The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-08-03
She Stays Them by the Mil
lion and Sets the
Trap Again.
HOW SHE WON HER FAME.
Miss Annie MePeek Plays Peek-a-
Boo With New Jerseys Curse
"A Hint to Sufferers.

mysteries OF the art preseryatives of
arts" l took from the copy hook one
summer day the first take of an article
headed Amos Quito Murdered"
Let me remark. parenthetically. that
Plunkettville % was located not far from
the marsny banks of a Chesapeake Bay
tributary. Down there the rolling swells
Of woodland and open fields are pecu-
liarIy adapted to the culture of flowers,
fruits and vegetables, while the in
Vulnerable marshy streams are alive
with crabs, terraDins aud oysters and
every luxury included in the category OF
salt water fruits, and the air in July
ana August just teens with mosquitoes.
Among the Northern victims OF the real
estate spectators who bought up plan
tations after the war and sold them as
truck patches. the Jerseymen could best
withstand the ravages of the mosquito
'Mosquitoesl forsoothp' they would
say. why your Southern mosquitoes
are mere guats in comparison with the
famous Jersey mosquito"
| remembered this nine years after
wards when late one night, while work
ing ''at the case' on the Atlantic City
Revtclc, a. veritable gigantic insecl,
shaped like mosquito, came buzzing
around the light over my case
"What in Heavens name is thatgp l
asked, Of fellow compositor.
Had asked the location of the space"
box l would not have created more sur
prise.
That's a small sized Jersey mos
quito" said my ''side partner" with a
sardonic grin upon his face.
simply reached for my coat with the
intention of taking the first train be-
yonG the confines OF Jersey soil: but was
immediately assured that the flap winged
insect was but mosquito hawk. New
ertheless 1 soon learned to look upon the
Southern mosquito as a ''mere gnat" In
comparison with the real, genuine,
thoroughbred Jersey specimen Of the
long billed tribe.
But to return to the outrageous murder
OF Amos Quito" So graphically had
the editor of the Plunkettville Star
penned the details Of that horrible horni-
eide, l wondered after reading the first
take If a murder really had taken place IN
town the night before.
ONLY CHESTNUT.
A glance over the exchanges that
reached the Office that same day revealed
the fact that in almost every town within
radius of fifty miles some one by the
name of Amos Quito had been foully
murdered, aud there were apparently
enough corpses Of victims who bore thar
Identical name to fill a small sized ceme-
terry. / was not long In learning that the
Murder of Amos Quito was chestnut
in Southern journalism.
The furious onslaught on the descend
ants of Amos Quito by a sixteen year OLD
girl of this city throws the Southern muir
ders of his tribe completely In the shade.
Miss Annie McPeek, of No "a Waverly
street. modest. pretty and inotfensive
scholar of the Summit Avenue Baptist
Sunday School, has stained her hand un-
usually red with the blood of the Amos
rvfh A nj m. urn al
the enemy OF the human race. and his
descendants are likewise. This Summer
they besieged this section Of the country
millions upon millions strong. House
keepers and even the children Joined in
the organized efforts for projection The
wires OF the screen doors and windows
were doubled, but this proved OF scant
avail. rhe "armor clad buzzers" swarmed
indoors as well as outdoors, and the be-
sieged inhabitants dare not lie down to
sleep without encasing themselves in wire
gauze.
Like Joan of Arc guileless Miss McPe elk
girded on her armor and went fortn o
battle. Strategy appeared 70 be the enc
my's strongest bait and Miss McP
fought an army of them with strategy.
Though admitting that she admired the
"boldness," the DASH" and general
ship of the enemy, "his persistent. ma
lignant and altogether satanic ingenuity
upon his victim, Miss MePeck outgener-
aled him, and In two hours one after
noon last week, slew nine hundred thou
sand, nine hundred and ninery-nine of
the Duzzing, winged warriors. and piled
them up in her back yard Her fame has
gone forth throughout the land. and the
stragetic device by which she accom-
blessing to posterity.
Though not having had the good for
tune to hear her personally relate the de-
tails Of her magnificent achievement. l
traversed the battle ground in company
with her father, Mr.. Charles McPeek,
who explained to me the workings of the
trap his gallant daughter had set for the
enemy.
A NOVEL INVENTION.
As l CLIMBED down the rear piazza
steps Mr.. McPeek pointed out a large
wire clad arboE From it proceeded a
buzzing, humming, diseordant melody.
as though several street bands in the dis
tance were rendering Comrades" ave
won't Go Home until Morning" aud
"We're Coming Bye and Bye"
There's millions in il, said Mr.. Nc
Peek. Then he called my attention 20
door that led to sort of closet under the
rear piazza There was broken pane OF
glass in the door.
'sNow," said he, 'my daughter simply
beats these out from beneath that arbor
with a stick every day, At such time
mosquitoes will take refuge in such a
place as that closet. the door OF which Is
left open. Ia fact they will go anywhere
to escape the heated rays of the sun. and
as the door Of the closet IS the nearest
shady spot thousand of them when beaten
from the arbor swarm therein The door
is then closed, and a frame funnel shaped
contrivance covered with mosquito net
ting is then adjusted to that broken pane
of glass.
Towards night NV daughter puts a
smoking ash pan inside the closet The
mosquitoes can't stand smoke. Natur-
Rllv they flock for the nearest hole where
they can see daylight and thinking they
are escaping into the open air swarm
right into the bag of netting and are
pfiscners-see' They are then put to
DEATH
And this IS how Miss Annie McPeek
has achieved fame as Annie, the Mos
quito Killer"
Mr. McPeeK said he was puzzled awhile
as to how the pesky things got into his
own bed room when the doors and win
dows were all perfectly screened They
had actually climbed down the chimney
and made their wav through stoveplpe
hole t hat had been left open for ysntila-
ton purposes, and he thinks also that
the unsewered streets are regular breed
ing places for them
The Mccarthy Strong Eseapade-
The hearing OF the charges preferred
against Dennis Mccarthy, alias Daniel