The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-12
DETERMINATION OF RATS.
How tho Pestilential Rodents Are
Lured Into Captivity by
Professionals.
Trars which Charm Their Victims
and Fees That Are Swift
and Silent.
An .sxnert Tells tho Methods of His
Business How Houses Are cleared
Of Pests.

THE hunting season is in full blast now
but as many sportsmen fail TO secure any
gamo with their expensive guns and meth.
dds, perhaps they will be glad to hear Of
fine hunting opportunities right i'll New
York. Tho only drawback is that the game
consists altogether of rats, but apart from
that there is n lot of excitement and salts
faction to be had, and a count of heads
will generally show surprising results.
Such a hunt was recently held in the Stats
Zeitung building, and 100 fine large fellows
were bagged. This Wholesale destruction
of the unpleasant animals has called atten-
ton to an odd and comparatively unknown
but thriving business, that Of the profess
sional rat-catcher.
The man who took the contract for the
determination of the "Staats Heitung" rats
was "born into the business" and for the
last thirty-tiv years he has kept a quaint
little place in Fulton street. Adolph
Isaacseh is his name, and he is still to be
found in his store daily, though his son
Charles has succeeded him in active bust
ness. Surrounded by his traps, ferrets and
fox terriers, the old man is full of inter
ing "reminiscences, and is always happy
when he can tell of some of his expert
ences in his rat-catching trips, which have
taken him all over the country from coast
to coast.
"What is the first thing you do when you
go to a place to kill off the rats?" he was
asked the other day by a New York Tribune
reporter. sab, that is a good question. I
aee / must begin at the beginning. Well,
we ask Kate where the rats are. You know
who Kate is? Well. Kate is the finest fox
terrier for that purpose in the whole
country. I've owned her for ten years, and
she is ii years old. and what she doesn't
know about rats isn't worth knowing. AS
soon as she gets in the place she smells
around. When she locates a place where
rats have COM out, she just turns her head
to me and wags her tail. Then I know she
has found the place. She doesn't bark or
growl, for she knows just rs we'll as I do
we mustn't make a bit of noise or get
excited. We want to kill the rats, not to scare
them. Then when We locate all the holes.
set traps at each one, if there are many
rats. If there are not SO very many rats we
use a different method. which | will explain
later. The trap We use is the double-iaw
game trap which is used for small game.
- oSSA tts " AAo Al StNSA WV nAA 1 v olu
take it out and set the trap for another, for
watch the place all through the night
1--WE always work at mighty when we catch
But how do you bait the trsps?"
I'VE don't. Now, I'll tell you a secret of
the trade. We use rat oil, which we make
rs follows: We boil about 100 rats in a large
kettle, and skim off the oil which rises to
the top. This oil is very pungent. and proves
a great attr action. We oil each trap with
a few drops of it, and that is quite
enough to lure them on."
And then this modern pied piper said:
'Do you know that we can make the rats
across the room and, after a while, the rats !
follow in our footsteps. But it isn't SO
when you know the trick. We
rub q few drops of the oil on the
soles of our shoes, and drag our feet as we
walk toward the traps. Sect"
TELL me what you do when there aren't
rats"
well, we take ferrets along in a case like ]
that. After Kate finds the holes We stop up
but two, Kate, she watches one. She's
rs good IS a man, she is. And one of my
men watches the other. Then the ferrets
are put in, and iretty soon the rats begin
% move out. Any rat that comes out at
Hates place is q dead rat that instant. One
bite settles it. But the man can't bite them.
Do you know what he does? Why, he
simply holds his hand near the hole and the I
'Rt walks right into it. He doesn't grab it
'hen, or hit it. That would make it squeal
md bite. No, sir: he simply lifts his
aand gently with the rat in it, holding the '
.nimal as gently as he would a bird. |
And the rat mover moves nor gets fright
sned. 1t will lie in his hand and never I
'how fight or fear. He can stroke it and
pet it as if it were a kitten. You don't be- .
leve that, young man, do your Come, now, !
nat smile shows me yon think this is a n
.hopper. But I assure you it's quite true. .
there's something about some men who !
lave handled wild and shy animals all their {
ives which gives them & peculiar power. !
Why, I've often done it myself, though,
mind you, | don't say I could do it now, off =,
land, because | haven't tried it for q long +
ime, and it all depends on the artful touch. 9
'ut my son Charley here can do it. Can't :
GU, Charley! And my four mon can DO it. i
ont you see what al advantage this is? &
here ia no noise of clubbing Or squealing. q
he rat ia simply tossed to Kate, and she +
ever gives 1T a chance to squcal. She sends Y
TO rat heaven too quickly for that. This :
important, for if there is any noise or ex- n
ltement il settles rat catching for that :,
light. They're cute fellows, those rats, :"
What big catches have we made? Well, Il
ne biggest catch | ever made was down in ~
'orth Carolina. | won't say where, but it =
as a big hotel in that state. The rooms y
especially the kitchen were ovorrun ;,
'1th perfect awarms of rats which came Z
the mountains. and the hills and Z
for half a mile around the hotel +
'ere owned by the ugly brutes. / had the !,
ontsact to kill them and brought four men n
long with four of my best terriers, Well, y
y, the hrst night We killed about1, 800 rats. a.
whole town turned out to see them. =
Se!i. ! kept 200 alive, and next evening / h
q party to an empty room, where I Il
"a put two big cages holding the rats, Il
ne cage doofs were so arranged that they il
ould 30 opened simultaneously. The men u
on tables, the four dogs were n
,fougnt In and after the doors were closed -
he cages were suddenly opened. Out "
onreo u hoard OF brown rats. Think of it, j,
~ IA one room. They crowded into two
ani III loss than five minutes thoae n
'nr terriers hal killed each one. :,
We'll, the joke of the story was that one -
an had brought his father, who was old =,
Id a bit near-BiGhted. When tina circ1a =.
as over ana / asked tho old man how he "
ked it, he said with surprise that he ha6n't =,
zen anything, and wanted to know whether ~
@fs over. Tho DOGS had done their work 10
swittly and silently, and with so little -
~ thht he never saw the thing done. Il;
no, we DON'T catch rats u~llye'for matches -
hat is nearly played out, and when a few 4
9 wanted tramp rat-catchors generally
pplg tAerl. But we mover did ANYTHING in
40 me. Old Jennings did, but he's dead
w. We only get o few now and then
leaa we want to try a new ferret or Il new r
,Fier. Come and look ct our forrets." c
young isaacsen pulled out some Of thu G
tie biood-thiiBty creatures. Ono OF n 8
aatltui yellow color, with pink eyes, /,
~, o%ao'4y IKE a snake as it glided 9
1tAl 1 faTrE TA ~. ~ -.