on her
strange mission. She is a beautiful little
blonde. OF delicate features and bright. blue
eyes, and her hair lies all over her head in
golden curls. There is nothing unusual about
the countenaBce o. the child. or al fferent from
that OF any pretty-featured baby, except
Whlie stalking her game Then her eyes be
come Elistcning and fixed. sparkling ike
EtmS, and her face and hands turn pale as
wax, while she appears 10 hear or notice no.
thlng going on around her, but keeps her
eyes steadily centred on the burroy whence
she expects her game 10 sally forth. The mo-
ther, an older sister of the child and myself
sat IN semicircle around her. During that
nall hour we neither moved nor spoke above
whisper, when suddenly, like the SpriugIug
Of trap the little things hand went down on
the hearth, followed by the fine squeak OF the
mouse, and that strange. low growl and siuEu-
lar tremor OF the body OF the child. ASuSual.
She held the mouse by the neck I'm her right
hand, while IL squirmed desperately 20 get
away. She then pressed &c up against her
bosom and felt OF IL gently aud softly with
her other hand; then she would deNterously
change hands. carefully keeping her grip on
the neck toavoid its bite, though her mother
told me she had been frequently bitten. AMI
while sensitive TO pain, and crying at the
least ordinary hurt, she never was seen TO
Vince or show the least pain from the bite OF
mouse. i examined her fingers, and found
them SCARED in many places where she had
been bitten. tried to realize how the feat
had been accomplished, but 10 was done SO
suddenly there was no time to analyze it.
Yet was assured by the family. who had Ia
Ken frequent observations, that the mouse
when once out OF its hole seems TO become
or at least shows no disposition TO escape TIL
caught, when IL is too late. Ifauy one ap-
proaches the child TO take the mouse away
from her, she will utter a shrill scream, and
then try 10 conceal her prize by putting il
into her mouth.