Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1894-12-15
RAT CATCHER BILL.
AN ODD NEW YORK CHARACTER
TALKS OF HIS PROFESSION.

catchers in New York city, and only
two Of these have regular places of bust
ness. The profession has gone to the
dogs. This statement, while used as
metaphor, is also paradox. AS a mat
ter of fact, the business has not gone to
the dogs, but simply declined because
the state laws against rat batting are
very severe and are rigidly enforced by
the officers of the S. P. @. A.
In the "good old days" there was
money in rat catching. The professor, "
armed with his lantern and tongs and
accompanied by a humble apprentice
to "hold the bag" would sally forth
and make an arrangement with some
restaurant or stable proprietor to relieve
the premises of portion of its popula-
ton of rodents at so much per rat, gen
orally 40 cents per. An hour later
these same rats would figure in some
Center street or Bowery pit as objects
of the prowess of some fancy black and
tan or rough haired terrier, the admir-
ing owner Of it cheerfully paying 20
cents each, or five for 81, for them.
William A. Heitler, who claims to
be "the original Bill the Rat Catcher"
title gained in IS years service with
Harry Jennings, whose memory is kept
green among 1.-The fancy" said, in dis
oussing the decadence of his profession:
1.-The business isn't what it used to
be- Then we made our own terms and
made money at both ends. Then we
dealt with the people direct. Now we
have got to deal with the agents. If a
fiat is overrun with rats, the tenant
threatens to move. Then the agent writes
on postal card, Bill, rid this flat of
rats That is mostly daylight work. I
60 up to the fiat and set my traps and
keep asserting them until there isn't
anything to CATCH"
Don't you use ferrets?"
eyes, use ferrets in my business,
but not in fiat houses. Don't you know
that rat killed by ferret is just the
same as poisoned rat under the floor
or in the wall? l sell ferrets, but what
good are they? Now, when we clean out
a fiat, why, then, we sell the lady some
stuff to keep them out. 1t does the work
all right, only it drives them into some
other fiat.
''The real art in this here profession
is night work. 1t ain't really what you
would call artistic, but it is more like
sleight of hand. In the daytime you go
to the place and go all over the halls
and nail pieces Of tin over most of the
holes. A house is to the rats Just like
town is to people. There are avenues
and alleys.
Nov, just imagine that some night
lot of policemen would start from the
North river and the East river, stimuli
taneouslike, and chase everybody into
Broadway, and then set 'em all 60
ing to the Battery. Well, that's the
way we do with rats. We plug up all
the ends of the side streets, you might
say, and get them on to Broadway
1--WE do this by turning several fer
rets loose to stir them up. The cellar is
where I want them. There l am with
my little bullseye lantern and my long
tongs. The rat starts across the floor. |
hear him and flash the lanterns. The
minute the round light spot strikes him
he comes to dead standstill. He seems
paralyzed, and he won't move under
five seconds. Then is my chance.
eff / want to save him to try dog
with, reach forward, and with my
tongs grab him by the tail. If l don t
want a live rat-and there amt much
call for them now-I break his back
with the tongs.
THE biggest nights work ever done
was killing go rats at Wizards hotel
i'll Washington, When l got through
that job, felt like proposing to the
government to rid the wharves and
docks of the country of rats. Now, that
is all there is to rat catching. The work
isn't dangerous, except when you tackle
the rats on ship. When the Spanish
training ship was here, l took 1856 rats
off her. They were not Ike the house
rats we have here. They ere slim and
gray, with tails twice as long as their
bodies. They were as active as monkeys.
'"To give you an idea. l have lit
tie dog that has killed 80 ats in IS
minutes. Iput 20 of these ship rats into
pit with him, and at the end of so
minutes he had only killed seven. They
did not fight him, but they simply kept
out of his way. jumping over him when
he would rush.
But, as l was a-saying, the time
was when rat catcher had money to
burn. Itwas dull night that he didn't
clear his $50 or $50. Now he can t
make that III week in the busy season,
including what he gets for trimming
dogs ears, selling ferrets and things
like that. When you have to deal with
real estate agents, you ain't going to get
none the best of it. "
"Did you ever try the scheme of bell
ing rat? They say that will scare all
the other rats away"
81 only know this: If you put bell
on rat, he will be found dead in the
walls inside of two days, 1t is my be-
lief that the other rats kill him; but,
say, if you ever want to stir up rat
colony. catch one old fellow, smear him
with PHOSPHORUS paste and send him on
his travels
''In the winter l sell great many
live rats to the medical colleges They
use them in experiments. There is big
tannery over in Newark that gives s
cents apiece for rat hides. The skin
must be perfect, however.
1.-THE least tear makes it no good, and
it is hardly worth while skinning them,
SO many are rejected. They tan the
skin soft, like kid and tan it with the
hair ON. The skins are not used to make
kid gloves. They told me the last time
1 took 10 dozen over there that they
were used for lining gloves. -