New-York tribune., 1886-05-23
rHE RATCATCHER AT WORK.
NOW HE SHARES MIsCHIEvOUs RODENTS
. PAIR OF roNGs, DyLLs-EYE LANTERN AND
p.o-p2cIINE OF THy BUSINESS

. p.,R OF TONGs A DyLLS-EYE LANIEhN AMI
pAG-p2cLINg OF rHy BUSINESS.
..Wcit fill | strike light" said an old battle
.corred ratcatcher To TRIBUNE reporter w ~ "
dropped n big bag in the hallway o. n large ""I
ina in Sccond-avc. In a moment moro the c'."'s'
gleano from a hulfs-eyc lantern flashed III Tue u'u
ness. Holding the light in fronT, ho h'oNou e".'
t,cusIv 10 the end Of the hall Coming TO o'o' "'
raped on it smartly, and there was wiz 'N
perug and squeaIlng on the Inside , .,o ro+-
,n.t boar the bcautiosw exclaimed tDe ra'.
catcher. lyon want to see how pick then ny
Well If You'll not be frightened If one OF the i''-,
t.,In,.s s,.r.srr vour trousers leg and comes ou'
rrdcr vonr shirt coilar you'll have no trouoio,
Just sim in behind me like hash' anu
teo, vour feet moving SO that none u
tbom yct into the hall. That's the style NoU o"0
sot ont inst stand still and watch the lun'
The large bag was opened and one side OF IL was
loosely suspended from the ratcatchers 'oo'n
With one hand he held the light and the other sue
of the hap so that il could be easily and quicAy
ononcl and closed and III the other he held iaige
MIR of old fashioned tongs. There were ra's o' al
sizes and ages from the gray-whIshereo si""N
father down to the third aud fourth gene =:
They seemed TO have lost their heads anu i"D r,,
every direction, tumb.ing over one '"' tin,
old fellows followed around the basepoaru' 5r,
co lad
III e,d ,bc hole where they came in ou' IL nav
Iced bv nm ingenious self-actlng ueNice.
Wben they got settled down In pnIosoP"i0"i
snrit. not 20 worry until they found OUT "na' ~
was all about, the ratoaicher took p"ho
IN the fun. Moving straight acress tue ioon''
with the hight turned into the SHINING n,'o
eves on the floor, with the tonss ne qulcAS
snapped up rat after rat with great SKILL "hlo
gazing at the light, the unsuspectng rodents ui''
pot see the tongs and were seized and III the oaR'
hitting and scratching their friends ana feia'Nes'
before thew had time TO Wink their eyes, Anu
sucb a soucaliuc, Not one in the number attempted
70 bite the ratcatcher but they lowered around 'he
silent spectator with great show of familiarity.
Bui 10 harm was done, and in a few minutes the
,ast of the lot. little fellow Just out OF snort
clothos had his squeal stopped forever By quick
snap OF the tongS
.Now it's over" said the ratcatcher. JUST
n;n,teen all tod There will be more here to-Inor-
row. and thea the place will be pretty wei cleaned
out Where do these rats come from orlgnhaiy
from the sewer, and when the cellar floor Is not
made of cement or stone, they are sure to get lh'o
The house. When the track Is once opeued they
Keen 1t we'll beaten They go from the
cellar all over the house. 1he eaa
pipes in the wall make excellent ladders 1or
them to climb They are expert climbers Nhe9
2
tev can be got at 10 keep the Iats III one pdI
o. the house. II this canuot De done tDen wire
nets with sharp-nontet SIDES. are mIHI an
when they Talse he net and pass uhucI H. my
cannot yet back 90 the hole. IL TINS way lheY are
all CORA led in place 1t takes llle, as tcy arc
cnte and some of the old fellows cannot be led
into any sort of traps If there IS ANYTHING ID thelr
way. they Will go "a mile out ol theH course 10 got
around H. When they get III places Wherc Cahhot
reach them with the tOngS, generally siloOl
them with a small pistol. some Of the oid ieilows
the hardest 10 get at. The best tmhs Know Oh
with winch to treat these obstinate cluIens Is a
good dose of burning CAYENNE pepper Ms sur
focateS them Il they yet a trge With al me start
aud then the house suddenly becomes hlled with
sewer gas which disappears as soon az the
oarcasses dry MP and blow away; Rats breed rap
id V. and If all of them are not destroyed lhey Will
quickly oveTrun a house again
"" Ever been httcn7 A hundred times and more.
The bite docs not usually amount TO any'hing, ln
Rat. have two motions of the jaw IN hltng. ne
6Ist is soft and delicate and the teeth Just scratch
the object they have hold or. iheh follows Il
quick sharp. powerful action OF the Jaw, ana tho
eeuder teeth SIuk up to the gums ana stay there
This bite is dangerous; the first MP amounts 10
nothing. If the teeth have gone oerpN inl1 a. n ily
hand always suck the wound. lhs seems 10 keep
fhe swelling down. but always good dea oi pam
follows My ann has swollen sometimes, Wheh a
hungry fellow has given me mp, 10 twice us
nofnrol size IL strange. bat there Is no harm IN
tie bite of q weil-ed rat. frightened rat VIII
fight if covered, aud vlciously TOO. Inc way TO
grab rats that they cannon PIE, IS
10 seize them with strong grlp just PACK OF the
neck. Ihev Will howl ike stuck pls, but cannot
get away and are entirely under control
- / used 10 have ferrets 10 clean ont houSeS, nut
cave them up long ago. They are too expensive
and arr difficult 10 handle, and If savage VIII blte
worse than Il rat. An extra number nave 10 De
ken; on hand IN traning all the time. for when
turned loose IN house where the rats are large, one
or more viii be killed. They are just l. Se rats In
their habits and about the same slze, ana WIN a
good-,ized rat II Is only question oi Whlch eelS
Tie best hold first. Neither Will let Co. have mad
ferrers teeth fastened III nv fingers and their Jaws
trftt Naf he
with an iron bar. m
What Is done with the ratsF lneV are ellner
drowned or sold TO dog tancieTs, 10 tram dogs 70
catch Them or for use in some of the sporting
houses at rat-balts. some OF the choice ones
may get into the mysterious dishes srrVet
The business. however, Is growing less
every year Every house has It's own rap and on
every shelf IS plece of some well advertised rai
polsOn. This i undermining the business, ana
wbrre formerly could get so OF 90 for keeping
a house clear OF these mIschIevOus visitors. | am
glad now to do the same work $40 or so mere
are only three or four Droicssohas III the cry Ohc
Of them still uses the fcrTets, but he was telling me
The Other dav that he has SO little use for them
that hey die on his hands,
:" Yes, some ratcatchers claim TO be able TO charm
rails never saw a rat that cOnid be charmed,
fhough Pve often seen IT tried. The method used
is wlIstiIng or singing doieful song. ! he rat 5
will it is true, exhibit astOnishlnent at a shIHl
whistle but when the animal Is said 10 be uhdoi
The mv,teriOns influence of the whistler never
saw one vet # he was q little hungry, that would
moi send his teeth through your fEgcr Ju>t the
same rs If he had never been charmed lhls whole
business IS a humbug. and rs the experiment Is
tired ALWAYS with tame rat, people gel an ldei
that there is something in 1t and are duped."
d ROSY CLOUD or CIGARETTE SMOKE.
BOW An ENTHUsIAsIIC PATRIARCH GLoIFils
TOBACCO.
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