The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-10-15
Il Cat CU id.
THE REMARKABLE HISTORY OF 4 CHILD
THAT HAS A STRANGE PASSION
FOR CATCHING NICE.

An Erie correspondent Of the Cincinnati
Inquirer says: A singular phenomenon is
just now creating sensation "A few miles
south of this city, iu the shape Of mouse
catching infant, surprising in eXpertness
the agility Of the best canine or feline
mnuser in the country. The report of this
singular freak of natu reached me 50 well
authenticated that | concluded to CRAFTY
my curiosity, and possibly he sold, as / had
often been but to my surprise the facts
turned out more remarkable than the re-
port represented, and the most astonishin q
natural wonder | ever witnessed. The lit
tie girl in question is a trifie over year
old, and can but just begin to run about
the house and yard. The moment she
works and gets out of her crib she goes to
the old kitchen fireplace. which is infest-
ed with a specie of small house n.ice. and
sits down by 4 hole in The corner very
much like cat, with her eyes fixed on the
burrow. She sometimes occupies this po-
sition for an hour without moving, till a
mouse makes its appearance, when, with a
sudden start and apparently without any
effort, she seizes her victim by the neck
AS soon as her prize is secured she seems
TO be electrigcd with joy and trembles from
head to foot, uttering kind OF wild muir
mur or growl, resembling the half-sup-
pressed snarl of a cat. On arriving at the
house and making known the object of
my visit the mother expressed the willing
ness to give me exhibition Of the strange
popularity of the baby. providing | would
promise not to make their names public.
as she seemed TO dread the notoIiety already
given to the affair. |, of course, mace the
required promise, and had the privilege of
witnessing with my own eyes perform
ance so wonderful and novel that / can
never forget the impression it made. The
babe was asleep when | arrived, and on
awaking she started at 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 ex-
quisitely- formed golden curls, about the
circle of a dime. There is nothing unus-
ual about the countenance OF the child or
different from that of any pretty featured
baby, except while stalking her game
Then her eyes become glistening and ixed
sparkling like gems. and her face and hands
turn pale wax, while she appears to no.
tice nothing going on around her. but keeps
her eyes steadily centere6 on the burrow
whence she expects her game to sally forth
The mother, an oldest sister of the child,
and myself, sat in semi circle around her.
silent, as if in n spiritual seancc, waiting
for the signal of departed spirits. Had no
mouse made its appearance, the sight was
one never to be forgotten-the deathly-
pale face of that motionless child. and the
:iveted, sparkling eyes concentrated for
thirty minutes on that mouse hole in the
brick hearth. During that half hour we
neither moved nor spoke above a whisper
when suddenly Ike the springing of
trap, the little things hands went down on
the hearth, followed by the fine squeak of
the mouse, and that strange, low growl and
singular tremor Of the body of the child
AS usual, she held the mouse by the neck
i'm her right hand while it suuirmed des-
peratey to get away. She then pressed it
gently and softly with the other hand
then would dexterously change hands care
fully keeping her grip on the neck to
avoid its bite, though her mother told
me she had been frequently bitten. and
while sensitive to pain and crying at the
least ordinary hurt. she never was seen to
show the least pain from the bite Of a mouse
L 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 it was done so sud
denly there was no time tn analyze it. Yet
| was assured by the family, who had taken
frequent observations, that the mouse when
once ont of its hole, seems to become charm
ed or magnetized and has no power at least
shows no disposition to escape till caught,
when it is too late. If any one approaches
the child to take the mouse away from her.
she will utter shrill scream and then try
to conceal the prize by putting it into her
mouth.
| have heard of snake and bird charming
children, but guess this is the first mousse
catching baby yet developed. | wonder
how Darwin would explain this abnormal
instinct by the laws of evolution and natu-
raj selection?