The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-04-27
GREENUOOD'S TR4PPER.
Mr.. Wegner's Methsds er Catchiss Molss%
Cate, and Foxes Among the Graves.

Cats, and Foxes Among the Graves
A short, spare, wiry-looking man with .
Drowned face. trimmed with gray beard. who
wanders about among the tombstones and
graves in Greenwood Cemetery coatess. and
with small spade tucked under one arm. is q
familiar figure to many visitors there His
name is Fritz Wegner and he is the trapper Of
the cemetery.
Wegner says that In 1886. when he was IL years
old there was q plague OF field mice In tho
neighborhood OF Schweinfurt- on the Main. In
Bavaria. and that the farmers were compelled
by n special law to catch 100 mice per day each.
At the end OF every week. he says. each farmer
had to carry 700 mice to the burgomaster.
The farmers let out the contract to boys at
about seventy-hve cents per hundred mice.
Young Wcgner became very expert DUR
ing the year the mice plague lasted. Some
years afterward there came q plnguo Of spar.
rows upon bavaria and Wegner. whose atten.
ton had been turned to the invention Of traps
of all kinds. made himself famous for many
miles about Schwsnfurt by his success IN
catching the feathered thieves; Ho travelled
through Germany after that. Kidding houses OF
rats and farms ~ destructive insects and
worms. About 1870 he cams to this country.
IN 1876 tho directors Of Greenwood finding
, that tn" trees and grass nf the cemetery wore
that graves were injured by vagrant dogs and
cats. and that tho rapidly increasing animal
npnuutlOU oil I'lt cemetery WAS hilOketnBr tOU
employ trapper, and Mr.. Wegher got the Job.
M W ne SANS an 1 n,W
some of his statistics. Between 1876 and 1850
| he caught:
i4o@rronnh mice, 1853 chigmunk.; go, moes. 800
rats foA, nnd i""' rabbits
IL. did not begin to catch tho chipmunka
| until 1879. Before that time the authorities
would not allow them to DO killed: but he con.
WINGED them that those animals were rcspon.
hkA h,Afrn nj Rf I'm han ka
in the cemetery. During the last three years
he saws he has caught 10000 chipmunks. 5000
ground mice. 700 ground moles and $40 Gals.
his work llas been 2s.9Oo.
clirmunks 5G7 black mice i29s rats. IS
snnKes m , ana only y m"es: He 70
with which Greenwood abounded.
Each kind Of animal reIu res q different
| trip. and two-'nirds OF those shown 10 the re-
porter we're made to order for Mr. Wesner on
I his own models. It is said good books on
natural history mention Mr. We.ner with
His mole trap looks like, u short section OF
%%e m S ' %ch s die sii BY na aas
chops ont a place in Which to set his Trap IS" Sc,
| that with its open ends il forms section OF
tns %"s ,nn,"%ay b i. fits hs w
Coos about his business, knowing tia, when a
mole I strikes the trap ltYilI be Caught.
steel traHs, Of various Sizes. Fo9i Of some kind
is susIcnd"d from a tree limb directly over the
centre of the tran to reach tho food. Their
/ weight springs tho trap. and strong steel Jaws
ing Off with it. Meat il ' e, bait i' su-pcnIsd
"ysr r tra' ~ for os "nH 1s Load OYER
| in st"si traps. bu, rabbits ar. shared with thin
and very flexible strands .. wire,
In tho early morning, Mr. Wcgncr wandcrs
among his traps armed with aH air gun and
shoots the dor- and cats aud niusKrats and
wv hsn do" we" Comes III IN said Mr.. werncr
he digs at a." graves and rolls, on I'll" flowers,
don't kin him: turn him outsils tho gate.
Ne n" tfrHr do'sntbreak his legs lit only holds
when they are ,rapprd?"
-, No. sir tlnt's whore You arc, mistaken.
q it'll" growing. The dogs howl horribly.
,hepEh hays na ;hGs to 4s nd ths
Mol.s; are n: most dN';ruGiiye Of the ani;
lhe flowers Black mice ore bad too. They cat
while get sneke hr.c IRE, ' I""s " r'G qVrs
Al harnncss., l do not XII any Of the birds
TIL THTy s !" h e" H" NV and r% s"G tr,,a
INV n9 nGqr Killed t "m II ~ d" dM N.Y. n Tsy s
banks q tlIs AXE, aud lnn first iAing Nc know
| u mlnr ia'sin.
since IIs7f THO, me- NJ me horj"s' ,hinss to
trap know. Tine Irsi was l!" worst. l
purio! = e.ar tr.n III H." s'"ugd So that tho
adE. MY, LAY 81" t"N hld hccnn all around
tUrhod the 'rnp. ,rirj again Win live rab b.
nit If m m h. tooR the rd nr
will the directors say It they hear you cant
catch ihss i%xY w.nt 70 ,worx ana smoked