Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-07-27

ward, forming a perfect representation
of Il Tyre.
The cat has also five ears and three
sets of WhiskerS, the third growing III
like crest Immediately back of it:
nose. The ears are long and narrow
and stick up like fingers from tht
sides and top Of its head. When the
capitalists called yesterday they found
Joe giving his pet its afternoon lesson
The cat was standing on a tin pan OF
top of a table; attached to each ea
was a small bell, each differing in size
and tone. The ears were connected
with the five tails by thin strips OF
leather Joe was seated on a box
playing his fiddle.
The entering Of the strangers inter
rupted the lesson They urged him tC
go on with his instructions and, step
ping back, stood outside the open door
and beheld the most wonderful per
Torrance they had ever seen. Joe
sawed and fingered the fiddle, and by
calling led the cat to keep time on the
bells by switching its tails and stepping
upon the bottom Of the inverted tin
pan. Most of the tunes performed
were quite antiquated, but when the
band struck up Down Went Nc
Ginty," the audience yelled with de
light, and when the cords, the bells and
the tin pan breathed out the familiar
air Of Little Annie Rooney" tears of
appreciation streamed down the cheeks
of the enraptured listeners, and encore
followed encore until the touching
strains had been repeated as many
times as the cat had tails
Upon learning that the visitors
could sing and that they were con-
vGrSant with several Of the tunes he
knew Joe succeeded without much trou-
bic in getting their consent to sing,
himself and the Tyre cat playing the
accompaniment. One tune succeeded
another without 4 single discOrd on
the part of the singers or the per
formers. The cat showed it's strong
liking for "Annie Rooney" 'Sher-
mans March to the Sea- and ''John
I'IO W IL - IDO!il I4ISS AIOt1UClIIS III TIC
Grave" Next to these it's greatest
favorites are away Down i'm Dixie
and Yankee Doodle" Joe expects
by the end Of another months teach
ing to have the cat play THE Star
Spangled Banner"
At the conclusion of the concert joe
took his visitors out in the back yard,
where he has Il number of other pets,
among which is Il white crow, whose
vocabulary is as complete as the most
eloquent parrot. The crow has been
in captivity so long that it has lost
all taste, if it ever had any, of leading
wild life, and spends its time ours
ing and scolding the other members of
the little menagerie. In the back part
of the yard, in Il small picket enclosure,
is a cinnamon bear which Joe brought
home during the past winter.
The animal was intended for Joe's
Christmas dinner, but it took sick at
the beginning of cold weather, and this
saved its life. During the time he was
nursing it back to health Joe discover
ed that bruin possessed considerable
intelligence, and as it began to recover
he commenced a system of training.
He expects shortly to educate the
animal to a degree unsurpassed by any
other bear in the world. He also has a
pair of trained coyotes which he
harnesses to a small wagon, in which
they draw his supply of groceries from
the store, two miles distant, every
week.
The cat, however. is the greatest of
his collection. Aside from it's musical
abilities he has it trained to shake up
and make his bed every morning
"Once when [ had sore hand" he
said that cat set to work one NOM
ing, and, after washing it's front paws
and legs in the water bucket, jumped
up ON the table, wiped them dry with a
towel, and then set to and kneaded up
my corn cakes just as good as a
woman could
When asked why he does not take his
show around the country and give eX-
hibitions, Joe replied: strangers, I
had enought of circus life when I was
a boy. All / want now, for I'm getting
old, is to amuse myself and what few
visitors might call. Some fellows was
up here last week trying to get me to
take my family On to Chicago and
help'm with the worlds fair but l