, 1877-08-11
WORSE THAN T1fE :. RUNNERS"

WORSE THAN TIfE :. 1sUMarERs.'
Atantd tGa.) fonsiitnfion.
A few days ago Mr. llolbrouk, sagacfous
and successful grocery merchant on Pcael,trcc
street, packed his stock Of goods, mosci1 them
from lis store Into d vacant etorc door or two
of, then ripped up every plank in the iInor,
laid down tluor Of solid dslcct-iru',,rcp the
uppcr plauks, anl moved his goods back.
"Vl,aL docs II all meant" nc asked him.
at menus rats" l,e replied sotcmuly. "Ycs,
slr, rats. | tell you tho rats ierc cost inc moru
by hundreds 0f Ao!lars ycar than my taxes
aud insurance. havc tr!ca 10 get rid of ttic,n
In every postibfe wny. ! haye found TINT they
continued to increase. Was consequently
forced TO move out and pit down a sheet. .troi,
barrier between The thcscs and my goods"
"Why didn't you try cats Or hrrtrsf"
"Catsf tn q tons u sefrn. "Cats md ter.
ricrs! Dill you sycF tce this new breed q rats
We have hcrot. Wc emit handle them with cats
or terriers, either" ....
Atlanta l,as become 10 thoroughly infested
with rats TINT their destruction has hccoMo
matter Of very serious Importance. The ruth.
loss invader Of onr storc-raoms, granaries, and
ruops, h the rceular wharf rat-or Norway tnl,
as Il is called- II Is an importation. antl not
natlvc production 1t Il said that 1t came with
hiihcr In the foraea for tue llovsra that wna
shipped out from New York. Tho Sherman rat,
as III PROPOSE 10 cnlI lin during tho cruta'c
against him that Is hereby luaugurated. Is a
hus hugo thighs and forrsloudcrs, possesses
enormous strength, Ia con,hativo and plucky,
and his cruel, rapactons iacc L. or,'aMentca
with pair of flowing .mustaches. lie hns
Sfs Eita ns5e''i o,e f'p'd,,y ''9ss 9ss
literally liz aeyoursI or driven out the @ mode.,, E
offensive, oll.fashipncl little gray rat, Tint
innocent, easiiy-satsl!ct vegetarian TINT may
harmless nttio rodent than cur little rat Of
mite bellum times can hardly bo imagined. lie
was accepted without nnrmurt- and really
taken as q sort Of picasaat joke. !lc figures III
history, as = decent, genticmanly rat I, tha, a.'
syrup, once in while, from his tall that he had
| dropped Into somc sweet Jug. lie figures IN
history tn such pleasant cplsodcs as tho famous
as tho mt thai cat tic malt that iay in the house
| that Jack built. lie did no harm, md was
liked aud tolerated on all hands. But tllis new
rat born 1t, the thrpcs Ut revolution, and grow
Ing amid the fierce turbulence OF this lattcr day.
| is 4 hlootithlrtty md abnormal scoundre'. lie
dcspises The mlll and nusty corn, OF thu tranquil
jan ttpon which tho rat VI our fathers fed, a1ll
| whenever he wants lunch he rushcs o'it Intt'
! your yard, seEzcs a lialf-Crown cntcken, and.
Chipping its throutlatcl wish his sharp teeth,
throws tho palpitattng corpse over Its shoulder
and gallops back to hts dc,l 10 wa!low In warm
gore. These hugo rats can 6o seen IN grcat
numbers galloping about the stoscs along this
street Ut night. 1t Is nlnost inposal6le to
ruec noultrY anywhere tn the city. Tho rats
Kill Young ililrks md chickens With tho greatest
taec, nnl, during last winter, entered, OH one oc-
aud destroyed lait-grown hen. They Kill
gruwu pgrons frequently. They do not cou-
| tino themselves TO the city, hut nre spreading
! Into thu cOunlry. We have seen them SIX s'itlca
| from inwH. .... .-
III. Taylor has ORC which Is nbout as largo u
hts dog, flat burrows back Of tic store, Tbs
/ Doctor says the but!ow opens up a. The other
end somewhere beyond Decatur. These rodentd
| cnn swim, d creek. aud nothing seems to stui
| them. They make moonlight raids Into The
| country. uioyiug In tT00ps Of = scorc u
| ", Carrying destruction to tho bar'l-yarsl.
| nnl ErallAslcs anl constcInatton to the eices
nnd nun-ronbatAnt rats Ut tue rural districts.
They wlil attAck n man when they arc pressed
In corner. In such occasions when hight Il
impossible they will fly At their pufsuer In blind
rage, and generally succeed In clOsIng shcll
teeth through his AGsfl somehow. Tho bite o
this little animal is actually poisonous. Cant
Z, II. Aobcrts was httlcn By one, and Ills liant
u now phriyclcA VII around tho lite. MI. liar
we'll was bitten, aud It was feared that his arm
would hare to bo ampulatcd. Mr. Dickson WI
bitten, aud was svk fur weeks. The poison in
atlllctl IL ytrulcnt aud obstinate. There Ia no
tco In tho st. Louis papers Ut late dAto thai I
professional! rat.ktlrr OF New York had g0nn Il
that city, carrying gang Of ferrets that llay,
been trained to hunt and Kill rats. lie guhrail
tees to kill several hundred day, nnd TO yir
tually rid 1t. Louis Ut tho .prcsenru Of TIL
ubiquitous and deadly unarautfer. When he ha
finished we xlytae that ht be sent for.