The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-17
HE is A TERROR TO RATS.
Joe Peoples Seems to Exercise q Strange
Power Over the Pests Generally.

Joe Peoples seems to Exercise q Strange
Power Over the Pests Generally.
From the New York Sun.
A queer counterpart of the Pied Piper
of HAmeln has been visiting the sea-
ports of the Pacific coast 1altely, driving
or drawing hordes of rats from the
ships at the wharves and occasionally
from the warehouses and big hotels.
He seems to have a strange influence
over rats and readily flames and makes
pets of strange rats. He Dis not a rat
catcher for, while There is no doubt of
the horoughness with which he rids a
ship or a house of rats, he does not
catch ithern, nor does he care what be-
comes of them. die only undertakes to
drive them away. More than this, he
claims to be able ITO bring the rats back
again, and NJ is said he has done this I'm
two or three instances where a ships
captain, has played him false, and, be-
ing.rid of the RATS has failed TO live up
TO his bargain with the rat charmer
He is. or has been, a seafamdng man.
His name is Joe Peoples, though he is
known along the wiharves as Rough-on-
Rats. Usually he has pockets full of
rats-not pets of long acquaintance.
but ordinary rats, which he has caught
recently, and which he keeps ITO use in
his peculiar business. He says there is
no ant about handling rats, and that
they Will not bite If properly handled,
but either he exercises some strange
power over the animals, or else he has
learned a secret of handling them that
is not likely to he come common prop
erty. 1T Is the same with a rat as with
a nettle, he says. If you pick up rat
as though not afraid of III, the animal
VIII not bite; and III you place 1t back
upon the ground and 1et II run away of
its own accord lit will be equally harm
less. But III. having gone so far as to
get hold of a rat, you place IL on the
floor and draw your hand away sharply
the rat will, as likely as not, take a
piece OF your lrand away with 1T. At
any rate, this is part of Mr.. Peoples
peculiar theories.
How he drives ouIt THE rats he is will
ing to explain i'm part, but the main Sc
cret ne naturally reserves. He selects
lively old rat tiles "a little bell, like a
sleigh bell, with wire, around dts neck,
paints its back with phosphorus, then
drenohes Vt in some liquid not divulged,
and turns IL loose. The rat runs |
Through all dts accustomed haunts, but |
all its late comrades run ahead of ii. |
They don't like fits blazing back and it's |
alarm bell. But more than anything |
else, Mr.. Peoples says, they don't like |
THE smell III brings with him.
Mr.. Peoples doctored raus smell like |
a whole cageful of feTrets. Rats par
ticulanty dislike ferI'ets, and never stop |
30 investigate when There is the slight
est suggestion of one being near. Oqsdi-
mary rat catcheTIS corroboralte Mr.. Peo-
Piles I'm this The consequence is, and 1t |
Is a consequence i'm fact as we'll as in
logic, THAT the dootored rat drives every |
other rat before at, and where the doc
tored rat has once been no other rat
will venture afterward while THE smell
lasts, and Mr.. Peoples guarantees the
smell for one year. The unfortunate
rat with the bell. it's illuminated back
and it's terrible smell seeks dts old |
friends i'm every hole and corner, and
wherever II goes, Vt lis THE last rat that
will go there in year. Mr. Peoples
says he has frequently known rats ito
jump overheard DIN their efforts to es-
cape from "a doctored rat, and many
Witnesses bear him out in this state
ment There is mo question of his sue
cess in entirely clearing a number of
ships and warehouses ait Seattle. Taco
ma, Portland, Port Townsend and other
ports on the coast which were formerly
oVerrun with rats.
For his claim that lire can bring back
the rats there is only Mr.. Peoples
word. He names two or three ships ply
ing up and down the coast ON which he
had played his second trick The can
tains Told him, after the rats had all
eft their ships, that they guessed ne |
hadn't dome much toward DIT and offered
10 compromise. Mr.. Peoples says he
lust dooto'ed half a dozen rats with a |
kind of medicine and set them
Tree ON these ships, and scattered some
u the same kind of stuff about the |
holds, and he AYERS that I'm a little |
while there will be four times as many
rats ON the ships as formerly and he | .
VIII charge four times as much to .
olAATm them aN-ay ,