Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-19
RAPID RATCATCHING
HUNDREDS OF RODENTS DISPOSED
OF IN SHORT ORDER.
How Houses Are Cleared of Trouble
some Pest-Traps Which Charm Their
yictims-Deadiy Foes Whose Work Is

yictims--Deadiy Foes Whose Work Is
Swift and SiIent-A Rat Business.
The man who took the contract for the
determination of the Stats Zeitung rats
was born into the business" and for the
last thirty five years he has kept quaint
little place in Fulton street Adolph Isaac
sen is his anne, and he is still to be found
in his store daily, though his son Charles
has succeeded him in active business. Sur
rounded b. his traps, ferrets and fox ter
riers, the old man is full of interesting
"reminiscences, and is always happy when
he can tel of some of his experiences 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. All, that is a good
question. / see / must begin at the begin
ming. 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 know
| ing. As soon rs she gets in the place she
| shifts around When she locates a place
where the rats have come out she just
turns her head to me and wags her tail.
| Then know she has found the place She
doesn't bark or growl, for she knows as
well as l do that we mustn't make bit of
noise or get excited. We want to Kill the
rats, not scare them.
USE OF RAT OIL.
''Then when we locate all the holes we
set traps to catch one if there are many
rats. If there are not so very many rats
we use & different method, which | will
! explain later. The trap use is the dou-
| BILE jaw game trap which is used for small
game. As soon rs rat is caught we kill
it and take it out and set the trap for an
other, for we watch the place all through
| the night 1--WE always work at night when
we catch rats"
But how do you bait the traps2"
1--WE don't. Now FL tell you a secret of
the trade We use rat oil, which we make
as follows: We boil about 100 rats in
| large kettle, and skim off the oil which
rises to the top. This oil is very pungent,
| and proves great attraction. We oil each
trap with just 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
| go TO the traps; Well, we can. We-walk
| across tie room, and after awhile the rats
| follow in orr footsteps. But it isn't so
wonderful Wien you know the trick We
| simply rub a few drops Of the oil on the soles
of our shoes and drag our feet as we walk
toward the traps Secs"
Tell me what you DO when there aren't
many rats"
We'll we take ferrets along in case
| ike that. After Kate finds the holes we
stop up all but two Kate, She watches
one. She's as good as man, she is And
one of my men watches the other Then
the ferrcts are put in, and pretty soon the
| rats beg Ii to move out.
| HANDLING WILD RATS.
Any rat that comes out at Hates place
is a dead rat that instant. One bite set
ties 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 rat
| walks right into it. lie doesn't grab it
| then or hit it. That would make it squeaI
and bite. No, sir; he simply lifts his hand
| gently with the rat in it, holding the ami
NAL as lie would a bird And the rat never
| moves or gets frightened. 1t will lie in his
| hand and never show fight or fear. He can
stroke l. and pet it H. If it were a kitten.
| y on don't believe that young man, do yous
| Come now, that smile shows me You think
| this is a whOpper But | assure YOU it
quite true There's something about some
men who have handled wild and shy ami
1 q
culiar power.
WHY, I've often done it myself, though,
mind you, don't say could do it now,
| oifhand, because | haven't tried it for
long time, and it all depends on the artfui
| touch. But my son Charley here can do it.
| Can't you, Charley; And my four men can
| do 1t. They never think anything of IT,
| Now, don't you see what an advantage this
| Is: There is no noise of clubbing or squeal-
ing. The rat is simply tossed to Kate, and
she never gives it "A chance to sQueal. She
| sends il to rat heaven too quickly for that
| This is important, for if there is any noise
or excitement it settles rat catching for
that night. They're cute fellows, these
| rats.
GREAT RAT SLAUGHTER.
What big catches have we made Well,
the biggest catch ever made was down in
| North Carolina. l won't say where but it
was big hotel in that state. The rooms
and especially the kitchen were oyerrun
| with perfect swarms of rats which came
from The mountains, and the hills and
country for half mile around the hotel
were owned by the ugly brutes. | had the
contract to kin them and brought four
men along with four of my best terriers.
We'll, sir the first night we killed 1,5O0
| rats. The whole town turned out to see
them. Well, kept POO alive, and next
evening ! invited party to an empty
room, where l had put two big cages hold
ing the rats. The cage doors were so ar
ranged that they could be opened stimuli
taneously. The men climbed on tables. the
four dogs were brought ill., and after the
doors were closed the cages We're suddenly
opened. Out poured swarm of brown
| rats. Think of it. POO in one room They
| crowd ed into two corners. and in less than
five minutes those four terriers had killed
| every one.
| We'll, the joke of the story was that one
man had brought his father, who was old
and bit nearsighted. When the circus
was over and l asked the old man how he
liked it, he said with surprise that he
hadn't seen anything, and wanted to know
whetf er it was over. The dogs had done
their work swiftly and silently, and
with so little fuss, that he never saw the
thing done New York Tribune.
| New Industry.
GueSt-So YOU are hard at work STUDYING