The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-04-11
A BLACK MAN IN A BAT PIT.
Catching Rodents With Bare Hands

Catching Rodents With Bare Hands
On a wager of $500 a colored man
named William Henry Lewis tried
on Saturday night to pick up and
place in a barrel one hundred live
rats. The articles of agreement
stipulated that to win, Lewis would
have to transfer the rats from the
pit to the barrel in sixty minutes
and that the work must be done
with bare hands and arms. Lewis is
Philadelphian and is forty years
old. He has had fifteen years ex-
perience as a professional rat catch
er. For five years he was employed
catching wharf rats in New York for
the well known dog fancier. Harry
Jennings. Twice in New York he
won money by picking up rats with
in a given time. On one occasion
he won $50 by picking up twenty
five of the little animals in ten min
utes. They were rats he handled
before and he escaped without being
bitten. The exhibition on Satur Y
night occurred in Frankford an If
ty men paid one dollar each to wit
ness it. After the match ended it
was limited that its managers had
put up no stakes and that the re-
ceipts 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 centre 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 centre of a
pen stood an empty whisky barrel,
the upper head of which was re-
placed by piece of canvas, with a
hole in its centre. The rats were con-
fined in three tin-lined, wooden Gag
es, which stood in the yard. As the
visitors entered the front saloon
they were introduced to Lewis, who
touched the flowing bowl SO fre-
quently that before ten o'clock,
when the rat handling began, he was
in a boastful but good natured state
of intoxication. There were no cards
of admission, but a man stood at the
door opening into the back room
and took a dollar from every one
who went in. A few minutes after
ten 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
borrow q watch Lewis climbed into
the pit. He wore sleeveless shirt,
darK pantalo6yis 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, which he believes will pre-
vent 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 into a
wriggling mass into one corner and
the Judges gave Lewis the word to
begin. He moved over to the pile
of rats and without an instant's hes
itation 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 ro-
dents in the barrel. The rats that
remained in the pit were wild and
he vas compelled to catch them one
at time. The first single rat he
picked up bit one of his fingers thro'
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 deft-
ly tossed into the barrel and then
Lewis was bitten twice on the right
arm. He received four more wounds
before the fortieth rat was imprison-
ed in the barrel.
A LITTLE TARTAR CAUGHT.
The judges announced that the
forty were picked up in twenty
three minutes. Lewis wanted the
.emaining sixty placed in the pit at
one time, holding that it was unfair
to drop in small lots, as he lost time
picking up stragglers. The judges
held that as forty had been pitted
on the first occasion that number
would have to be dropped in again,
leaving twenty to form the last batch.
Lewis worked with great agility, and
rat after rat was lifted and dropped
into the barrel with amazing rapidi-
tv. The fifty-seventh rat he attempt
ed to catch sprang into his face as
he stopped and bit through theman's
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 Ave 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 the pit. The
spectators were satisfied with his ef-
forts, however, and a collection
amounting to s22 was taken up for
his benefit.
"Father." he suddenly remarked, ,
as he looked up into the paternal