Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-06-14
A Useful Invention.

In all great metropolitan cities the cat cues
ton Is assuming great proportions Obedlent to
the rr1meVal law TO Increase and multiply, cats
have increased and multiplied, declared dlyi-
dends and paid compound Interest on the origi-
nal lnvestment-never a one going into bank
great-great grand kittens, and still be uxOrious
and warlike is no strange thing II we believe
the naturalists; and the tendency of the aver
when the last of its nine lives has fiickered, and
gone out before an unusually well aimed brick
or inordinately spry bulldog.
hem ne erec1 OF cats npon has
vaded by an epidemic of cats In 1855 it is com
puted that ,00O boOtjacks have been
SOLO, while the yearly consumption of soap
0lSneS and bed Stats amounted to 81, los, 900 an
nually. Before the epidemic began and cats
were but sporadic, boot jack maker after boot
jack maker went into bankruptcy, and stats
ers In fiddle strings.
Last April letters patent were issued to one
]. Tomltnson Hathaway, OF Elizabeth, n j., for
minator"-a machine which was adapted to fill
want long felt In every family, and at the
same time ruin the business OF the chlnaware
steel springs, barbed hooks, syringes, high-pres.
sure air receivers and clockwork, constructed
In the form OF dim1nutive cat, and covered
with the skin OF one OF those mathematical but
obnoxious animals. Underneath the SUPPOSE
tltlous belly was clamp, SO arranged that the
.Infexible" could be screwed on top of a
renee ana look as naturally as living cat
When properly wound up 1t was fit to run
for twenty-fOur hours. Every five minutes
during the silent watches q portion of the
compressed air was let out in groWl
OF challenge which would not fall to arouse
the Ire and attention OF any cat within ear
shot. At the same time small Rhumkorf coil
within sent a current OF electricity through
small Gass1ot tubes In the eyes, making them
gleam with gTeenish and bellicose fire. This
together with the small size OF the
cOuchant Infiexible, was generally SUFFICIENT
10 draw the wandering fel1nes of the neigh
Dorhood to the scene. Now, when one OF them
approached sufficiently near to touch small
steel wire which projected from the Inflexible,
the deflant yowl was repeated and two small
sprays OF diluted vitriOl were spit out at the
cat-calculated to arouse the deepest indigna-
ton the turbulent breast Of cat Is capable Of
AT the same time the counterfeit tall would
swell up and wave to and fro, aggressively.
The natural result was closing In OF the now
excited cat upon the Inf1exible, touching hair
trigger and releasing the machinery. The
barbed claws now clutched the VICTIM the
v1tr1ol sQuirted, there was wr1ggle, a yell and
three yaups and all was over. Then there was
faint click. the Inflexible's claws relaxed, the
victim dropped TO the ground, and all was
ready for another cat.
The invention Is perfect success. Although
only month has elapsed since It's Introduction
the bOOtjack market Is completely broken
while crOckery and bed slat spectators are
selling short. Edison has examined the inStru-
ment and prOnounces 1t thorough success. We
understand that an agency for the Intex1ble is
soon to be established In this city.-[New Or
LeOue Times