Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-01-10
A MUCH SURPRISED CAT,
The Exciting Results of Setting on
Alarm.

A big six-toed cat which belongs TO
Jackson & Co, the furriers on IRE
mont street, set off their automatic
burglar alarm last night and created
no end of disturbance there. Pussy
is of a shy and gentle disposition, and
has never courted publicity, and the
attention which her actions drew TO her
last night has probably made her re-
solve never TO go near a burglar alarm
again.
Since the day of her birth she has
never been outside the store. In the
daytime she sits about in the store
and shameS the rich furs with the
gloss OF her own skin; and in the night
she prowls about, upstairs and down,
in a ~tireless search for rodents, for
she is a skillful ratter, and takes great
pride in keeping the store free from
these yermin.
1t was this providing last night which
was the cause OF her publicity. AZ
ter everybody had gone home, and the
store was dark, she went her rounds
without event until at about II o'clock
she happened to go down the cellar
stairs. If she had goDe down as she
Us, ally did, II step at a time, all
would have been well, but she prob
ably thought she saw a rat, and, be
Ing in a hurry, jumped for some dis
lance, ~alighting on one OF the bottom
steps. Never, never again will pussy
do such a thing. The three bottom
steps OF the stairs are arranged TO set
off the burglar alarm when any con-
siderable weight is put Upon them.
and the impetus OF her jump was suf-
fcient to achieve this result. In an
instant the whole store was filled with
the binding glare Of the electric lights,
turned on by the alarm, and the great
gong over the door was Changing out
its harsh warning.
The first persons on the scene saw
tile store brilliantly lighted on the liz
side and n temporarily insane cat tear
Ing about from floor to counter, and
from counte to shelves, in a vain en-
deayor to get away from the fierce
glare n the hideous noiee. People
gathered like magic. Theaters were
just oct, and the streets were more
crowded than at any time after 8
o'clock. Clear up as far as West street
the noise Of the gong could be dis
tinctly heard, and all the policemen on
duty anywhere in the vicinity came
rushing toward the store, followed by
the people from the theaters and the
omnlpresent crowd which seems To-
spring out of the ground when any
thing happens at night. In n few mo.
ments o another gong wa heard
and he patrol wagon came up Ire
mont street with thu horses IN the
run. and two more pair Iln'en hanging
to the seats. PatrOlman Burns, If Di-
vision 2, soon had the dor open, and
the crowd prepared TO see a number OF
desperate men dragged forth. A dill
gent search for the burglars began and
the store was ransacked from top to
bottom, but without result; and tho
policemen were finally forced to the
conclusion that 1T was the cat" Pa
trolman Burns stopped the alarm and
turned off the electric lights, but ne
could not quiet poor pusSy's n ,rves,
When seen at the store this morning.
the eats eyes were as big AZ saucers,
and she had evidently not nearly re-
covered from her exp ,rience of last
night.-Boston Transcript