Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-07-25

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 accom-
panied him as servant. He always
carried pair of ferrets around with
him to amuse his friends at private rat
bats. When | was twenty-three years
old Wallet returned to England, but
before going he gave me his ferrets and
advised me TO take up the business OF
rat-killing for a living. The first job
undertook was to rid old Matthew Bald
wins house, on the river road, between
Tacony and Bridesburg, of rats. Twas
there two days and got 800 for de
stroying over hundred rats. | met
with such success at this my first vent
ure that l somehow became imbue6
with passion for killing rats, and as
grew older the feeling rather increased
Now nothing suits me better than tC
spend n whole night in cellar anc
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 a hand, for con
slider myself as good as either of the
dogs, and between Pickle, Jack and mt
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 O
few weeks. From there l was sum.
moned to Fort Delaware. Would you
believe it; in little over month and
half killed sixteen thousand rats.
Nearly all of them were caught near
the pen in which the rebel prisoners were
stationed. used to pile 'em up in heaps
for the purpose of allowing the rebs to
eat 'em.
Eyes; eat 'em," continued old Jack,
as his listener expressed a doubt about
the truth of the remark. II 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. would
eat such a rat in a minute, but
wouldn't go n sewer or slaughter
house rat for money, cause they are
dirty. l 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. l
| have record for killing five rats in
thirty seconds in that way. have ac-
complished the feat hundreds of times
in the presence of many respectable and
wealthy gentlemen. That's how l came
to loose my teeth. used to draw out
rats teeth with my own when people
wanted to rear them as pets. Now
use a pair of pinchers for the purpose
~ hatter myself that no man in this
country knows more about rats or theii
habits than | do. | have watched and
studied their ways over quarter
of u century, and l think there
is not more cunning animal living
They will steal anything and eat theil
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 i'm this regard, il seems
/ am protected from harm. Take a lool
at my hands. There is not spot OF
them large enough to cover q 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 cause:
the wound to heal.
Ferrets are troublesome animals e
take care of. i have spent much money
trying to domesticatc them. but never
succeeded. | make a journey to En-
gland every year and a half for the pur
pose of increasing my stock rs they die
rapidly. They are worth about forty
five dollars piece. | lose about three
hundred dollars year. Sometimes
they get killed in fights with monster
rats, or wander through drain pipes of
into sewers and never return. AS soor
as l let them out of my bag they scrim-
mage around cellar until they find a
rat-hole, and then they disappear. They
will go wherever u rat goes. Having
but few bones they can work their way
through any building. Rats get terror
stricken at the sight of fcrrets, and try
to escape by emerging from the holes
Then it is sure death for them. Sc
frightened do rats become at the sigh
of ferrets that ! have seen them tim,
and again rush to the edge of q hole
look around i'm dismay, and then jumI
into the yawning mouths of the dogs
--Miiddeiphia Record.