Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-07-06
OLD RAT-BAiTlNG.
Little Peter Kills Fifty Rats I'm Eleven
Minutes and Twenty Seconds

Minutes and Twenty seconds
the downtown sporting fraternity has
witnessed for many long day took
place yesterday afternoon, says the
New York EUe1ug sun. in the rear OF
a well-known sporting resort not five
blocks from the city hall.
IL was tho first real old-time rat
batting that has taken place in "a long
lime. Every old sport loves rat bait
ing and the event had been quietly
talked of for several weeks past The
old-time round pit was dispensed with.
A small room. eight feet square. was
stripped of furniture and used instead
OF pit.
At precisely five minutes past
D clock the master Of ceremonies APP
preached with II large. square wooden
box. One of the windows was opened.
the box was thrust through il, and at
the same time the lid was pulled up.
Fifty round. fat rodents leaped into the
room. They went scampering away n
every direction. think ng that they
were at liberty. After making several
circuits of the room they finally nestled
n groups in the four corners
FIVE minutes after the rats had been
Jumped into the room the owner Of the
dog came in with nock-kneed. long
bod ed, and diminut ve-legged black
and tan dachshund. which, lie claimed,
Notwithstanding h 5 ungraiuly proper
tons. "cud eat dc hui" of dem in
.irteen minutes N not hat try"
The crowd OF spectators was consid-
srab!y disappointed in the appear
ance of the dog. They expected TO see
a clean-cut, sprghtly little Scotch
terrier. They gave evidences of their
disgust in pretty round terms.
Thirteen m nutes was the time in
wh CHI Peter" the dog. was TO kill
he rats. Poor Little Peter had not
sympathizer among the crowd. but
ne didn't seem to IN nd 4.
The window was again raised and
Peter caught sight of huge rat ~
I ran across the room. He became
almost uncomfortable. His long flap
ears assumed rampant appearan !;
his eyes shone ike beads. and his body
luivered with intense excitement. His
owner dropped him into the room. At
zen minutes past 2 o clock he literally
bounded onto the rat. caught il in his
mouth. shook it just once tossed it in
% the air, and sprang for bunch of
rodents which were huddled together
n one corner. Such scampcring and
,quealing! Rat after rat was seized by
the clumsy Little Peter" and tossed
nto the air. only TO come down dead.
The little room was perfect pandemo-
alum. Not sound issued from little
Peter" as he waddled with might and
main up and down and around the
room. In five minutes the bodies of
twenty-five dead rats and two wounded
ones bestrewed the floor As Peter
made a dash at a cornered rat the lat
ter jumped a foot from the floor and
grabbed Peter by the side of the head
with his mouth. and held on like grim
death. He was shaken oil. but jumped
At the dog again. Peter was too spry
'or him this time, AMI caught the rat
on the flv. That was the end of that
rat. The enthusiasm of the old sports
by this time knew no bounds. Many
were the compliments hcaped upon the
little dog. Bully boy thev shouted.
"Shakim up" "Hoorav. that's it,"
Great Scott, how does he do p" and,
amid clapping of hands and cheers the
spunky little dachshuni went on with
his war on rats.
Two more biz fellows were cornered.
and showed fight They sprang at
Peter" and hung 10 his sides like
leeches. Unm njful of them. the little
dog jumped into nest of rats, tossing
them into the air as fast as he could
catch them in his mouth. The two rats
VIII CHI chung to his sides were shaken
of and dispatched in short order. The
last one was tossed in the + at pre-
cisely twenty-one minutes and twenty
seconds past , O'Clock. making the
time in k Hing the fifty rats eleven
minutes and twenty seconds.
After the last one was killed, the lit
tie dog waddlcd over the battle-ground
to see that life was extinct in every
body. He WIS then taken out. Blood
was streaming from his mouth, but it
was from the rats. He received sever
al bites on his sides and head. which
were bleeding. They were doctored,
and he seemed TO be anx Gus TO resume
the warfare.