Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-21
TROUBLE MADE ~ A MoxooosE.
Not Real Mongoose. and rhaa n Why n
Caused Mischief.

There was once o mongoose. II was not Q
real mongoose. Through . misunderstanding
report was widely published not long ago to the
effect that the said mongoose was going 70 be
imported TO this country under the auspices Of
the Department Of Agriculture. In fact, such q
plan had been suggested by certain cranks, who
believed that mongooses could be utilized for
destroying gophers and field rats in the west
Unfortunately. wherever the mongoose has
been tried it has proved horrible pest, being
very prolific and vastly destructive to poultry,
&c.
On the Monday after the article referred TO
was printed Secretary Rusk reached the de-
partment in his usual cheerful frame Of mind.
The first six letters referred to his attention by
his private secretary contained protests from
various individuals against the importation Of
the mongoose aforesaid, the proposition in re-
spect to which they had read about in the news
papers. This being the first intelligence that
Uncle Jerry had received in regard 10 the pro-
ject alleged to be his own. he felt annoyed Nor
were his feelings at all soothed when the post
man arrived a few minutes later with a second
batch of similar communications on the mon
goose. The next mail included very little be-
sides mongoose correspondence, and so IL con-
tinued through the day. fresh epistles on the
hour or so.
BY o'clock in the afternoon the Secretary
was in q condition of acute evaporation.
Whence, he demanded, had this astounding re-
port originated? The chiefs Of the various di-
visions were called in and Intercepted. From
the head OF the bug bureau to the director of
meteorological research. all expressed them
selves as entirely mystified. The customary
calm of the department was deeply disturbed.
and the gloom which had extended itself from
the building over most of the flower beds In its
vicinity was even perceptible to tho writer of
the mongoose story himself he approached
and entered the red brick structure at the end
OF 18th street at about the hour above men,
toned. Having ascertained what IVES the
matter. he thought it best TO go at once to Mr..
Rusk and TO explain to him that. il an error had
been made. he. the newspaper man, had com
mitted il without intention.
The Secretary. though decidedly angry, vas
Modified by the voluntary confession Of the
guilty party. and, beginning for the first time
to see the humorous side of the affair, laughed
very heartily over it. Probably he would not
have been SO ready to forgive had he known
what was going to follow. Incidentally he asked
the newspaper man how many papers the an
nouncement respecting the proposed importa-
ton Of the mongoose had appeared in. When
Informed that il had been printed in twelve i'm
portant journals all the way from Boston 10
Portland, Ore, he exclaimed: Good gracious
shall be getting mongoose letters for the ne xt
fortnight" To correct the mistake ~ far as
possible he directed Mr.. Hill. chief of the edi-
torial division, I'd send 4 short paragraph to the
Associated Press and United Press for publcs-
ton everywhere. The order to this effect was
given In the presence Of the newspaper man.
The next day. and for several DAYS after that
the Secretary examined the newspapers for the
purpose of finding this paragraph DENYING the
mongoose report. He could not discover IL
anywhere. Finally, after INDUCING in some
eogitation on the subject, he summoned Mr..
Hill and spoke to him about the matter. asking
him what he supposed had become of the para
graph. Mr.. Hill replied that it must have been
crowded out of the papers TO which il was sent.
This response caused Mr.. Rusk TO smile . sar-
castle smile.
Mr.. Hill," he said. "you are green-very
green. You cannot tell me what has become Of
that paragraph, but l know. 1t has not oc-
CURED to you to imagine what that smooth
tongued young man who confessed his respon-
slbillty for the mongoose report did when he
left here the other day. 1 will tell you what he
did. He went right down to the Offices Of the
Associated Press and United Press and had that
paragraph of denial which necessarily reflected
upon his accuracy quietly but effectually killed.
1t was never sent out over the wires, and that Is
the reason why it has never appeared in the
papers"
This suggestion struck Mr.. Hill as exceedingly
plausible. Desiring to find out if he had been
SO green as the Secretary suggested he took
pains to go to the United Press and Associated
Press and look up the facts. Fortunately the
happy idea Of having the paragraph of denial
killed had not occurred TO the mind of the news
paper man. He ought to have thought of it,
but he didn't At all events Mr. Hill obtained
ample evidence that the paragraph had been
duly sent out by wire. But it had happened
that there was a great crowd of matter on the
same night. and 80 it had only got into two or
three papers This was proud vindication for
the unjustly suspected journalist.
Meanwhile the mongoose business had rem
dered itself . nuisance of most gigantic proper
tons to the department. Every day, by every
mail, there was a food OF mongoose letters
Some of them asked for information on the sub
ject respecting the intentions Of Mr. Rusk in
detail as to the importation Of the mongoose-
when it would arrive, how il could be propa-
gated successfully. what sort OF an animal it
was, whether mammal or bird, what was the
correct plural Of it, &c. Most of the communi-
cations. however, assailed the department in
unqualified terms for contemplating anything
SO outrageous as the introduction of this abom-
Unable beast to America which it was soon likely
to render uninhabitable. So voluminous did
the correspondence become that it required the
exclusive attention Of a clerk. Finally Mr..
Rusk called in DIR. Merriam, chief of the divis-
ion of mammalogy, and told him that he must
take the mongoose business in charge.
"Mr. Secretary" replied DIR. Merriam, 81 am
Seals of Alaska 1 can do one of two things /
can give up the seals and devote myself to the
mongoose, or vice versa, but it is impossible to
do both"
Up to the present moment mongoose letters
are continuing to flow into the department.
They form a considerable feature of its CORE
spondence. Nine out of ten of them are of the
sort already described. but about one in every
ten is more aggravating than all the rest, CON-
ing from some person who proposes to raise
mongoOses as soon as he can get pair to begin
with. Not few offer to propagate mongooses
for the government and sell them to Uncle Sam
AZ q reasonable price for distribution where
they are needed. However, the climax arrived the
other day when announcement was made OF an
expected consignment Of mongooses from
the Hawaiian Islands, where, by the way. the
animals have been enormously destructive
The importation had been directly inspired by
the unfortunate newspaper article. Luckily,
the collector of the port of San Francisco knew
a thing or two himself about mongooses He
referred the matter to the governor Of Califor-
mia, and the latter wrote to the Secretary Of the
Treasury at Washington on the subject. The
Secretary Of the Treasury addressed an inquiry
to the Secretary Of Agriculture, demanding TO
know whether those mongooses should be ad-
mitted. Mr.. Rusk responded with most en-
phatfc negative. They will certainly not be
permitted to land, but the trouble about the
mongOose is by no means over vet, and it
affords an illustration Of the mischief which
may be done by false report circulated inno-
Gently and without intention, through q misun-
derstanding simply.