The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-18
A FORTUNE IN FELINES.
West Virginia Island to be Stocked
with Cats of all Breeds and Colors.
From, the New York World

From, the NeW York World.
"How to Make Fortune Out of Cats" is
the title of new book which is to be placed
on the American market in a short time.
The author is an enterprising New Yorker,
who has made and lost several fortunes, and
who has finally come to the conclusion that
the easiest and safest way TO amass filthy
lucre is to breed cats on a stupendous scale.
Exactly how he proposes to heap up for
himself treasures on earth was fully ex-
planned by him to a reporter yesterday.
There is an island about thirty acres in
extent on the New river, in West Virginia"
he began. "Tbis island is partly in timber
and partly cleared, and can be purchased
for $1,000 propose to form stock com
pany for the purpose of buying this island
and starting a cat farm on it.
MILLIONS IN CATS.
eff you will think moment you will see
that there are millions of dollars in cats.
Say we start with 100, 900 cats, of which 25,
GOO are to be black, %, 900 white, $4,000 Nal
tese and 25,0oe of the common domestic
breed. In TIA C urse of a yer the number
of cats on the island will be increased to
100000.
when the animals are a certain age
they will be killed and their skins will be
dried and sold in the market. At present a
cats skin is worth ten cents. We fully cal
culate on being able to kill 1000 cats daily.
The intestines will be sold to dealers in
musical instrument strings, and the car
cases will be put into big watts, boiled and
given as food to the live cats. The bones
can, of course, be converted into glue and
afterward into bone fertilizers. In one
year we can kill 300, 900 cats, whose skins
will net us $4,000. Their bones will be
worth at least 20 ton, and their intestines
and carcases will also be worth a good deal
OF money. Remember, too, that by using
the dead cats as food for their live breth-
ren we are spared the expense of cat food.
FROM AN EsTHETIC POINT OF VIEW.
Just think, too, how beautiful rug or
carpet Of white catskin, with border of
maltese, would look, and how many charm
ing combinations could be made of the va
rious colorsl Why, ladies would buy them
py the thousand, and | am positive that
with an outlay of not more than 5000 at
least $4,000 could be made in a single year.
hope to perfect the cataphone at the
same time. The cataphone, | may tell you,
Is a musical instrument which is fashioned
by taking the tails of several live cats said
cats being of different age, sex and voices)
ana putting them through holes in plank
30 mat the tails are on one side of the plank
and the cats ON the other side. There is the
instrument, and the way to get exquisite
music out of it is to hire big strong Irish
man to walk up and down the plank As each
cat possesses a different voice you can read
ny see that the most difficult operate piece
can be performed with consummate ease.
now have spoken freely TO you ON this
subject, but may tell you frankly that it
IL no use for you or any one else TO try and
get ahead OF me, MS have already entered
ni.o negotiations for the purchase OF the
oihhd IN West Virginia, and have instructed
NY lawyers 10 secure patent for the cata-
phone When you want nice catskin car
pet or rug, however, send me word and III
NOT forget YOU
~, ~ these words the nineteenth century
pIek Wilmington went his way. II cats
orihg him ~ good luck as they brought the
2sAs Ms stars. II must be remembered,
toneyer, that the original Dick never In
sgsed IN a Wholesale slaughter Of grim