The sun., 1893-08-04
WAR RONVERMINI In THE PARK
RATCATcHER HEGNER PLANNING TO
EITERMINATE THEM

ne Expects to XIII Cats by the Dozen,
Moies by the Score, Rats and Mice by
the acknowledgements Also Threatened.
Aratcatcher. with capacity Of several hun
dred rats, mice. and other animals day. will
begin on Monday to exterminate the rats,
mice moes, and the vast army Of stray cats,
which make their home 10 Central Park. He
has contracted to rid the Park within three
months OF every animal Chased as vermin In
| It He will begin operations by sending to-
| day to the Park cart load OF paraphernalia,
consisting principally OF traps square. round
| cylindrical double and single action. and some
| without any perceptible action. but OF that
sneakv sort which catches mole or cat and
| kills It before the creature realizes that any
| thing is happening.
The ratcatcher Is Frederick wegner. n small
man about sixty years old. Drowned and
| weather beaten from exposure but without
scar on his body. despite nearly lifetime OF
| work catching chipmunks. snakes, wood
| chucks. moles. dogs, cats. muskrats, water
rats. house rats, and field mice. He was at
work at his home. 3 East Second street. Wind
| sor Terrace. Brooklyn, yesterday. getting ready
traps and poisoned corn and wheat with which
to put an end to the good time the vermin in the
Park have had without m ole station for the last
eight years. Mr.. WeGner says he cleared the
Park OF mo!csfrom Fifty ninth street to Eighty
first street about eight years ago. and not one
has been seen in that section since
Mr.. Wegners traps are all OF his own inven-
tion. and his poisons are OF his own concoc-
tion. For his poisons he puts forward the
claim that they will kill no animals or birds
except those for which they are intended. To
kill sparrows he takes grains OF wheat. i'm
pregnates thom with his solution OF strych-
nine and q few other poisons and strews
them where sparrows will find them. Mr.
Wegner wants to kill some sparrows in Cen
trail Park. There are, he believes. 100 600 SPAR
rows In the Park. and he says they have driven
For killing m oes he has traps OF two m models.
about twelve years ago he has slain thousands
block OF wood hanging inside by two strings.
connected at each end of the cylinder with
IS ns 1tnf oahs ap ss
the mole's iurrow and as soon as he touches
i the danEIihhS Ing piece OF WOOD ths s6rinG catches
body, and he dies in half an hour. The other
trap is Of iron. and is more humane in that it
iusted on a steel bar. Four Of the prones
pulled up about three inches and held there in
position by deicntey arranged spring, The
get past the first two W e spears safely. but epon
renching the second pair no is apt to spring
The and drive four pieces % steel through
traps in the Park. and he says that each one
will catch mole each time it is set. The
stroyer. and Silis the grass By eating the roots.
He is also shrub eater and a DESTROYER OF
until after a rain storm. as It is easier to
fak II S4, thsn in fhs wes than
wood Cemetery 'h in two two years ears 'i'''s - '
His rat traps are his specia! pride. One Is
Oh.onT wire rs eaEe eensnng two
The second is designed to keep the rat in when |
he allows hi mseli TO be tempted by display of
he caught thirty-three rats in a barn in one |
night. The second night he caught forty-nve. |
f5sra and the third s night only five that being all
The arsenal. menngeries, tool houses: and
Ihe cellars 9i an the otnts ts SudlGgs G n @ tfs
eold-fashioned traps. ten and twelve rats may |
be caught in any Of them In night: Weener
building and to get about 200 rats every night. |
The mice he will destroy with bread and other !
iood containing poison. which only mice will |
rrt For cat cats double spring trap will he used.
covered with grass small piece Of fish f"vii viii
be fastened to the trunk OF the tree Just above |
-" II 2 ca. should be at the upper end OF the
and come down to get it. Then she will step |
whenI come around and shoot her. II dog |
comes around he will do Just as we'll rs a cat. |
III set q bout ten traps every night. and each
one will have cat in the morning. l killed |
more than 300 cats in Greenwood"
There is a kind of field mouse known as the
black mouse. which Wegner says is one OF the
ma: :. poison with which he has killed over
10000 black mice. For the big water rats.
WHICH undermine the lake banks and the
talks. he will use the same kink Of trap as for
house rats
Wegner was horn at Roethlein. Bavaria and
became II rat catcher at the age OF years. At
that time. his account OF It says. the village
and the peiehhoringg, grain feldsw were overrun
with field mice. The crops being in Ganger.
the town officials ordered that every citizen
should bring to them every evening forty mice
or pay a fine OF a gulien. forty cents
The number was aiterward increased TO a
hundred mice, and the fine to. dollar Many
rich people preferred to pay the fine. Young
Wegner made half a dozen traps on plans OF
his own. and succeeded IN catching from 800
to LOCO mice every day, which he sold to those
who had none.
When the mice had disappeared. Wegner
he was appointed special policeman in
Greenwood Cemetery about twelve years ago.
He then noticed that the shru bh ery.t trees flow
ers. and grass were in undisputed possession
OF vermin. He began inventing traps. and he
estimates that in two years he rid the cemr-
terry OF about 10000 small animals and 10000
sparrows
After serving seven years as a special police
man he was made captain. but he resigned q
year later TO become a full fiedged trapper.
he has stuck to that business ever since. He
cleaned the Evergreens Cemetery In Elizabeth
terry at Albany, He has also done work on
town. and on c. Y. Holt's place at Great Neck.