Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-06-06
IT WAS AN EVERYDAY CAT
But "Nlcodemus" Was Win
ner of a Show Prize.
AT MADISON SQUARE CAT SHOW
All New York Was Fright
fully Humbugged.
How "Nicodemus." Common Area Cat,
But with an Alleged Egyptian Pedigree,
Was Haunted BY the Cat Fancisrs, Who
offered from $500 to $4,000 for the
Old Brindle.
Now York world

Now York World
Bryan G.. Hughes, who entered the
"brindled Dublin tom cat Nicodemus"
in the cat show, with big pedigree Az
tached to him, showing that ne was de-
scended from cat the mummy af which
was found in an Egyptian TOMB, and
putting the price Of $1,000 on him, con-
fessed to a World reporter yesterday
that the cat for which he has I'D oilers
of $4,000 is fraud.
The confession OF Mr.. Hughes, who
makes paper boxes in wholesale man
ner at No. 242 Centre street, arf resides
at No. 40 East 126th street, 81 lows first
that he is an honest man and becondly
that New York is full OF gulible peo-
pie.
Mr.. Hughes doesn't know apy more
about cats than he does about who dug
the canals en- Mars. He believes that
cats catch mice and sing aftr sunset,
and there you have the extdht OF his
knowledge about them.
A few days before the cat HOW Mr.
Hughes was sitting in hPotblack's
chair on the Bowery, when a C lored boy
sauntered up and said
Say, boss, do YOU want to buy a
cat ~
"How much % inquired the paper.
box maker, who is always ready to
make trade.
"You can have him for drink,"
said the boy.
"Where did you get him 2"
IAN old woman down in Hester
street gave me n nickel to take Aim 10
the dock and drop him into the drink.
He made TOO much noise nights"
Mr.. Hughes remembered that mice
had been eating up his paper-boX@, and
he gave the boy 10 cents to take the cal
down to his factory and shoP the
animal where the mice could be bund
But the cat was too silly to be Of any
use as u mouser.
81 guess he must be an oman enta
cat" said Mr.. Hughes to his brother
AT any rate, he isn't useful. Pehap
he's meant 10 be looked at Lets snte
him at the Cat Show"
And so they paid the 81 entrance fe
and made up long pedigree for bin
put some flowers on the cage and tasge,
him as for sale at $1,000.
The names in the pedigree souade,
fine" said Mr., Hughes. 1--WE made
up as we went along. All the EXPERT
crowded round the cage and adliire
him. They put their heads on ondsid
and said, knowingly! Yes, | SEED hi
granddam was Coleslaw, out of Cal
bage, and you can't beat that blood. m
boy OF course Coleslaw and Cabaag
were names we invented. Then he
came around and wanted to buy;th
cat, and he was awarded a third piiz,
"Since the show closed | have bee
bothered to death with offers for h tn.
have had checks for $1,000 and 81 sc
thrust in my face. | have refused Glei
all, because am not in the bunco lus
ness, and don't propose to cheat an
one. AT the same lime | was hut
! modest about confessing that l,ba
fooled every one, for don't want to /
made unnecessarily unpopular
But two ladies' drove up TO my hou
on Friday in fine coach and offer,
me $4,000 for the cat. That morning
had received three letters and telegra
making other offers, none of them und
$1,000, and there was a crowd of ca
lhHSlcls uONu III INV OluCB LfylDR
bIibc their way into my brothers pi
vate room in order to talk cat to him.
told the ladies that Nicodemus was
teu-cent cat from Hester street. Th
laughed, refused to believe me al
raised their offer 800.
All / want is permission to live
quiet life in my own simple wa
| want the cat experts, the {
nongers and tho cat fanciers
leave me alone. I'm an honest man, a
they cant have my ten-cent cat
$1,000 That is final. If any more peoE
come around bothering me with tn
old money shall not be responsible /
the consequences.
This Is a full and complete 'own.u
and it is final. l want it to be believ,
Any one who questions my Verac
must take the consequences.
1T seems to me though, from the
fers I've had, that there must be a
famine in New York, and chance
some one to 90 into the cat business
1