Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-03-24
FIGHT WITH A WHARF RAT,
He Was a Monster and - 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 ard exciting circumstances.
says writer in Harper's Young
People.
\ Young man who lives in dat in
Boston. fully three miles from the
nearest wharf. was standing before
the basin in his bath room washing
his hands. when he heard 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. 1t was
so large that the gentleman at first
thought it was a cat. the light in the
bath room being dim. The 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 u weapon
Of some kind--..to kill the biggest
rat in R"s tor. he said
Finally his mother brought him an
iron can pet stretcher. with handle
six feet long. She opened the door
just far enough to thrnst in the
weapon. after being assured that the
! rat was still in the tub
And the fun began" said my
FRIEND when he told me tho story.
The moment picked up tho carpet
, stretcher the rat was on the dcfen-
h>
bath room AID ! lighted the gas, and
the instant did so the rat gave
little SQneal 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 l did shake him off
he jumped for me. l was still on the
marble slab. and when he landed Gu
struck at him the second time he
lodged the blow and made for me
again, squealing as loud as young
pig. l didn't suppose that anything
in the shape of rat could make such
a noise The families living in the
flats above and below ours heard him
distinctly, and came to ask what it
meant. Quite a crowd collected at
the bathroom door, but l warned
them not to open the door.
The rat and | changed places
three times before l could hit him,
and then his rage was omcthing ter
rible. He squealed louder than ever,
and buried his teeth in the handle of
my weapon. | shook him off 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
a corner with the iron teeth Of the
carpet >tretcher, 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 i'll the handle of my
weapon.
| The bath room presented a cory
appearance, The"e was blood every
where. The rat was almost as large
as a woodohuck, and he bore mark:
of age"
"But how did be ever got into the
closet under the basin?" | asked.
That mystery will never be
cleared up in full" was the reply
There was a big hole in the floor
around the escape pipe of the basir
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 close
don't know. do know that he was
there and on the warpath. and 4:
more formidable foe ! never want t.,
encounter within the narrow limits o
8 bath room