Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-05-24
Xat.Killing.

GIVE killed over quarter of mill
ion of rats during the past thirty years, y
said old John Gregory, or English
Jack" as he is Familiarity termed by
the residents of Camden, in reply to a
question propounded to him the other
day about his peculiar business. The
noted rat-killer is a little, well-buiit
m:.n, 1fifty-three years of age. He lives
alone at No. 4l6 Henry street. His
only companions are his ferrets, dogs
and white rats. to which he is greatly
attached. Pickle and Jack" his
canine companions, are two fine blood
ed Scotch terriers. When not at work
they live in kennel in the kitchen.
Their master values them at five hun
bred dollars. For thirteen years they
have been actively engaged in aiding
-"English Jack" to make living by eX-
terminating the rodents, and Gregory
aptly says: "They have chewed up more
rats than any other dogs in the world. "
Cages containing ferrets and white
rats occupy the rooms on the second
story. There are only fifteen, of the
former just now. thirty-five having di ed
during the past nine months. These
animals look something like rats, rang
ing in length from six to fourteen inch
es. They have smooth coat of fur of
a brown and white color The white
rats were bred from a pair imported
from Albino, Turkey, are quite tame,
and, like the fcrrets, have red eyes.
They are kept in room apart from the
fcrrcts.
After his visitor had been shown
through the house, English jack told
how he came to take up the disagreed
/ BILE business: "When u lad, living at
Nottingham, Eng, 1 made the ac4uaint-
ance of Wallet, the Queens jester, who
| brought me with him to this country.
Wallet acted as clown with various
circuses for thirteen years, and IaccOm-
panied him as servant. He always
carried pair of ferrets around with
him to amnse his friends at private rat
bats. When | was twenty-thrce years
old Wallet returned to England, but
before going he gave me his ferrcts and
advised me to take up the business of
rat-killing for living. The first job l
undertook was to rid old Matthew Bald
win house, on the river road, between
Tacony and Bridesburg, of rats. Twas
there two days and got 800 for de-
stroying over a hundred rats. | met
with such success at this my first vent
ure that | somehow became imbucd
with a passion for killing rats, and as
grew older the feeling rather increased.
Now nothing suits me better than to
spend whole night in cellar and
watch with Pickle and Jack for the rats
as they come out of their holes to eS-
cape the ferrets who are in pursuit of
them. Then the dogs fall on them, and
their death squeaks sound like music
on my ears. If the rats come out in
numbers then take hand, for con-
slider myself as good as either of the
dogs, and between Pickle, Jack and me
few ever manage to escape.
During the war Colonel Eastman,
who was in command at Fort Miffiin,
contracted with me to rid the place of
rats. l killed over one thousand in
few weeks. From there l was sum-
moned to Fort Delaware. Would you
believe it; in a little over month and
a half l killed sixteen thousand rats.
Nearly all of them were caught near
the pen in which the rebel prisoners were
stationed. l used to pile 'em up in heaps
for the purpose of allowing the rebs to
cat EN-.
''Yes; eat en- continued old Jack,
as his listener expressed doubt about
the truth of the remark. Il have seen
men at Fort Delaware skin rats and eat
them with salt. just let me tell YOU
that nothing looks nicer and cleaner
than skinned corn-fed rat. l would
eat such Il rat in a minute, bat /
wouldn't 90 sewer or a slaughter
house rat for money, cause they are
dirty. | have often killed rats by biting
their backs. You see, just pick 'em
up with one hand, sink my teeth in
their backs, and they are done for.
have record for killing five rats in
thirty seconds in that way. l have ac-
complished the feat hundreds of times
in the presence of many respectable and
wealthy gentlemen. That how l came
to loose my teeth. used to draw out
rats teeth with my own when people
wanted to rear them rs pets. Now l
use a pair Of pinchers for the purpose.
IL hatter myself that no man in this
country knows more about rats or their
habits than l do. l have watched and
studied their ways over quarter
Of n century, and | think there
is not more cunning animal living.
They will steal anything and eat their
way into anything but iron. They have
but four teeth, two in the upper and two
in the lower jaw, and these they ply
with almost inconccivable rapidity. |
have often heard of deaths occurring
by rat bites, but in this regard, it seems,
| ain protected from harm. Take look
at my hands. There is not a spot on
them large enough to cover pin-head
that does not bear some kind of scar.
have been bitten hundreds of times,
but an application of salt and whisky
speedily removes all pain and causes
the wound to heal.
"Ferrets are troublesome animals to
take care of. l have spent much money
trying to dOmesticate them. but never
succeeded. l make journey to En-
gland every year and a half for the pur-
pose of increasing my stock as they die
rapidly. They are worth about forty
five dollars piece. l lose about three
hundred dollars a year. Sometimes
they get killed in fights with monster
rats. or wander through drain pipes off
into sewers and never return. AS soon
as let them out of my bag they scrim-
mage around cellar until they find a
rat-hole, and then they disappear. They
will 90 wherever rat goes. Having
but few bones they can work their way
through any building. Rats get terrors
stricken at the sight of ferrets, and try
to escape by emerging from the holes.
Then it is sure death for them. So
frightened do rats become at the sight
of ferrets that l have seen them time