Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-11-30
srwE. RArs AT sAY.

II have caught and killed plenty
Of big rats In my time, bat " big
gest ones were captured along the
wharves," said old Jack Gregory, or
% English Jack" as he Ii called by
bis acqu.intances. Gregory Is little
old man, not more than five feet In
hight. and pressing close upon his
sixtieth year. He lives In Camden,
on William street, below Roydon.
When he starts out on his rat-catch-
ing expeditions be Is always accom-
panied by two little Scotch terriers
chained together. With box OF fer
rets thrown over his shoulder, Eng
lish Jack" presents an odd picture.
Il have followed rat-caIching for
forty years. said Gregory, "but the
most vicious chaps are generally
found along the wharyes near where
the sewers empty into the river. They
grow up In the sewers, and eventu-
ally fiLd their way to the waters
edge. and there they settle perma-
nenlly or else take up quarters Ia the
warehouses near the docks. / don't
mind a job OF clearing stable Of rats.
That's fun for me. But when | ain
called upon to clean out warehouse
| always know that II means tough
work, with probably the loss of three
ferrets. Nine times out of ten rat
will run away from ferret, aud
when they emerge from their holes
my dogs and / just lay for them and
kill them. as soon as they show them
selves. But have had many valuable
ferret killed by wharf rats. The rats
being used TO eating garbage, greedily
devour everything they cume across,
aud grow TO be tremendously large.
have seen lots that were as big as
cats, and ferocious fellows they were,
too. remember upce of pitched
battle that took place between three
of my ferrets aud five rats down at
the sugar. boiling house on Deleware
avenue, below South street Each
rat was fron fifteen 10 eighteen inches
Ia length, and they must have weighed
from four 10 i've pounds apiece.
They had Il hot aud heavy for quar-
ter of an hour. The feffels fairly
ehewed the rats TO pieces, aud came
out victorious. though they got Sc
verely bitten themselves, Subse
quently one of the ferrets died. That
night | succeeded in killing ninety
rats. But have seen larger rats than
those 10 my time. A few year. ago
my dogs caught rat down az the
Washington avenue grain elevator
which was much bigger than cat.
Il was two feet loug. and weighed
twelve pounds. lie must have been
quite old and unusually fat guess
he was the king rat about the eleva.
tor. | was very anxious TO capture
him alive, and IL was hard work 10
drive the dogs off, so eager were
they 10 put an end 10 him. lie had
fought them hard, Notwithstanding
his age, and the dogs had their dan.
der IN. managed to drag them
away, and then threw net around
him and brought him home To Cam.
den. ! doctored him for three weeks
and his wounds healed pretty well. A
saloon keeper near the old navy yard
made me M offer of twenty dollars,
aud sold the rat to him 10 place on
exhibition. He did not make much
by the venture. as the saloon keepers
wife was afraid of the big rat, and,
beiag anxious TO get rid of The animal,
poisoned Il. While The animal was
on exhibition there was a sign dis.
played on the iron cage in which IL
was contined saying: Don't fool
with this rat This Injunction was
rather unnecessary. for all the custo-
mers willingly rsffalned from poking
their tingeFs between the bars 10 stir
him ap. His looks were enough 10
frighten folks - Philadelphia Re
cord.