Evening journal., 1889-06-04
RATS FOR A NICKEL EACH.
A BUSINESS THAT MAY BE PROFIT
ABLE BUT NOT POPULAR.

the catchers Go About It-Talk with
One In the BUSINESS
"Rats seem 70 be very plentiful when your
house is infested with them, but when you
need them, and are willing 10 pay 5 cents
each for them you find that they are scarce
enough said dealer In ferrots and other
small animals capable Of hunting or being
hunted, who lives with his uncompanionable
stock in a cellar In Harlem. 81 have only
eleven rats ON hand at present, and one Of
them has sore throat-a common disease
among the tribe-and how | am 70 hll an
order for fifty, to be delivered in Jersey City
the day after tomorrow, Is more than can
| tell
"What do want them for = Why, to sell
them to the owners Of rafting dogs, OF course
| generally dispose OF only half dozen OF so
at time, 10 some one who merely wants to
test his terriers powers, or TO treat him TO a
little private exercise. but when rafting
mitch, as the sport is called, is to come of,
often receive an order for couple Of hun
dred or more Each owner provides the rats
for an opponents dog, and they all want the
| healrhiegt, strongest and most vicious ami
mals they can get IL Is not easy 20 supply
them, and like 10 get notice about a fort
night in advance, 30 that | can secure the
4ervices of half dozen rat catchers.
As the sport Of rafting grows more popu
lar Ia and around New York. the trade uf
rat catching is increasing At present there
are about score OF professional catchers In
the city They never do any other business,
and they are not very industriousat the queer
one they have chosen. You see II is not an
occupation calculated to draw out the high
est attributes and strongest forces Of mans
nature. and those engaged In It soon fall into
rat like habits Of their own. | don't know
whether !, is mere Imagination on my part
or not, tut il certainly seems 10 me that their
faces gradually assume the contour OF the
tats coantennnce When they are not a.
work they eredrunk, sometimes, too, they are
| drunk wton they are working, and they otter
are horribly bitten Rats fangs are said 10
be poisonous hut never knew Of any harm
beyond tho pain and, perhaps a little in
lamnatinn, to follow a bite Perhaps the
alcohol in the system Of tho catchers acts as
en- antidote, as It does In the case Of a wound
inflicted by a snake.
The trade might be made fairly remuner.
atye il It was pursued with more steadiness
There ure two distinct profits IN II. The
catcher If he should be SOBER respectable
looking man, whom persons would not fear
to leave alone at night IN their houses or
stores or stables. could always command
good fee from those who desired 10 free their
premises Of rnts, and you can readily imag.
inc how large that class IL In New York
Then there is no trouble found in selling the
animals caught The demand FOR them Is in.
variably greater than the supply, and good
prices are obtained FOR them.
VERY few rat catehers have traps Some
J use an instrument like long, slender pair Of
tongs, while others wear gloves, and trust
entirely 70 their hands Their mode OF work
Ing is the simplest thing In the world They
sit down on the door, which u strewn with
some food that rats like They place near
them saucer Of water. Rats seem to be
tormented with perpetual thirst, and every
one Of them win take drink before he re
} turns to his hole Whlls,hs IL drinking Is the
catchers opportunity. You may have no
ticed, when you have been watching a wild
rat, that so long as you do not stir the bruta
win show no terror. frequently he win ap
preach close to your feet, for he canno
recognize life in raotionleSs body; but tn
, instant you move, be II In ever 70 slight de
r gree. be vanishes like dream The catche
g Is as still as death until bis victim Is within
z few inches of him, either with his heaS
7 turned away, or 30 occupied IN drinking a
o 10 see nothing but the water.
I Then the tongs, or the Rloved hand, silentl,
l. and stealthily descend, and the rat Is hftet
d from the 1oor and dropped into a bag be
; tween the catchers kneea n he squeals Al
8 his fellows disappear as though the earth has
9 swallowed them, as indeed It has But, how
Z ever quickly the capture may be mnde, on'
D or other Of the rats In the room Is tolernbly
sure TO see it and 70 give the alarm Thel
the catcher must begin a new rigil He never
hes long TO wait, however. A rat must actu
( ally view or hear danger to detect it He Il
' utterly unsuspicioua, repeated warnings ar,
thrown away upon him, and nothing that
: does not appeal directly 10 his senses car
affect him in the least If no noise is made
{ he comes out Of his hole In a few minutes e
tempt his fate again. catcher could, and
! sometimes does, get hundred or "a hundred
, and fifty rats and clear tho premises Of the
I pests in a single night
, In London where rafting Il much moro
I in vogue then II is here. some of tha iancy
tried tyyreed rats They succeeded to a Ger
] tain extent, and produced grogt number
But they were no good Being ia fact DO
nostic animals, they wore not much afraid oi
Tho terriers, and the dogs, as a consequence
killed them in a tarly, half hearted way that
Q would have insured their defeat against time
l or rivals in a pit A big rat Is not rlwayi
Q the bCst. He n apt TO bs slow and to die
{ without q struggle. Tho largo fat sewer raj
/ Is generally overfed and can neither run nor
Q aght a medium sized animal, thin anc
I hungry, is probably ths best. When ho &
coruered be viii often spring at the terrier
I grip him under the lower jaw, out Of reac.
of his teeth, and bold on for dear lie. Il
I the dog knows his business he win waste NJ
q time In trying 70 scrspc him or with hi
paws He win 80 straight on with his work
killing the other rats In tbs PTS until tie on,
that Is clinging 70 bis chin gets tired anC
y drops od, when he win not DO likely to hav'
t another chanca
n "ssome people amuse themselves by hunt
Q ing raH with ferrsts There il not much
i sport In that rat viii do all he knows K
e rave himself when dog Is pitted sgsins
i him, but when he secs ferret ho feols tha
his doom has found him, and he bows to hi
destiny. A rat never makes an effort to e.
cape when bis Hnan natural destroyer ap
. breaches He covers on ths floor and doe
e not move when the ferrst takes him by th,
throat and proceeds 70 suck the blood out O
: his body, An, here's Jack hope be ha
a the rest OF the Jersey City order"
A Slouehy. frowry, lame young man en-
tered the cellar His face seemed 30 sippor-
the dealers theory. Tor 1t bore the impress O
his trade and some Likeness to bis captureS
n victims flo was catcher and be carriss
d the rats required about bis person. He drew
several from his pockets, aud many NOR
from the interior OF his vest, his Gap, and al
Z sorts Of odd places about bis clothing. The,
I