The Somerset reporter., 1894-11-29
RAT CATCHER BILL.
AN ODD NEW YORK CHARACTER
TALKS OF HIS Profession.

phorically Speaking In the Good Oid
Days Before the $. r. c. A.-The Pro.
fessor Tells Something of His Methods.
There are but six professional rat
catchors in New York city, and only
two of these have regular places of bu,i
mess. The profession has gone to the
dogs This statement while used as "a
metaphor is also paradox. As mat
tor 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. c. A.
In the good old days" there was
money in rat catching. The professor, ="
armed with his lantern and tongs and
accompanied by humble apprentice
to "hold the bag" would sally forth
and make an arrangement with some
restaurant or stable proprietor to relieve
the premises of a portion of its popula-
ton Of rodents ut SO much per rat, gem
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 oheerfully paying 20
cents EACH or five for 81, for them
William a. Hotter, who claims to
be "the original Bill the Rat Catcher, -
a title gained in Is years service with
Harry jennings, whose memory is kept
green among the fancy, said, in dis
oussing the decadonce of his profession:
"Tho business isn't what it used to
be. Then we made our own terms and
made money at both ends. Then We
dealt with tho 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.
go up to the flat and set my traps and
keep asserting them until there ism
anything to catch. :"
''Don you use ferrets?'
"Yes, l use ferrets i'll my business,
but not in fiat houses. Don't you know
that rat killed by ferret is just the
same as n poisoned rat under the fioor
or in the wall? | sell forrets, 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 worl;
all right, only it drives thom into some
lother flat.
"The real art in this here profession
is night work 1t ain really what you
would call artistic, but il is more like
sleight of hand. In the daytime you e
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 Il
town is to people. There are avenues
and alleys.
"Now, just imagine that some night
a 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 GO
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 a Broadway.
1--WE do this by turning several fer
rets loose to stir them up, The cellar ii
where | want them. There | am with
my little bullseye lantern and my long
itongs. The rat starts across tho 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.
'If l want to save him to try dog
with, l reach forward, and with my
itongs grab him by the tail. If | don
want live rat-and there aint much
call for them now-I break his bacl;
with the tongs.
Tho biggest nights work ever done
was killing 960 rats at Wizards hotel
in Washington When | 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. Tho work
ism t dangerous, except when you tackle
the rats on ship. When the Spanish
training ship was here, took 56 rats
off her. They We're not like tho house
rats we have here. They were slim and
gray, with tails twice as long as their
bodies. They We're as active as monkeys,
'To give you an idea. l have a lit
tie dog that has killed 90 rats in IS
minutes Iput 20 of these ship rats into
pit with him, and at the end Of 80
minutes lie had only killed seven. They
did not fight him, but they simply kept
out Of his way, jumping over him when
: no would rush.
But, as | was a-saying, the time
was when n raj catcher had money "a
burn. 1t was dull night that he didn t
clear his So or $50. Now he can I
make that III week i'll 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 going to get
mono the best of it. =
did you ever try the scheme of hell
ing u rat? Thoy say that will scare all
the other rats away
II only know this: If you put bell
ON rat, he will be found dead i'll the
walls inside Of two days. 1t is ny be
lief that the other rats kill him; but,
say, if you ever want to stir up a rat
colony. catch one old fellow. smear him
with PHOSPHORUS paste and send him on
his travels.
I'm the winter | sell great many
live rats to the medical colleges, They
use them in experiments. There is big
tannery over IN Newark that gives :
cents apiece for rat hides. The skin
must be perfect, however.
"The least tear makes it no good, and