Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1892-04-21
AN ELECTRIFIED FENCE.

AN ELECTRIFIED FENCE.
The Very Distressing Predicament of Some
Youthful Marauders.
Agentleman who lives almost under
the shadow of old Harvard's walls, at
bridge, has for several years en-
ployed his leisure in "dabbling in cleo
tricity," as he expresses it. In his
home all the doors, drawers, and win
dows open and shut by this mysteri-
Gus force. Mrs. c., the gentle
mans wife, declares thatshe hesitates
to touch anything-eyen to lift d
hair rush-in his private room, for
fear it may be somehow connected
with a hidden wire. One of his in
yentions is unique, and has been the
means Of atfording him and his
friends no little amusement.
In his back yard are several fine old
pear-trees, which have sometimes led
certain boys in the neighborhood to
overlook the distinction between
meum ct tuum. Running along the
rear of the fruit garden is a board
fence, a hundred feet long, perhaps,
over which the roguish lads were
won't to climb when they wanted
pears, and which, likewise, too fire.
Quently formed the stage for concert
giving cats.
On the top Of this fence Mr. C
tackled strips Of zinc, which were con-
nected with the electric wires leading
to the house. BY pressing button a
more or less strong charge of cleo
tricity could be sent through the zinc,
odd sections of which were united to
the earth by means Of wires.
: Unsuspecting cats would run along
the fence, and the moment their fore
feet touched the non-insulated zine
AN astonished feline rose from one to
three feet into the air, sometimes to
ito descend with all four feet out
stretched as if to fly. If the unluclly
cat in falling CHANGED to hit the zinc
again the performance was apt to be
repeated with variations. The instant
puss touched solid earth she would
utter one shrill meow of terror and
dart away.
One afternoon during the past fall
Mr.. C was sitting in his room
when, CHANGING to look from the win
dow, he spied boy in the act Of
climbing the fence. his hands resting
on the zinc. Mr.. C Immediately
recognized him as one of the purloin-
ers of his pears. He put his finger on
the electric button, and the next mo-
ment a startled boy jumped back
wards and tried to let go his hold on
the fence.
J But electricity had set itsgrip upon
his hands, and he was as powerless to
get away as he would be to throw
down Bunker Hill Monument with a
puff of his breath.
! He kicked, he pulled backwards, he
struggled this way and that, and fin
ally in despair, he shouted Justify for
help.
Mr.. C watched the lad for a
time, and then, thinking he had pun
ished him sufficiently, removed his
finger from the button and released
him from electrical durance. The
boy, meantime, had caught a glimpse
of Mr.. C-'s smiling face at the
window, and connected him with his
own peculiar sensations. He gave
vent to his feelings, therefore, in an
angry threat that he and the boys
would 'tear the old fence down" and
ran off.
A few minutes later half dozen
ragged looking urchins,. led by the
electrified BOY of a few minutes be-
fore, were seen approaching the fence,
as if with a determination to tear it
down.
Mr.. c. IS finger sought the cleo
trio button. One of the ragamutfins
put his hands on the fence, and that
instant uttered shrek of pain and
terror. Electricity had caught him!
His comrades stopped just lcng
enough to see that the boy was held
fast, and took to their heels and de-
serted in a body. Mr.. C gave the
frightened lad few words of advice
and then suffered him to depart. Not
a pear was disturbed after that, nor
has he since known of boys at
tempting to climb that electrical
fence