The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-05-14
RAT PIT In The STREET
Exchange Place Excited Over a
Terriers Encounter With
Three Big Rodents.

There was great excitement in Ex-
change place this morning about eleven
O'clock. A large crowd gathered in front
of Steup's restaurant, which compelled
wagons to stop and almost entirely block
ed traffic for some time. Motormen and
conructors ran up from the car sheds
and before the starter could get them
back to their motors the time for leav-
ing had expired and many cars were be-
hind time. People coming from the ferry
boats stopped to see the cause of the ex-
element and soon had the sidewalk so
crowded that it was almost impossible.
Rats! They were the cause of all the
excitement. The south side of Exchange
place block is occupied by saloons and
hotels and they are overrun with rats;
not the small ordinary house rats, but
the great big fellows which resemble
wharf rats. How to get rid of these
pests has long been a conundrum to the
proprietors of the hotels and saloons, the
solution of which came along recently in
the shape of professional rat catcher.
His methods are simple enough. He sets
a number of traps of his own patent and
make, which renders it impossible for the
rodent to get out after once in although
others can follow him in. Then he comes
around in the morning with a spunky
little terrier which goes almost crazy
when it smells rat. The cage is opened
and as the rat jumps out the terrier
pounces upon him and soon puts an end
to his earthly career.
This morning the professional called
upon Mr.. Steup and found in one of his
cages three doomed rodents. One was a
fypy iS o1Ixy
seen around an old wharf The other
two were large but looked small in COM
parison with the big one. The trap was
taken out into the street and the diff
| cult task of releasing the rats one at a
| time without letting the others go was
begun. 1t was necessarily slow work
| and the spunky little terrier carried on
about the cage as though he was mad
Finally the next to the big one dropped
out Of the trap and the terrier was on
| him in a minute. A vigorous shake OF
| his head and the rat was dead. Then
| the smallest one was released. BY this
| time the crowd had grown large, and
soaring him almost to death. The dog
| had to run around the man and this
gave the rat the advantage. He reached
the gutter, which, for some distance, was
| this the rat waded and swan uI
and down The terrier made sev,
efal VICIOUS SnatcheS at MIN Du1
as he was mostly under water
failed to catch him. The rat was safe
| in the water, but the crowd drove hin
out and turning he ran across the side
walk and disappeared into Steup's
| saloon The terrier saw him and was
after him like a flash In a few minutes
| he returned with the vermin in his mouth
| dead
/ The dog did not propose to let the bis
fellow get away and he kept close to thu
cage, When the, rat jumped from ths
almost before he touched the pavement
| He shook the fellow vigorously, bu
could not stop his screams. Again ant
1 satisfied it was dead released it. Thei
| wagging his tail in a self satisfactor,
| way he trotted up the street behind hi,
| master to look for more rats