Daily globe., 1880-08-08


as if he had heard the military order,
"As you were Two rats are sent to
kingdom come before Willetts reaches
the center of the group. Calmly he push
es the rat cage man aside, grasps the dog
firmly by the scruff and turns to walk
away. For moment everybody is quiet
and then remonstrances flow and turn to
vituperatlon, but without avail. The
hand of the dog catcher is upon its
prey and may not, be relaxed. The
wagon has been quietly drawn up
and turned around. The dog
catcher has reached it, thrown the dog
into the basket inside, turned and dis
played his badge of authority, and, with
a laugh, mounted beside the driver Be-
fore vituperation could become actual
attack the wagon has ratified off and tie
crowd behinding helplessly curslng the
dog law and the dog catcher. The catch
ers instructions to his guest were,
SHOULD you lose me 90 two squares east
and you will find me ON the block to the
north. When in fulflment of these in
structions, the two men had met again,
the dog catcher had captured five addi-
tlenal dogs. There was q. lot of them
playing just round the corner here he
explained. "You see if any blades of
grass get to sprouting in the street, you
can always look for dogs there. They
come to eat the grass just as cats do
catnip."
Only one incident OF interest occurs
during the rest of the explorations down
town, although an abundance of dogs are
taken. A German is engaged in clean
ing the front door steps and using the
hose freely. A large mongreI is tapping
some water that flows over the steps
and barking delight when the laugh
ing master turns the hose on his
painting sides. As the dog catcher
comes up the dog runs into the
street. 1t Is an unfortunate journey.
The dog catcher's net is over his head IN
minute, and before the astonlshed Ger
man can appreciate the condition of af-
fairs the canine is howiing from the wag-
on box. Then the German sees 1t all
and makes such good use of his hose
that the dog catcher, the dog catcher's
assistant, horse, wagon aud accompany
ing reporter experience sense of hu-
midity.
In the upper part Of town, the dogs
have domestic associations. They are
owned by wealthy people who feed and
house them well. Watch dogs have places
to lay their heads and pets are more deli
catelv and tenderly nurtured than many
children. Under such circumstances as
these the presence of dog In the streets
is exceedingly rare as compared with the
condition of things in less favored por-
tions of the city. The dog catcher cx-
plains this, and adds, ''if you want to
see dogs caught in the swell uptown
streets, you must wait till about daylight
Dogs have such good care taken of them
up there that they are wrapped in
silk and given pillows of cider down
to sleep on. But in the morning
about daylight they let a good many out
to get sniff of fresh air. We'll be about
there afore sunrise There were streams
| of light shooting through the SKY when
the party reached Gramercy Park. "That
is Sammy Tilden's house. said the dog
catcher, indicating the Ex-Governor
| handsome residence. Giles got lots of
dogs, but he d on let none of them out.
He's too fly to do, that. I've been look
ing out for his pups this many a day"
| Turning up into Lexington avenue, two
| EsquimauX dogs were seen on the side
walk, scamperlng together in play. A
negro was cleaning the windows. The
wagon came along slowly and drew up
IN front Of the house. Mice dogs" said
Willetts, ingratiatingiy, but the man and
brother worked away at the windows,
and sneered at the attempts of the man
on the side walk to ensnare him into con-
versation. Willetts, nothing daunted,
| and not in the least set back 10y this re-
pudiatlon of his social advances, contin-
ued: "Them dogs would be worth thir-
| ty cents apiece to me, if I had them"
"Dem dogs cost $S5 fo' de two, white
man. You is drunk, reckon. What fo'
you roun' heah, any wayG"
But even as he spoke Willetts' unfail-
ing net had shot out twice and the $50
dogs were III the wagon. Wildly excit-
ed, the negro extricated himself from the
window and dashed to the rescue. His
eye met the symbol of the dog catcher's
power as it flashed from his breast in the
morning sun. He stopped short, for he
saw resistance was useless, aud said:
II might have know'd yer was cotch-
er the way you talked. l done lose
my place, reckon, for the folks
never won't forgive my careless
ness. But JUS you recollect, Mr..
Cotcher, Mayor Coooer's father lives
just cross that street. you cant keep
them dogs long, I'm tellin' ye." The
negro was right. The dog catcher went
to the pound after he had breqkfasted to
leave there thirty six dogs, the result of
nights search. The negro was there
waiting for him. He paid the four dol
lars fine prescribed l'y law to the pound
keeper, and as he marched off with his
treasures be said to Wllletts, with a
laugh:
''Them dogs may be worth thirty cts.
to you. They done cos me fo' dollars
already, dis morning"
The term Gotham, often applied in
mild derision to New York, was first en-
ployed as nickname by Washington
Irving. The name is not an invention,