Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1881-04-21
Jay G0ULo's MOUSE TRAP.
ihe Invention IN Which "a Peculiar Genlu,
First Manif.sts Itself
New York Herald Intorv;.x

New York Herald Interview.
n ~ am not an old man to-day" said Mr.,
touid, but New York, even in INV rno
oiiectlon, has expanded in the most ,nnr.
velous degree. My first visit tn Nv,
York was during the crystal palace exnn
sltion. l was a mere boy, / was fnIi ns
ambition and J. brought little ttinn
%lth me from mycpuntry home thnt I
taohg'It was going to make nv fortnns
anu reVolutioniZe the world. What do
suppose it was!" A"' "'
am sure do not know"
IL was, was laughing heartily, ga mouse
trap. That mouse trap was to me- the
greatest thing in New York. II was nnt not
very blg--but took SO much pride in 4
1t was SO precious to me, that / had !"
very handsome mahogany box made in
which to carryit. remember yerv we'll
getting on one of the street cars. tb;nL
II was the Sixth avenue line. I was n l;t.
tie more unsophisticated in the ways of
New York than am now. / was anxions
TO see the city. 1t was a wonder to me
and stepped ont on the platform to
look at its blocks and blocks of honses
In my innocence left my mouse tran
on the seat. When l got to the street
where wished to get of, 1 stepped in.
si slde to get it, and, to my horror, found
u that my mouse trap had Disappeared.
turning to the conductor said: What
iw mas become OF my boxY Was IT yours =
Yes. Why, a man who got out and
turned down the street above carried f.
on. IL you run you will probably catch
INN. IAN and caught him. He was a
great, strong fellow, but L .collarel him. T
regretted THAI had done 50 and tried to
get away, but the fact is one OF nv fin
gers accidentally got caught in one of
the buttonholes Of his coat, aud before I
co"ia get OIL there was crowd around
US ana policeman, who took both of us
on TO an adjoining station house. The
statements of the policeman and OF the
thlei and OF myself We're all heard. The
magistrate drew some nice legal and
technical distinctions which came vcry
near costing me my liberty. While the
thiei who stole my mouse trap was com.
nltted tor trial, ] was given to under.
stan'! that owing to my inability to fnr-
nish bail-tor knew no one in New York
them should be detained as witness
until the trial came off. 1t was not
pleasant introduction to New York: but
have never forgotten it, and its recol.
lection has often afforded Inc good deal
OF amusement. Fortunately for me,
there was detective in the place who
had been hunting my mouse trap thief
for years, and who had reqlisition from
| think, the governor of Pennsylvania or
New jersey. He saved me. forgot TO
say that when, in the course of The ex.
animation, the box was opened to verify
the truth of my statement, and the pur-
!oiner of my great invention found it
was only mouse trap. his face assumed
such an expression OF disgust that l real
y could not Help laughing at him, al
though was at the lime in one Of the
most uncomfortable positions / had Ger.
tainly up to that time hten placed in
That mouse trap incident got, Of course
into next days Herald. | remember tlie
title oi the article very well--'How q
Mouse trap Caught thief IT was the
first appearance Of jay Gould in the
pages Of the Herald.
II have been studying this city," con.
tinued MIR. Gould, since that mouse
trap exploit. and great as has been the
growth in the past predict still great.
er development in the future"