The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1890-03-15
CATCHING RATS.
Banishing the Pests With the
Help of Ferrets. -
The Buildings Most Infested
With the Rodents.

iio" 10 you GEAR rats out OF
houseT asked a reporter of Louis Bos
sic of Philadelphia, who calls himsel
the champion rat-catcher of the Unite,
States"
First" said he, 81 let my ferret
loose in the walls. Then set my trap
and my dogs, and sometimes a net Xix,
this all around Showing long, loosely.
woven hammock-like metz. And ther
I'm there myself. The traps are bai.ed
with fluid having an unusual odor,
but one which never fails to attract the
rats. See, here it is" And he held a
small bottle under the reporters nose.
"What do you think it ism
''Smells like peppermint"
"Yes, and camphor and many other
things. The recip, for that fluid 1 got
from an old Liverpool rat catcher, and
no one but myself knows what inrre.
dients there are in it. Well, as l was
saying, the traps are set, the ferrets
arc loose, and and my little dogs are
watching for the rats. Presently they
come, and, if they are not attracted ill.,
to the cages by the odor, the dogs and
go for them"
"How long will 1t takc9"
THAT depends, of course, on a good
many things. l caught fifty-seven in
two hours-big fellows they were, too,
every one of thcm-last winter at
Evanss drug store. But that was quick
work What buildings are most in
Tested with Iat,. Business houses.
markets, restaurants and particularly
newspaper cffices.' The reporter gave
a jump Lou laughed.
There aren't many professional rat
catcLers in the country. Some people
say there are eight, but l think that's
too many. There are two others, be.
sides myself, here in Phllad phia, but
I'm the champion"
'What become, of the rats that YOU
catch in the. traps!"
"Oh, some are fed to the ferrets and
some are killed, and some are used in
the shooting galleries. instead of
pigeons. You know the law is against
shooting pigeons, but there isn't any
against shooting rats. These that l
have In this cage I'm going to give to
those hungry ferrets in the window, SO
as to show you some fu1."
A crowd had gathered about the
window, and as the reporter went ou:-
side to view the slaughter Lou"
opened the window from within and
shook two rats out of the cage down to
The ferrct5. In an instant the latter
made for the rats and caught one of
hem, the other escaping temporarily.
Running to the other nd of the wind ow
he made the most frantic efforts to
limb its glass surfaces. while the fcrrcts
It the other end dinei off of his un-
ortunate comrade.
The inner window was slid aside. and
poor old blind ferret was dropped in.
The rat made a jump at the ferret, who
etreated, stumbling about in a thor.
ushly blind manner. NJ. Rat tried
gain to climb the CLASSY surface, and {
he fell back the ferret was on him.
he rat shook him eff, and, having the
avantage of sight, and seeming to l
salize this. made a jump at the ferret.
0 1t went on for a good forty seconds, {;
rst the rat seemingly triumphant until {
he ferret would make turn and J
lake which for the moment gave him L
he vIctory. At last the rat got such /
Did that it seemed as though that fer. e
Us lie wasn't worth much, when sud f
'n'y he made spring and, winding il
IS long body about the rat, proceeded v
demolish him. o