The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-01-16
TOMPKINS' ADVENTURES.
Bringing His Tack Cnt to the New York
Cat Show-A Midnight Encounter In II
Museum.

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"I read in the papers," said Mr..
Tompkins to New York Times reporter,
"that there was to be q great cat show
at a museum in New York, and that
handsome prizes we're to be given for
the best cats. Now, I had q cat that
would take the first prize. 1t was a
very large Maltese, and its strong point
was that it ate tacks. 1t lived on tacks.
It ate two or three papers a Daylight
ounce, ten-ounce, no matter what size, it
ate them all. I knew that cat would
take the first prize, and l brought 1t
down to New York. I had never been to
New York before, but I went to a hotel
and went to bed. On Monday morning
before I went out I left word with the
waiter to have the cat fed with tacks.
He stared at first as if he thought I was
crazy, but I happened to have two OF
three in my pocket, and when I gave
them to the cat, and the waiter saw him
eat them, he was satisfied. SO then |
came out to see the city. At dinner
time, when I went back to the hotel, ]
went up to my room to see how the cat
was getting along. How do you think
he was? He.was dead. Yes, sir, he lay
stretched out on the floor, dead as a
door-nail. There we're two empty tack
papers on the floor. I sent for the
waiter, and asked him about the cats
dinner, and he had said he had fed him
the two papers of tacks, just as I had
told him. I picked up one of the papers
off the floor. and then it was all clear
enough. What do you think that care.
less waiter'd done? Yes, sir, he'd fed
that cat tacks with leather heads. OF
course, that killed him; it would kill
any cat. You never saw a cat in your
life could eat tacks with leather heads,
nor no other live man. Well, it was all
up with the cat, and there was nothing
for it but to box him up and send him
home"
"Did you get all these cuts and
bruises in Il misunderstanding with the
waiter ?" the reporter asked.
emo" said Mr.. Tompkins, 81 was
coming to that. 1t was late in the
evening when T got the cat boxed and
ready to go to the depot, and then !
went down to the cat show. When ]
told the manager the tack cat was dead,
he was the disappointment man I even
see. I thought he was going to cry, and
he says to me, as kind as could be: Go
right in, Mr.. Tompkins, it shan't cost
you a cent. No man as has met such q
loss as that shall pay me money. No,
sir; walk right in I went in, and looked
at the cats and things. It was pretty
late. and while I was in one of the rooms
up in the third story oil the lights went
out like a fash-turned off in the cellar,
you know. There wasn't no one else
in the room where I was, and I thought
it was about time to go, but when I went
to 20 down stairs there wasn't no stairs
there. I'm sure I went to the very same
place where I'd come up, but the stairs
was gone. So I was in for it. What to
do I didn't know. I felt about in all my
pockets for a match. Without any fool
in, I'd gin a half a dollar for a match.
It must have been an hour or more that
T was tryin' to find the stairs, and at last
I gave it up, and Topped right down on
the floor for a rest. I don't know how
long I'd sat there, but I must have gone
to sleep. All of a sudden l was woke
up by the most awful noise close to my
ear. It sounded like some wild animal.
1t went pretty regular like breathin', and
T was afraid to stir for fear it would
spring. After q while, though, I put
out my hand to see if I could feel it, and
where do you think my hand went
| Well, sir, if my hand didn't go straight
into some wild animals mouth right be-
tween his teeth then I never owned a
tack cat. But he didn't close on it quick
enough, and I jerked it out; you better
believe I got away quick and ran across
that room. I was bound to find the
stairs whether or no, and I found them.
I didn't find them till I struck the last
step though, and that's how l got this
bruise on my cheek"
"You mean you fell down stairs? ?"
"Fell down? Yes, that's it. Then ]
didn't know which way to turn, and
went three or four steps ahead, very
careful like, and first thing I knew /
touched q mans arm. It was sticking
out straight, and I think he was waiting
to grab me. I saw through it all in o
minute. They'd got me up there and
and turned off the lights, so as to rob
me. But I wasn't quite so green es that,
you know. T made q good calculation
by touching the mans arm again, and
made up M mind jest where the face
was. Then I drawed back and let him
have one jest as square between the
eyes as I could in the dark. Drop ?
Well, I guess he dropped. He dropped
80 hard and lay so still I began to be
afraid I'd killed him, and after a while I
stole up to him and touched his face. 1t
was cold as ice. felt down his arm for
his pulse. His pulse didn't beat. I had
killed him !"
MI. Tompkins. as he spoke, re-licked
a piece of court-plaster that had
dropped from his forehead.
"Then I knew I'd got to get ont of
| there. I'd come down n story. and
knew T was on the second floor, and [
thought the best way would be to get to
a window and jump out. I calculated
which was the front, and started. I
hadn't gone five steps before I ran
against another a He was sitting
down, and + fell over him and right
square into q third mans lap. But I
wa good for 'em. I turned over quick,
and grabbed the nearest man by the
collar. He never moved, and I gave him
q hist that sent him heels over head.
Then I grabbed the other one, but as I
went to sling him too, I stumbled over
the third man's chair, and away I went.
What do you think I struck on Z? More
men! The room was full of 'em. They
were laying for me. But I was good for
EN-. That was when old Steuben came
to the rescue. What did I do? Why I
just grabbed a chair and laid about that
room till there couldn't have been a man
in it as big as a mouse without getting
his head cracked. It wa murder, I
know, but my blood was up. I wouldn't
q cared if there was n hundred men
in that room, I'd killed 'em all. No man
mustn't lay in wait in the dark for me !!
Then I went up to the window and gave
her an all-sender with the chair. The
window gave way, OF course, but there
was a big canva sign outside of that yet.
I was pretty well exhausted by this time,
50 I give it up and yelled murder just
as loud as I could.
81 expected somebody would come
with ladder and get me- out the window;
but they didn't. I heard somebody
pounding on the sidewalk with q club,
and in q minute afterward the front door