The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-05-22
JUST AN EVERYDAY CAT.
"NicOdemus," Prize Winner at the Re-
cent show, Il "Ringer."
New York World.

New York w OriC.
Bryan G. Hughes, who entered the ''brin-
died Dublin tom cat Nicodemus' in the cat
show, with a big pedigree attached to him,
showing that he was descended from a cat
the mummy of which was found in an
Egyptian tomb. and putting the price of
$1,000 on him, confessed to World re-
porter yesterday that the cat for which he
The confession of Mr.. Hughes. who
makes paper boxes in a wholesale manner
at No. 242 Center street, and resides at No.
10 East One Hundred and Twenty-sixth
street. shows first that he is an honest man
and secondly that New York is full OF
gullible people.
Mr. Hughes doesn't know any more about
cats than he does about who dug the canals
on Mars. He believes that cats catch mice
the extent of his knowledge about them.
4 few days before the cat show Mr..
Hughes was sitting in bootblacks chair
on the Bowery, when colored boy saun-
tered up and said:
Say. boss. do you want to buy cat?,
maker, who is always ready to make
trade.
"You can have him for drink" said the
where did you get him.
IAN old woman down in Hester street
gave me a nickel to take him TO the dock
and drop him into the drink. de made too
much noise nights"
Mr.. Hughes remembered that mice had
been eating up his paper boxes ana ne
gave the boy 10 cents to take the cat down
to his factory and show the animal where
the mice could be found.
But the cat was too silly to be OF any use
Il guess ne must be an ornamental cat"
said Mr.. Hughes TO IS brother AT any
rate, he isn't useful. Perhaps he's meant 10
be looked at. Let's enter him at the cat
show
And SO they paid the 81 entrance fee and
made up a long pedigree for him, put some
flowers on the cage and tagged him as for
sale at $1,000.
The names in the pedigree sounded fine"
catI a we
went along. All the experts crowded round
the cage. and admired him. They put their
Yes, 1 see his grandiam was Coleslaw.
out of Cabbage, and you can't beat that
blood. my boy OF course Coleslaw and
they came around and wanted to buy the
cat. and he was awarded a third prize.
cred to death with offers for him. ! have
had checks for $1,000 and 81, 500 thrust in my
face. l have refused them all. because / am
pose to cheat any one. AT the same time
was a little modest about confessing that
De h made ieO mnnecessspiy Unpopular. "' 10
But two ladies drove up TO my house on
Friday in a fine coach and offered me $500
three letters and d telegram making other
offers. none OF them under Sl0o. ard there
once trying to bri5e their way into my my
brothers private room in order 70 talk cat
to, him. couldn't stand II any longer,
cent cat from Hester street. They laughed.
refused TO believe me and raised their offer
$1os
''All 1 want is permission to live quiet
life in my own simple way. | want the cat
experts, the cat mongerS ana the cat
fanciers to leave me aioue I'm an honest
man, ana they can't have my Decent cat
for 81 900. That is final. ~ any more people
come around bothering me with their old
money | shall not be responsible for the
consequences
! This is a full and complete 'own-up.'
and il is final. | want II to be believed.
amy one who questions my veracity must
take the consequences.
.sIt seems TO me. though, from the offers
I've had, that there must be a cat famine
in New York. and a chance for some one
10 90 into the cat business