Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-02-12
THE WAYS OF RArCATCHING.


Mr.. Toner Tells Hour lie Does N-4nd
HOJr He Makes LtriHg bY It-I Sam
pie Of HO,c He Works Hotel.
With one arm resting on the counter OF
saloon in the Bowery, and the urengaget
hand holding n glass OF whisky. Mr.. Richard
Toner, better known as Dick, the Rat" ex-
pIaiDed 20 a Times reporter the mysteries OF
professional rat-catchiEg. Mr.. Toner is a
Slim. clean shaver young man with sharp
black eyes and a ruddy complexion. He af-
fects pronounced style o. dress, wears wide
sOled shoes, andis known as clever dancer.
Originally a butcher-bOy In Catherine Mar.
ket, he had ample opportunity for studying
The domestic habits of the animal against
whom ne wages such unceasing and success
ful war, and whose capture affords him q
very Comfortable living. He became q
habi'ue of The BandbOx," crib In Wafer
street, then Kept by the notorious Christie
pher Key bourne, alias Kit Burns, and was a
constant patron of the rat-baits and dog
nights almost nightly proiuced there for the
delectation of fhe"spOrting" classes. Indeed.
amusement caused him 20 form an intimate
acquaintance with the architectural struc-
tufe and strength OF the oak Street Station
House, on occasions when the Bandbox was
raided on by Mr.. Henry Bergh. After the
death OF Kit Burns. Mr.. Toner married Kits
daughter NaIy. and 1Or time carried on
the business of bis late father in-law, but,
nnd1ng 10 unremunerative, returned 20 his
former ard more prOftable pursuit OF rat
catching He travels ali over the state, I'LL
Ing engagements In the principal cities.
no good. mean they won't try IN escape {
you know how to eaten them. Bat that's
where the business comes in. IfyOu see a rat
In cellar you may chase him for five min
utes, and, unless you happen 10 hit him wi TN
brick, you'll never catch hin. I'd have
him oagged in half the time. Its all in the
way in which it's done"
Are theEe any Others in the same business
besides yOu2-
"Oh, yes,' replied Toner; "there's one in
Chicago, one in san Francisco, one in Balti-
more, one in Detroit, and two In Philadel-
phia- Bot they never interfere with me or
SswSfr a John cassidy sd W ego, all OYER Sr
pets?'' AN'o 'io "A'A-
al saw Jack Jennings one night catching
rats. end thought If he was able To catch
them ought TO be- So went In and did it.
AT that time you always caught the rats
with your hands Rat-bites is poisonous. A
rat thSt leeds In q corn warehouse isn't poi
sonOus, but you gst q bite from one OF them
fellers what feeds on hotel swill or slaughter
house garbage, ard you're sure TO catch IL.
got bitten by slaughter house feller once.
and my arm swelled out until was afraid 1t
would have to be cut of. But the doctor
fixed IL all right After that introduced
ought TO have that idea patented"
AT this point the conversation was inter-
rupted Tor q few moments by the bartender
persuading a dilapidated sporting man to
pay for some liquor he had ordered aud par
taken Of. This having been accomplished,
Mr.. Toner resumed his discourse on the char.
acter and capture OF rats. Taking stout
canvas bag from under the table, he pro.
duced an ordinary pair OF tongs. This"
said Mr.. Toner, lis what 1 catch them with
You see have the inside OF the end of these
topgs like a rasp. Now. there's another i'm.
provenlent OF mine. If you have an OrT.i-
nary pair OF foDgs, and grab stout rat by
the tail, he'll wiggle away, but If We catch
him with these, he's bound 10 go IN the
hole"
"Wbat else do you use, Mr.. Toner;
''Well. only dark lantern and bag.
Sometimes i sprinkle stuff on the floor TO
Them their holes.
stun is trade secret, and attracts the rats
BY its smell. It's the same as flies and mo-
"where do you catch the most rats?',
"Slaughter houses and granaries. ] often
make good bag in hotels. One night got
$50 rats In the Astor house Kitchen"
.'How do you charge for your services"
"Well, me and my assistant gets - each
every night we work and our board. And
when we work In private houses We some
times charge SIS for every hundred rats we
catch"
"What do you do with the ratso"
"Sell them, OF course. Merchant Is and bro
kers has fancy terriers they want 10 train 70
Kill rats, and II there's rafting match
comes off we furnish the rats. Good rats is
worth $50 a hundred"
81 suppose you have cons siderable num-
Der OF customers
ION, near all the big hotels, breweries, sa-
looms and slaughtcr houses in the state.
out. Rats breed so fast You can't catch
them quick enough, and If you poison them
WHY ilty Ulc an lDtAI
''Weil, how do you catch them!''
81 go into tie cellar, or wherever the rats
are, with John. He holds the bag and Il ke
the dark lantern and the tongs. We have
TuDbers on and step light. The rats ruJ
1 around and squeak like one. Then they
come close TO us. and throw open the Slide
OF the lantern. The rats get confused ana
rush into the light, and grab them and put
them In the bag. When there's no more,
/ 60 out and leave the place for couple o.
4 hours, or another day, then / 20 at them
again. But the best way 10 know Is 10 SET
me work Ne and John is TO clean out q
i hotel Tonight, and II you come along yor
can take hand In. III leave here at 1.
O'clock The reporter accepted the PROPOSE
lion. and, On returning at midnight, found
Mr.. Toner and his partner IN waiting. CASH
dy carried the bag and tools. and jumpine
on broadway car, the party were soon con
Eeyed 10 their destination, a prominent
Broadway hotel The night clerk. on bein.
informed by MI. Toner OF his business
ordered him to be shown 10 the servants
hall, where the head waiter, u couple D
cooks, and several grOoms were waiting u
see the rat catchers. These persons regardec
Z Mr.. Toner and his companions with the Ut
most awe and respect. One OF the En-
7 Esh grooms gave graphic description oi
several rafting matches he had seen at Jim
my Shaws la Windmill street. near IT,.
Haymarket, and Mr.. Touer gravely assente,
10 The statement that Jimmy Shaw's Jack,
/ was the best ratter ever put into a e1t Mr.
] Toner next asked for the key of the kitche1
This having been given him, he opened Tn,
few spoonfuls Of Otorus fluid in tine Genie
/ OF the Kitchen he retired. locking the doc
] sfer him and putting The key In his pOc ket
Remaining at the same time To the head
cook, "If any of the folks up stairs want
whites cCOked.EOv they We got to do without
EN- Having uttered this declaration n
l authority. Mr.. Toner resumed his seat IN IN,
servants nail aud sPeat The following on