The state herald. (Holyoke, Logan County, Colo.) 1887-1921, 1893-03-24
r,oHr WITH A WHARF RAT.
He Was Monster aud Fighter From
Way Back.

| Way Back.
Wharf rats are, as you may or may
not know, much larger than the or
binary rat, and lately saw an enor-
nous one that had been killed under
peculiar and exciting circumstances,
says writer in Harper's Young
People.
A young man who lives in fiat In
Boston, fully three miles from the
nearest wharf, was standing before
the basin in his bath room washing
his hands, when he heard q noise as
OF something moving around In the
little closet under the basin. Stoop-
ing over he opened the door, when
out jumped an immense rat. II was
SO large that the gentleman at first
thought 1t was q cat, the light in the
bath room being dim. Tho rat
jumped into the bath tub, and the
gentleman climbed upon the marble
slab around the wash-bowl, and called
for his mother to bring him weapon
OF some kind-"to kill the biggest
rat in Boston," he said.
Finally his mother brought him an
iron carpet-stretcher, with handle
six feet long. She opened the door
just fur enough to thrust In the
weapon, after being assured that tho
rat was still in the tub.
"And the fun began" said my
friend when he told me the story.
1.-The moment / picked up the carpet
stretcher the rat was on the defen-
ssye. 1t was getting dark in tho
bathroom and lighted the gas, and
tho instant did SO the rat gave o
little squeal and jumped upon the
edge OF the tub. struck at him, but
missed him, and he seized the handle
OF my weapon and chung to it with
his teeth until could hardly shake
him off. When did shake him off
he jumped for me. was still on the
marble slab. and when he landed on
it l jumped into the tub. When l
struck at him the second time he
lodged the blow and made for me
again, squealing as loud as young
| pig. i didn't suppose that anything
in the shape OF rat could make such
noise. The families living in the
flats above and below ours heard him
distinctly, and came to ask what it
meant. Quite crowd collected at
the bathroom door, but I warned
them not to open the door.
Tho rat and l changed places
three times before could hit him,
and then his rage was something ter
| nil 1n Hn antau1al lp,Ia, Lu
and buried his teeth In the handle OF
my weapon. shook him of and he
tried to jump up to where | was. but
he fell short. 1t was wonderful how
he lodged my blows, and ! narrowly
escaped being bitten three or four
times. Finally pinned him down in
corner with the iron teeth OF the
carpet-stretcher, holding him so he
could not escape, but he fought and
struggled and squealed just as long
as he could, and he died with his
teeth fastened in the handle OF my
weapon.
Tho bath room presented CORY
appearance. There was blood every
where. The rat was almost as large
as u woodchuck. and he bore marks
Of age"
"But how did he ever get into the
closet under the basine" l asked.
That mystery will never be
cleared up in FULL" was the reply.
There was big hole in the floor
around the escape pipe OF the basin
in the closet. and he had evidently
made his debut through that hole. /
think he must have come from the
wharf through the sewer pipes. bu,
just how he brought up in that closet
| don't know. do know that he was
there and on tho war-path, md n
more formidable foe never want to
encounter within the narrow limits OF
n bathroom"