The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-13
RAT IN A THEATER.
Women Fled I'm Fright and Took Ref
uge on Balcony Chairs.
New York Herald.

~>cW IOIh
A mouse is bad enough, but when big
black rat gets loose where there are wom-
en- around there is bound to be excitement.
That is what happened at the Bijou The
raised on THE Golden Wedding" Friday
evening. Had the rat which then walked
into the main entrance from Broadway
appeared little later, when the lobby
was full of women, there is no saying
what might have happened. The rodent
was first discovered by rather an unsteady
young man, who saw the rat looking curl
ously around, as though uncertain whether
to go on into the theater or not. The
young man started in alarm, but was re-
assured when he noticed its color, which
was neither red, pink nor green. Then
there was a scream. One of two young
women, attended by an elderly gentleman
.'Oh, a rat a horrid rat!' she screamed.
The other young woman promptly caught
up her skirts and ran. The first young
woman jumped on chair, which fell
over, adding to the confusion. Policeman
Cahill was standing on guard alongside
the box office. He thought. of his pistol,
boy instead The rat started up the bal
cony stairs. Manager Rosenquest heard
the noise and Joined the chase: Halt
women at the head of the stairs. They
stopped to find out what all the racket
was about. They heard the cry of Rats"
skirts closely about them, fed into the
balcony and climbed on the backs of the
cna1rS, TO the wonder ana alarm Oh lHOSc
already seated. Some of the women in the
balcony thought the climbers must be out
of their senses, but when they heard the
ominouS shout from without of Rats
rats!" they showed decided symptoms of
uneaSinesS, and began to consider the best
way of getting on the backs of their own
chairs themselves.
An usher ran out just in time to inter-
cept the now thoroughly frightened little
animal at the head of the stairs. He gave
Ii kick and the rat turned upon the
broom brigade. Everybody hit at the same
except the rat. The rat made its escape
between the legs of it's pursuers into the
lobby. Another party of women had just
entered. One of them saw the rat making
straight for the protection Of her skirts.
She threw her arms around the neck of her
escort and tried to get behind him. He saw
the brooms but not the rat, and was some
what surprised until the other members of
his party began to scream. All ran out OF
harms way into the parquet.
The rat was firing fast, but was game
still. He evaded the kicks and blows aimed
at him. and finally reached the balcony
stairs again. Mr.. RoSenquest STRUCK a vi
cious blow with his broom just an usher
leaned forward to dispatch the rat with
stick. The broom caught the usher in the
back of the neck. The rat at the same
moment leaped into his face, but, fortu-
nately, didn't bite. The usher'S teeth rat
tied like caStanets. To policeman Cahill
belonged the honor of getting in the first
poke of his big broom, and the rat was
carried into the street in triumph.
s. 1t was not until an usher made an official
announcement to the women in the bal
cony. that the rat was dead that their alarm
subsidized. Some of them were uneasy, how
ever. all the rest of the evening, and looked
around fearfully every time they heard q
noise as though the expected more rats.