The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-09-22
Sewer Rats M Bar.

Ell have caught and Killed plenty u
big rs.s in my time bat the biggest
ones were captured along the wharves.'"
said OLD Jack Gregory, or English
Jack" as he is called by his acquaint-
ances. Gregory Is, . little old fellow.
not more than five feet in height, and
pressing close upon his sixheth year
He lives in Camden, on William street.
below Roydon. When be starts out on
his rat-catching expeditions he is al:
ways accompanied by two little Scotch
terriers chained together. With box
of ferrets thrown over his, shoulder,
English Jack~ presents an odd pict
ure.
81 have followed rat-catching for 8
living for forty years." said Gregory,
"but the most vicious. chaps are gen
orally found along the wharves- neal
where the sewers empty into the river.
They grow up in the sewers and event
ually find their way 10 the waters edge,
and there they settle, permsuently OF
else take up quarters ia the warehouses
near the docks. don't mind 8 job O,
clearing a stable of rats. That's fun
for me. But when j am called upon 70
clean out q warehouse | always know
that it means tough work, with proba,
bly the loss of three ferrets. Nine
times ont of ten rat will run away
from ferret, and when thew emery,
from their holes my dogs and l just Law
for them and kill them as soon as they
show themselves. But have had many
a valuable ferret killed by wharf
rats. The rats being used to eating
garbage, greedily devour everything
they come across, and grow to be
tremendously large. / have seen lots
that were as big as cats, and -fero-
cious fellows they were, too. remem.
Der once of pitched battle that took
place between three of my ferrets and
five rats down at the sugar-boiling
house on Delaware avenue, below
South street. Each rat was from
fifteen to eighteen inches in length,
and must have weighed from four te
five pounds apiece. They had il hot
and heavy for quarter of an hour.
The ferrets fairly chewed the rats to
pieces. and came out victorious,
though they got severely bitten them
selves. subsequently, one of the fer.
rets died. That night / succeeded il
killing ninety rats. But l have seer
larger rats than those in my time. A
few years ago nv dogs caught a n
down at the Washington avenue grair
elevator which was much bigger lhar
cat. 1t was two feet long. and
weighed twelve pounds. He mus
have been quite old, and unusually fat
guess he was the king rat about tn,
elevator. was very anxious 10 cap
ture him alive, and it was hard work tc
! drive the dogs Of. so eager were they
them hard, Notwithstanding his age,
and the dogs had their dander up.
managed TO drag them away, and tier
/ threw 9 net around him and brought
him home to Camden. / doctorei him,
for three weeks and his wounds healed
pretty well. A saloon-keeper near the
old navy-yard made me an offer OF
twenty dollars, and sold the rat "a
him to place en- exhibition. He did not
make much by the venture, as the
saloon-keeper S wife was afraid or tia
big rat, and, being anxious to get rid
of the animal, poisoned il. While the
animal was on exhibition there was a
sign displayed on the iron cage in
which it was confined, saving: Don't
fool with the rat This Injunction was
rather unnecessary, for all the Gus
toners willingly refrained from poking
their fingers between the bars ID stir
him up. His looks were enough to
brighten folks. "-Philadeiphia Record.