Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-04-07
MR.. CORRIGAN'S COON.
The Awful Devastation he Worked
in n Birds Boarding MOHse.


in Birds Boarding HOHse.
New York World.
Mr.. Oorrigan owned a coon, and
his friend Mr.. Amery, of No. l14t
Bowery, combines the show-card
business with that Of a dealer in
birds and animals.
These two facts have an intimate
relation; for if Mr.. Corrigan had
not owned a coon he would not
have asked Mr.. Amery to lodge the
animal, and if Mr.. Amery had not
kept that kind Of a hotel he would
not have taken such a lodger. In
a word, had either fact been other
than as it was the tragedy would
not have occurred.
Mr.. Corrigan's coon was installed
as a regular border in Mr.. Amery's
hoStelry. He had a companion in
vice-a wild and ferocious coon,
who occupied the same apartment
with him-and together they stole
out in the dead of last Monday
night and slew forty-eight canary
birds, fnches and linnets, besides
committing a felonious attack on
the caudal appendage of ring-tail
monkey, denuding a Macaw parrot
of his feathers and plucking forth
the tail of a cockatoo. But there
was rat-trap in the back-room,
and the new bOarder put his foot in
it, and was thus captured.
A reporter Of the World hastened
to the scene of the tragedy yester-
day. "Can | see that coon" said
he, as he entered No. 1144.
eyes" said Mr.. Amery, "there's
the villain," pointing to a securely
barred cage, in which the animal
lay innocently asleep. The reporter
tried to interview him, but the coon
would rot come down. Possibly he
was waiting to consult his counsel
before he spoke.
Failing to get anything satisfac-
tory out of the murderer, the re-
porter tried the parrot. Here again
he was disappointed, for the bird
refused even to say, in the words oI
another, e" We have had a -
whatever kind of a time it was thai
the historic parrot had.
The monkey, of course, had nc
tail to unfold, and appealing to Mr.
Amery as a last resort, the reporter
asked: "What was the reason, dc
you think, that prompted the coon'i
assault on the monkeys tail?"
"I'm sure l don't know" sale
Mr.. Amery.
"Could it have been envy, o.
may not the coon be a reformer anC
constitutionally opposed to rings ?
"There's no stability in a coon,
said ar attendant. "Coons is YER,
uncertain. Now that ERE animil'
was as mild as milk, while the on,
with him was as savage as the devil
but the mild one did the damage
and went for the birds"
"How white that monkeys fac,
isl"
" Yes; / guess he's a little bi
scared. He looks like sick mig
ger, don't he? ! don't believe tina
the coon ct that ere. monkeys tai
off"
"No!"
81 don't. l believe he ct it OF
himself. There amt no blood in
monkeys tail. l cut morn tw,
inches oFn that feller's and it didn'
bleed a drop. 1t didn't seem t,
make no difference to him he JUS
stuck the end ont in his moutl
and seemed to think it was goot
meat. Monkeys is awful ,conceited.
"Did the coon eat up all Of theS
forty-cight birds?"
"Eyery one on 'em; didn't leav
nothing but feathers. You see h,
used to catch pigeons before h,
came here, and onc't when he 90
the taste for killing birds he go
crazy on the subject. He can
help it. He's insane"
Doubtless it was a clear case o
emotional insanity.