Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-06-07
Lassoed Pat" on a Roof.

LaSsOcd Pat" on Roof.
Pretty nearly the entire tenemen
house population of Cherry Hill was on
the lookout before daylight yesterday
for powerful o!ang-outang that had
escaped from q stable in New York.
Cherry Hill residents have the repu.
tation of not being easily terrified by
anything in human shape, but when il
was noised about that ''big monk, y
capable of overcoming half a dozen men
and of climbing up fire escapes was
loose, the conviction impressed itself
on the minds of the Hill dwellers that
it was they who might be chased In
stead of the monk"
Women shut and fastened their win
dows and told their children to keep
away from the fire escapes. Hundreds
of men and boys, however, excited by
the novelty of the hunt, issued from
their homes at break of day and set
out on still! hunt for the brute. They
stopped at corners and cautiously peer
ed around the buildings into cross
streets lest they should meet with a
dark brown hairy creature, with fiat
tened nose, long upper lip, hair stick
ing straight up from its little cup
shaped head with long arms that could
give them hug that would remind
them of grizzly bears embrace.
The sun was half an hour high
and the imagination of the orang-
outang hunters was getting higher and
hotter everysminute when small boy
ran to the animal emporium of Donald
Burns, in Roosevelt street, and yelled
TO Mr.. Burns, who bad just arrived and
was about to set out on hunt him
SELF
"Mr. Burns, dere's big hairy an.
NAL a-settin' on de top NV stable in
Front street"
Burns realized in this faint descrip-
ton that the orang-outang had been
located. He knew the animal could
not be caught by the swiftest sprinter
and being an old frontiersman, who
has used the lasso in the Far West, he
determined to improvise a lariat. He
sent the boy for rope somewhat
smaller than clothes line. Then he
proceeded to the top of q high ware
house in Water street, the rear of
which abutted on the rear of the stable
in Front street.
Meanwhile the news that the oraug-
outang had been found flew up and
down the streets. Men came running
from all directions and soon there was
big crowd assembled in Front street
at the two-story stable. The crowd
could not see the animal, nor was it
particularly anxious to, not knowing
what he might take into his head to
do. So the crowd left scmi-circular
space Of respectable proportions in
front of the building.
All sorts of suggestions were offered
to Mr.. Burns, who could be seen from
his lofty perch, from which he could
look down on the roof of the stable
nearly thirty feet below and see "Pat,
as the orang- -outang was called, sitting
on the roof looking up to the Brooklyn
Bridge structure directly overhead and
blinking as the cable cars rolled TO and
| fro.
pat" seemed to be in studious
mood. He pursed his lips and scratched
his head as bridge car disappeared in
the distance, and was reused to eager
attention when another car rolled into
view from the opposite direction.
Slowly Burns tied moose in his rope
Then he carefully coiled the long line
and, advancing to the edge of the roof
cast the loop skilfully over the orang,
outang's head and shoulders. "Pat''
was fast. A boy crept up on the roof
and threw a long bag over the ami
mails head, and the capture was COM
plete.
The great monkey seemed to have
had quite enough liberty, for he made
no effort to get away and seemed well
pleased when he was back in his cage
once more and was given a hearty meal
The orang-outang had been away
for twenty-four hours. He got out once
before short time ago, but was soon
retaken. Two smaller moneys who
shared his escape were caught few
hours later, but what the big fellow did
or where he went during his holiday
nobody knows but 'Pat," and he will
never tell.-N. I. Herald.