Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1882-05-18
A Night with A Rat Catcher.


says, sand lose no opportunity for 9
hndin' cut their curious ways, which il
quite remarkable, do assure you, SIR"
care there many In your line here?"
''There 10 many, sir, which has the auda
city TO call themselves rat catchers. which
they amt, notwithstanding. should say
there Is about ten of 'em."
His hair is long and tangled; he has 1
scraggy moustache, and his hands are un
commonly large, with monstrous knucklel
and long nails; they are SCARED In many
places. He is much under the average
height, and as quick as a rat in his move
ments. lie does everything with abrup
gestures. When putting on his hat hi
hand moves with great rapldIty. He walk
leisurely 10 within two feet of door, anC
then MS hand flies out and the door opens
like flash. His speech is as slow as hi
movements are rapid, and the muscles ot
his face never seem to change. His ruling
passion is his great pride in his calling.
(which it's looked up TO on the Other
slde," he says, cas- it should be, benz q
perfession requirin' unusual abilities"
de invited the reporter to 90 with him
on one OF his expeditions against his en-
emy, the rat, and few nights later they
met at stable in West Fortieth street.
The rat catcher wore pair of light cloth
Shippers, heavy trousers, flannel shirt, and
vest. He had kit of tools with him, and
at about ii o'clock he went TO work.
First he went carefully around the edges
or the floor, and learned every rat hole.
There were number; some mt the edges
OF the partitions between the stalls, others
at the washstand, and a number In the
harness closet. The rats had ruined val
liable harness. Many efforts had been
made to exterminate them, but without
SUCCESS.
81 guess I'll get 'em out, sir. l just
cleared 2l7 rats out of private residence
on Tenth avenue in three night" he said.
He then took a number of little wire
doors out of his bag They were about
four inches square. One of these was
screwed over each rat hole at an angle OF
forty-fve degrees, so that the rat could
easily raise it on coming out of the hole,
but could not get back into the hoe again
after it had dropped in place. When
every hole had been thus covered the re-
porter retired TO the top of shelf of q
long step ladder and smoked, while the
rat catcher turned down the lights and
cleared the large floor of the stable of all
the small objects that could be readily
piled in the carriages or on the shelves.
'Are you sure the rats will come QUIT"
''Oh, yes, sir. They comes out every
night. Some men professin' to call them
selves professionals CLAIMS that they have
poison that will make rats come out O.
their hole an die, but 1t can't be done.
They claims, also, as how they can charm
rats; more lies, l assure you. Phospho-
rous poison causes most herrid thirst, an
the rats comes out of their holes an
drinks, an then goes back an dies. Then
there's q pretty how-to ID, an whole
floors must come up at great expense" "
lie was moving about IN most stealthy
manner, now trying cne little gate and now
another. A large bag OF coarse material,
with string with which to close the
opening, hung on a harness peg, and he
had sprinkled little powder down several
Of the holes, which was designed TO make
the rats thirsty and cause them to come
out for wafer. He lighted stub pipe
and perched himself on the bottom of the
step ladder with his chin in one hand,
while he slowly opened and closed pair
of tongs, nearly two feet long, with fiat
blades.
Everything was quiet for few minutes,
and then there was slight scratching at
one OF the little doors, and a monstrous
rat, as fat rs an alderman, slowly came
out The door dropped to behind him;
he turned quickly, tried to get back, and
ran squealing along the wall.
'he's good one," remarked the little
man in q whisper, going out into the
middle of the room, laying his pipe on the
step and turning up the gas. I'm tell
you what III do; III catch this one IN my
hands,"
He began to squeak through his teeth,
making noise like the squelklng of q
rat, and slowly approached the fat intru-
der. The rat backed into q corner and
stood with his little eyes cleaning and
tail swishing rapidly from side to side.
The rat catcher slowly drew closer until
the rat suddenly shot o3 along tue wall.
In an instant the little man had sprung
forward with bound that was entirely
reckless, and went, head first, for the rat.
Both his hands were outstretched, and he
pinned it to the floor with force thai
made it squeaI. The bound was like that
which & Cat would make.
HE 10 indeed fat one, sir, he said,
getting ON his feet; ''yOI'n observe"
Keep him awayl Amt you afraid
he'll blte3"
''Afrald, sir1 / do assure you nothing
is further from my thoughts. Besides, it's
very rarely that they bite if you know
how to handle 'em. You might let this
one run all over You and not get hurt"
''Yes; 1 might, but l won't"
81 will, then," he said, calmly, and be-
fore the reporter could interfere the little
Englishman had thrust the rat inside his
clothing, and the creature emerged from
Ais right trousers leg and shot like me-
teor behind the step ladder. The reporter
raised his feet one step higher, and the
lat catcher crept up toward the rat with
the same quiet movement that cat dis
plays The badgered animal shot one
way and another until 1t reached the
corner, when the little man pounced or
it and dropped it into the bag. There II
squealed for a time and then became
diet, while the little rat catcher resumed
his pipe.
"Were you ever badly bittenf"
tSeveral times. Once | suffered long
but l deserved it, for l let the beast bite
me through carelessness, you know. Hi
bite poisoned my arm, an | had dread
full unhappy time for four months or so
1t was In Pittsburgh, Pa. Ratsf Well
there was rats there an no mistake. Ii
L. 81 Clair hntal nonnht % in ON