The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-10-06
IT HAS 100000 CATS
WAR BEING wAGED ON BRoOKLyN,s
BIG FELINE POPULATION.
The s. p. c. a. Engaged I'm the Work
at the Rate OF $50 n Day.

in Brooklyn and New YORK. Inc City OF
Churches has, according to the last cat
census. about 100000. distancing the metrop-
oils by several hundred thousand. But this
is only a fair division. because New York
has some larger members of the tiger tribe
to deal with than has this city. Such
creatures are hunted, however, only about
once a year. The Brooklyn S. p. C. A
proposes to wage war on nocturnal feline
providers six nights in the week. 1t has
equipped men and wagons for this purpose,
and they have recently gone to work to
thin out the enormous numbers OF homeless
cats that help make night sad for many a
sleepless Brooklynite. A Press reporter
went out with one OF the wagons last week
and found some very exciting sport. Be-
fore the hunt began Alex. Hughes, who is
IN charge OF the new shelter at Melbourne
and Nostrand avenues, and who is an ex-
pert on cats, stated that the noise made BY
cats at night are not the greatest obiec-
ton to them. Cats, especially stray cats,
are filthy creatures and they create, carry
and spread disease. With the fecundity
common TO all evil things the cats increase
rapidly. Mr.. Hughes thinks that much evil
would be eliminated from Brooklyn If the
whole multitude OF cats would dash after
the manner Of the biblical swine down Full
ton street and into the river.
On the night OF the hunt the wagon left
the shed at Z o'clock and returned to 1t
shortly after midnight with a load of cats.
1t had all kinds-sick cats, we'll cats. black
cats, white cats. kittieS- tame cats, wild
cats. spotted cats and tiger cats-but all
tramp cats. A band wagon going along the
street at midnight loudly playing a mix
Ball" would attract no more attention than
the plain, covered wagon did. There were
one hundred cats; and they had never
choice singers and some superb fighters
were among them, and many a moonlight
concert and mill must have been indefinite
This new work OF the s. p. c. A in
Brooklyn is a worthy one, but it is too
soop yet for the people really to appreci-
ate what is being done for them
BOSS MLAUGHLIN" CAUGHT.
OF the many exciting chases that night
the most interesting was the capture of a
big black cat. known as BOSS McLaugh-
lin" who is the king Of the City Hall neigh
borhood, and is well known not only to
newspaper men and policemen. but to all
night workers in that district. He has been
a terror there for a long time. and is the
boss" of the region round about.
This may be the reason why he Is called
BOSS Mclaughlin" but he is doubly en-
titled to that name, for when chased he in
varlably dashes up Willoughby street and
gets into ms hole there. The wagon had
tague. A white cat on the sidewalk stood
staring with eyes that shone like balls OF
fire.. 1t was looking at a black cat crouched
IN the middle of the street, its tail moving
TREMENDOUSLY from side TO side as If trying
to mesmerize the other. The white one was
endeayoring 10 escape. 1t was afraid to
make a bold plunge for liberty for fear that
the other would head 1t of, 30 1t tried TO
creep on gradually. 1t would move a few
steps, so would the black one. When the
white one could stand the suspense no lon
ger, with a terrified yell 1t leaped away.
But the black one. silent as death. sprang
after 1T with mighty bounds, and uttered no
sound until witt terrific force 1t overlook
and threw itself upon its victim. They
rolled over and over, biting, tearing. yell
ton Enough to almost drown the sound of
an approaching ]" train. The scrap
didn't last long. but when 1t was over poor
black fellow staiHed away. licking his chops.
ready for another victory. But the net Of
the hunter was spread for the Boss" and
ere now his breath has gasped its last in
No part of Brooklyn is free from cats.
for they distribute themselves over the city
with great impartiality and they all have
weird voices. At no season of the year.
not even in midsummer, are they heard
TO better advantage than during these cool,
clear moonlight nights. Gentle Luna seems
to bring all the romance and song out of
them. The nights are not hot enough to
make them iil-tempered, so there Is now
screaming than during the hot nights of a
few weeks ago. Fall has come, therefore,
to be among the cats the regular operate
torios, with solos, duets, quartets and tre-
mendous choruses.
But the season will probably be positively
the last appearance in America, or any
where else for that matter. of many Of
the local feline singers. for they are being
fought by people who don't appreciate the
cats conception OF Wagner, and who are
using too powerful forces to exterminate
them-the S. p. c. A. ana electricity.
HOW CATS ARE CAPTURED.
The methods of the S. p. c. A. in Brook
Ign, although new here. are not different
from those in New York, but a certain
Pacidc-street resident who has been a long
and earnest observer of cats has come to
the conclusion that they never sing con-
certwise unless when elevated on the roofs
OF sheds or back fences. His own back
fence is very high and has long been one
Of their favorite concert places. He has
thrown everything in his house at them
except his wife and children. but the cats
have always come back as II they had re-
ceived encores. At last ne tried running a
wire. through which he could send an cleo
trio current. around the top of the fence.
the switchboard being where he could reach
1t from his bed. Within a week every cat
in that neighborhood had secured engage
ments at other concert halls. Stray bands
come around occasionally. but one touch of
the button ends the evenings entertain
ment.
The record cats have made In Brooklyn
is a black one. They nave been known to
attack men in the city almost as boldly
as the footpads whom McKelvey's men
are now hunting, and not long since the
newspapers chronicled the death of a gen.
tleman from blood poison. whose thumb
had been bitten by a cat. Their vicious
ness and Righteousness Is well known.
II has not been many months since a pet
and caused the child's death. Only a few
short weeks ago. in the eastern district,
a big white cat with a charmed life went,
night after night, into a back yard and
stole each time a chicken. Everything
was thrown at him, but nothing ever hit
him. At last the owner Of the chickens
bought a gun. The thing kicked so that
he was disabled for several days, but the
cat got away.
OF course there are some cats in Brook
lyn that are not so bad, and there are
some people who love them dearly. But
these good cats are all pampered and we'll
fed. These give little or no trouble to
neighbors.
There was a lady at the Shelter for Ami
mails the other day who was almost CRYING
her eyes out because a wicked janitor who
didn't like cats had stolen her pet and
ables the society to kill without waiting
the forty-eight hours for reclamation. The
lives Of cats and dogs are often ruthlessly
sworn away by people who have no right
to do so. A spiteful neighbor will steal a
pet cat or dog and hand il over to the So