Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-04-17
A NEW ORLEANS SPIDER.


IL Captures a Mouse by Means of the
Power of a CObWeb Fiber The Am.
imal called nan Comes 10 the Res.
cue.
The New Orleans Picayune Of
the 18th, 18th and 18th has the fol-
lowing singular story or canard
concerning a spider and a mouse:
APRIL 11.-Yesterday quite a
crowd gathered on Greatman street,
between Elysian Fields and Ma
rigny street, at a carpenter shop
there, where a scene was transpir-
ing that filled the spectators with
astonishment. Near a bench in
the shop hung a mouse, medium.
sized, head downward, and around
her body was coiled a single thread
of a spiders web, which reached to
a corner of the bench above, and
had its fastening there. On the
mouse's tail quietly sat the spider,
which seemed to be manipulating
the thread, and working it as with
a pulley. When caught the mouse
was on the ground, and after five
or six hours work, the spider man.
aged to hoist her about an inch,
and there she hung.
The statement concerning this
singular circumstance is, that the
mouse was accustomed, when on a
predatory excursion, to emerge
from a hole under the bench and
pass into an inner room. The
spider laid a trap in her path, it is
conjectured, and yesterday morn
ing as the mouse was making her
daily rounds, she was caught in the
net set for and securely held, the
spider taking up position on her
tail. Though the mouse hung sus-
pended, a dead weight, the thread
ibid not give way, and there she
hung helpless between earth and
heaven.
At night the carpenter closed up
his shop and dropped the curtain
on the show, but the spider was
still at work, and had completed
about an inch in the elevation
The carpenter does not propose to
disturb the proceedings if the stu
alton remains unchanged this
morning, and will await to sec
what the spider will do to the mouse
when she has elevated her into her
| little parlor,
APRIL 12.-The wonderful little
spider which captured the mouse
andfs eleyating it in its parlor atMr,
Michael Gross carpenter shop on
| Greatmen, between Elysian Fields
and Marigny streets, Of which We
gave an account yesterday morning
is still busily engaged at its hercu
lonean task, and filling the hume
rOus persons who visit it with
amazement This astonishing lit
tie insect is of the black species
and very small, q fact that renders
the feat which it now performs thu
Inore marvellous. As stated in oul
edition of yesterday morning, tn,
mouse was accustomed, when on {
predatory excursion, to emerge from
a hole under the bench where tn,
spider dwells, and pass into tn,
carpenter shop, where the bepel
stands. The enterprising spide,
had no doubt watched for a lonJ
time the movements, laid a trap fo
the unsuspecting young mouse, anC
Monday morning, when she started
out on her daily rounds, the littl
spider, who was on the lockout
| tightened Che thread which she hat
prepared for her victim, whose hinC
legs had become entangled in then
as she passed out of its hole, ant
soon secured her.
Immediately after the legs hat
been caught. the spider fastened
another thread to the mouse's tail
and after several hours constan
work succeeded in raising her prey
} hind quarters, and continued S,
doing until the tip Of the mouse
, nose only touched the floor. Hay
: : ing thus rendered her helpless tn
little spider industriously Set t
> work multiplying its fastening'
! | After a few more hours labor, tn
J mouse was raised one inch from tn
: aoor, the,spider working as if wit
q