Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1883-03-28
A BLACK MAN IN A RAT-PIT.
Catching Rodents with Bare
Hands.
From Philadelphia Times, March 49,

From Philadelphia Times, March 19.l
On wager of 5000 colored man
named William Henry Lewis tried on
Saturday night to pick up and place in
barrel one hundred live rats. The
articles of agreement stipulated that to
win Lewis would have TO transfer tie
rats from the pit to the barrel in sixty
minutes and that the work must be
done with bare hands and arms.
Lewis is a Philadelphian and is forty
years old. He has had fifteen years
experience as a professional rat-catcher.
For five years he was employed catch
ing wharf rats in New York for the
well-known dog fancier, Harry Jen-
nings. Twice in New York he won
money by picking up rats within q
given time. On one occasion he won
$50 by picking up twenty-five of the
little animals in ten minutes They
were rats he handled before and he es-
capped without being bitten. The ex-
hlbition on Saturday night occurred in
Frankford and fifty men paid one dol
lar each to witness il. After the
match ended it was hinted that its
managers had put up no stakes and
that the receipts for admission were
divided between Lewis, his alleged
backer and the proprietor of the house
in which the affair took place.
THE SCENE OF THE CONTEST.
In the center of the room a space
eight feet square was surrounded by
tight board fence, four feet high The
floor was covered an inch deep with
sawdust. In the center of the pen
stood an empty whisky barrel, the up
per head of which was replaced by
piece of canvas, with hole in it's Gen.
ter. The rats were confined in three
tin-lined, wooden cages, which stood in
the yard As the visitors entered the
front saloon they were introduced to
Lewis, who touched the flowing bowl
SO frequently that before 10 O'Clock,
when the rat-handling began, he was
in boestful but good.natured state of
There were no cards of
bot man stood OF the door
opening into the back room and took a
dollar from everyone who went in. A
few minutes after 10 o'clock the pit
room was packed with men, some of
whom became impatient at the delay
There was no disorder, however, at
any time during the night. Two men
were selected to act as judges and
timers. One judge had no watch and
owners of time-pieces in the crowd
were backward about Offering to lend
their chronometer,
IN THE MIDST OF THE RATS.
While the judge was trying to bor-
row watch Lewis climbed into the
pit. He were sleeveless shirt, dark
pantaloons and brogans. The legs of
his trousers were tied around his ankles
so as to prevent the rats from taking
refuge therein His hands and arms
were covered with musk, whi3h he be-
lieves will prevent rats from biting
him. Forty rats were dumped from
the cage into the pit The rats darted
wildly around through the sawdust
and made vain endeavors to scale the
fence. Finally they huddled in wrig-
Cling mass in one corner and the judges
gave Lew the word to begin. He
moved over to the pile of rats and
without an instant's hesitation thrust
his naked hands and arms in among
them. He caught five fat fellows and
dropped them into the barrel. He
next picked up three, then four, then
two, and so on until six minutes had
expired, when he had placed twenty
one of the rodents in the barrel. The
rats that remained in the pit were wild
and he was compelled to catch them
one at time. The first single rat he
picked up bit one of his fingers through
the nail to the bone and hung there.
Lewis jerked his hand up and sent the
vicious rat against the ceiling. The
wounded finger was dipped in whisky
and the chase was resumed. Seven
rats were picked up and deity tossed
into the barrel and then Lewis was
bitten twice on the right arm. He re-
ceived four more wounds before the
fortieth rat was imprisoned in the bar
rel.
LITTLE TARTER CAUGHT.
The Judges announced that the forty
were picked up in twenty-three minutes.
Lewis wanted the remaining sixty
placed in the pit at one time, holding
that it was unfair to drop in small lots,
as he lost time picking up the strag-
glers. The judges held that as forty
had been pitted on the first occasion
that number would have to be dropped
in again, leaving twenty 10 form the
last batch. Lewis worked with great
agility, and rat after rat was lifted and
dropped into the barrel with amazing
rapidity. The ffty-seventh rat he at
tempted to touch sprang into his face
as he stopped and bit through the
mans lower lip. Without finching he
grabbed the little brute and tossed it
through the canvas cover. He lost
five minutes staunching the blood that
flowed from his lip. In picking up the
other twenty-three rats he was bitten
slightly five times. Eighty rats were
in the barrel and Lewis had but seven
minutes to pick up the remaining
twenty. The time was too limited and
Lewis gave up the job and got out of
pit The spectators were satisfied
with his efforts, however, and a collection
amounting to $22 was taken up for his
benefit.