Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-08-04
Hrtthc Cat was Killed.

Residents in Ninth avenue, near Six
teenth street, New York. noticed q
heavily loaded truck halt close to the
casterly curb at / o'clock Wednesday
afternoon. The driver, a burly Ger
man, clambered from the seat to the
top OF the load, where rested a large
pasteboard box, perforated on all sides
with small holes Carefully lifting the
singular package, he held it at arm.
length for q moment, and then raised
it into the air with mighty kick,
which would have reflected credit on a
Yale full back.
There was a shower of shattered
pasteboard. q wild howl OF agony. and
the flash of something black and ami
mated whirlipg through the air. That
something proved to be an enormous
cat. and it landed right side up on the
sidewalk. with every black hair on end
and the glare of an iniuriated tiger in
each eye.
Henry Kollet keeps large barber
shop right in front OF the spot where
the maddened cat alighted. The doors
were open. Every chair contained a
customer, and Kollet himself was at the
moment in the act of applying bay rum
and talking politics.
With mighty bound the big cat in
vaded the shop. One terrific yowi an
nounced the attack, followed an instant
later by devastation and pauic.
The mad cat bounded over the de-
clning head OF q startled customer and
clung high up on the cup rack, with
claws which cut into the woodwork
ike points of steel Then, with great
effort, she threw herself into small
space between the looking glass and the
wall, and threw the valuable fixture
over with terrible crash.
Splintered glass and flying bay rum
bottles filled the air. Cups, brushes
and razors few in all directions. Ter
riiied customers, half shaved and coat
ed with lather, fell over each other in a
wild stampede for the street.
Kollet, maddened at the wreckage of
his business, darted in pursuit of the
bowling intruder 1t was mad race
that followed, aud, in the meteorc Cir
clngs Of man aud cat, the few fixtures
unwrecled in the first great crash were
added to the debris.
The rear room, opening into the
wrecked barber shop, is where Proprie-
tor Kollet sleeps, and into it the wild
cat finally started. there to turn upon
its purSuer. One look into the blazing
eyes of the mad animal convinced kol-
let that a single handed attack was out
Of the question.
Leaving the invader in possession of
the bedroom the unhappy barber took
counsel with his frightened neighbors,
who by that time crowded the side
walks, armed with fine assortment of
brooms, clubs, barrel slaves and kitchen
chairs.
Several attacks were made in raril
succession upon the entrenched cat,
but, cornered, she fought with tigerish
ferocity and clawed and fanged her as
saiants until they ran for their lives.
All night long the intermittant fight
continued until eight o'clock Thursday
morning, when victory perched upon
Kollett's banners.
When the barber ard his friends
found that in open fighting the wild
cat was their superior they planned
manoeuvre which proved successful.
Securing long pole they equipped
one end with forklike fixture. Care
fully pushing this into rear room they
gradually worked it toward the mad
dened cat, who slowly retreated under
the bed.
Then with a quick movement they
pinioned her against the wall, a strug-
Cling prisoner, frothing at the mouth
and tearing the surrounding woodwork
with her claws. 4 shot from a navy
revolver ended the fight.
kollet is cut i'll the neighborhood
OF 81 600 by the experience, and he is
searching high and low for the unknown
truck driver responsible for his loss.
The police, who are actively assisting
in the search, believe that the driver
had been hired by the owner of the
mad cat 10 dispose of it, and that he
selected the easiest method of doing
the work regardless of public safety.
Kollet's shop, the former pride of
lower Ninth avenue, is total wreck
y. !. Herald.