Morning journal and courier., 1883-04-26
The Slayer of 25O,OO1 Rats.
ALtfe Spent in Destroying Rodents rErn,,n tha PhiIadaInhia Racord l

From the Philadelphia RecordI
 "I've killed over quarter of million of rats during the past thirty years," said old John Gregory, or :'English Jack" as he is familiarly termed by the residents of camden The noted rat killer is little well built man, 53 years of age He lives alone at 416 Henry street. His only companions are his ferrets, dogs, and white rats to which he is greatly at tached. sPickIe" end ''Jack, his canine com panions, are two fine blooded Scotch terriers. When not at work they live in kennel in the kitchen. Their master values them at $500. For thirteen years they have been actively en- gagged in aiding English Jack" to make iv- ing by exterminating the rodents, and Grgery aptly says: ''They have chewed up more rats than any other dog in the world"
 After his visitor had been shown through the house t'English Jack told how he came to take up the disagreeable business: When lad, living at Nottingham, England, I made the acquaintance of Wallet, the Queens jester, who brought me with him to this country. Wallet acted as clown with various circuses for thirteen years, and accompanied him as
 servant. He alwaya carried pair of ferrets
 around with him to amuse his friends at pri-
 yate rat baits When was 23 years old Wal
 let returned to England, but before going he
 gave me his ferrets and advised me to take up
 the business of rat killing for living. The
 first job undertook was to rid old Matthew
 Baldwins house on the River road, between
 Tacony and Bridesburg, of rats. 1 was there
 two days, and got $100 for destroying over 8
 hundred rats. I met with such success at
 this my first venture that I somehow became
 imbued with passion for killing rats, and as
 grew older the feeling rather increased.
 Now nothing suits me better than to spend 8
 whole night in cellar and wBtch with Pickle
 and Jack for the rats as they come out of
 their holes to escape 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 I consider
 myself as good as either of the dogs, and
 between Pickle, Jack and me few ever man
 age to escape
 | During the war was summoned to Fort
 Delaware. Would you believe it in little
 over month and half killed 16, 900 rats Nearly all of them were caught near the pen in which the rebel prisoners were stationed. used to pile lem up in heaps for the pur- pose of allowing the rebs to eat lem.
 q hRtter myself that no man in this coun- try knows more about rats or their habits than do. I have watched and studied their ways over 6 quarter of century, and I think there is not more cunning animal Iiv- ing. 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 inconceivable rapidity. have often heard of deaths occurring by rat bites, but in this regard it seems am protected from harm Take look at my hands. There is not 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 whiskey speedily re- moves all pain and causes the wound to l heal
 tsFerrets are troublesome animals to take care of. I have spent much money trying to domesticate them, but never succeeded. make journey to England every year and a half for the purpose of increasing my stock as they die rapidly. They are worth about $15 apiecei I lose about $500 worth every year. Sometimes they get killed in fights with
 monster rats, or wander through drain pipes of into sewers, and never return. As soon ! as let them out of my bag they serimmage
 around a cellar until they find a rat hole, and