The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1893-04-21

handle the biEgcst md most vicious
mine rats just rs he plcases without
being bitten. Noone else III the mine
can do i, aud the miners and mule
drivers assert that johnny has mys-
terious power over the fonr-lcggcd
pests OF the mine. Johnny never hurts
or kills rat, although every other
laborer In the mine slavs every rnt he
gets chance to. mud tho foreman Of
the mule barn sets all sorts Of traps
for the rats, and keeps mn army o. cats
to prey ON them. Il is impossible to
exterminate the mine rats, and lvhnny
Roche says he Is glad OF II, because he
would be lonesome II all the rats were
killed The rats get into the mine IN
bales Of hay for the mules and by
backing down the timbers 81 the shaft.
They arrive and breed faster than tho
men and cats can xiii them and
Johnny Is cheerful whenever new
hatch comes.
Annn fond OF oddities found out the
other day when lie was lowered into
the mine that johnny Hochcls way on
catching rats with his bare hands was
very interesting. AS soon rs there
was no interval between trips Johnny
placed his lamp on chunk Of coal al
the side 81 1.-THE gangway and ceawlcd
onhis hands and knees into a chanbcr
n few feet away. ina minute or SO Il
big gray rat hoped along the top OF
the COB, between Johnny and the
light, and the next instant Iohnny's
right hnnd shot out and caught the rat
by the back OF the neck. He brought
the rat out to the lamp to let the
visitor see It and then he looked Ia It's
mouth, smoothed Its fur and held II up
by tho tail. A trip of cars was com
ing, and Johnny slipped tho rat into
his coat pocket, unlocked the link,
hooked another, took the rat ont, tied
a strand Of lamp wick loosely around
its neck and drove Il back and forth in
the dim light When tho lad heard
the next trip rumbling through the
mine toward him he fastened the wick
TO a prop and attended TO his duties
The rat didn't offer to ynnls away or
TO bite the wick in two, but IL hopped
about u little and then II sat upon It's
hind quarters. gazed Mt Johnny and
squealed rs though II wanted him to
come and fondle It
I'm catch another rat now aud
harness II with this one,n said the boy,
and again he crcpt into the recess and
faced the lamp. The rat danced
around the prop, but didn't break
loose, and just before the next trip
came Johnny nabbed another big rat
and put It in his pocket. As soon as
the trip was gone Johnny sat down on
a tie and let the second rat run over his
lap without touching IT. The rat might
have jumped away, but II seemed 70 be
under n spell, and when II had capcred
across the boys legs few times IL
crawled into his coat and snnggled mp
as II II was going TO tnisc nap. Pretty
soon Johnny took the rat ont and
stroked It and showed It's teeth TO the
visitor. Then he held IL up by the tail,
and it curled up and stuclsits nose be-
tween the lads thumb and finger.
Meanwhile the other rat was saueal-
ing for johnny TO come and take 1t,
and the young rat tanner got some
more strands, hitched the two together
and drove them up and down tine track.
Now I'll hide these rats in my coat
and catch two more said the boy.
Another trip came just then. and when
Johnny Ind unlocked II, he pulled of
his cont, bundled the rats mp in II and
crawled in the hole. He had TO come
out three times to attend to the cars
before he got the nextrat. but In TWEEN
ty minutes he caught another and
hitched them together as before. While