The morning news., 1897-08-28
STRANGE STORY OF a GERM.
How n Jerseyite Made a Pet of the
Bacillus of Cholera.

How n Jerseyite Made a Pet of the
Bacillus of Cholera.
From the New York Mail and Express.
There was a blaze in William street one
afternoon year or so ago. and was sent
out to take care of 1t. 1t did not amount
to much what 1 telephoned to the paper
filled four lines on the financial page. That
was the story I wrote. While on the as
signment important information was con-
fided to me. That was the story did not
write.
Adjoining the building where the fire had
started was a saloon and in it a public
telephone, which I used in calling up my
office. While l talked into the receiver
was overheard by a man who sat alone at
one of the little round drinking tables with
a glass of some greenish liquid before
him. He followed me out
Young man." he observed, Il credit
you with abilities too considerable to jus
tify your wasting your youth in chroni-
cling such small beer as a fire among
shaVings."
To this proposition I entered a cold and
guarded assent
Young man." he went on, 'I have a
story for you that will tear the town wide
open. l was thinking of it in there when
you entered That is where l get my
ideas"
From his pocket he pulled out the backs
of half a dozen envelopes on which he
had scribbled. This is about a friend of
mine living in a New Jersey suburb" he
explained. "Bill has been avoiding pub
licity and has never courted newspaper
notoriety but l want to tell you that he
has made big contribution to science
Then he began to read really remark
able story, giving names and dates, which
l have forgotten. 1t related to the re-
puted efforts of an ingenious commuter
to discover the true properties of the chol-
era germ, or microbe. He believed that If
he could eXaggerate its size he could study
it the more intelligently, and so he set
about by every means in his power to cul-
tivate specimen. His success was be-
yond his expectation. I recall substan-
TALLY portion of the account:
by degrees the germ assumed aston
ishing proportions. Bill felt that he had
the record when il was as large as a
spider When it had reached the proper
tons Of a puppy and began to show symp-
toms of intelligence his delight was un-
bounded. He had a kennel built for it,
and pampered II with the delfcacies of his
table, and still it grew. He said nothing
about il to his friends for fear of inter
ference from the health authorities, but
when one of his neighbors glanced into the
kennel and saw the strengthening watch
dog chained there he said afterward that
the sight of it struck chill into him.
after some mJnlhs the Germ had grown
so big that it was necessary TO erect a shed
for it, Al this time les appearance was
very like that of a bear except that it was
more shaggy and uncertain Of outline and
had no claws. Its disposition also was
similar, and Bill taugt it to do many of
the same tricks. 1t would rise on its Find
feet and prance around in a clumsy dance
when he b.ew a harmonica. When he held
out stick horizontally it would jump over
it.. He dubbed his strange pet Dick, and
il would come trotting 20 him when il
heard his whistle. The monster learned
10 love its master.
THE Germ was very restless IN sum-
mer, and in the very hottest weather he
used TO quarantine il in a cold storage
compartment. The patient brute submit
ted IN good part, whining little when IL
heard its masters footstep. But Il was
noted that its temper was giving way in
its confinement"
With an account of a deadly struggle be-
tween the brute and Bill which the latter
terminated by a fatal blow over the heart
region, the recital ended. l noticed there
was greenish g.are In the eyes OF its au-
thor as he thrust the envelopes back into
his pocket and bade me farewell
When ] related the circumstances TO the
city editor he told me the story would
keep for a few years until science caught
up with IT, 1 douot II he believed a..