The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1897-06-19
Letters TO the Mice.

Milwaukee Sentinel: A fallacy enter.
eained by many people regarding mice Is
tina. house cats will kill them. This be-
lief Is proved every day to be errone-
GUS. A mouse trap is a more sure and
less troublesome method Of putting the
pantry's infcsters to death. House
cats. as times go by. are changing. For
merly they were active by day and Wig
liant by night. The tendency Of inn
proved civilization is to make them
sleepy by day n rovers by night. They
nave their whims nowadays, requiring
considerable attention. Perhaps the SUI
perior Intelligence Of the Martians will
make them useful. Cats in Mars may
talk for anything I know, and mice In
Mars may be SO large that they hunt
the cats. Both possess some Intelligence
and both nave folklore.
The probability is that the use OF cats
as mice eXterminators is comparatively
modern and a custom that originated in
: the occident. The story of Whitt.ngtou's
cat indicates that cats were scarce artl-
cles in the rat infested islands of the
east where the London captain traded
at the time the cat sold for four chests
or gold. No II who likes cats and
reads the story of this late day can re-
frain from a slight feeling of disap-
pointment at Whittington's parting
with his cat. He might not have been
lord mayor of London if he la saved
his feline friend from the fiery sun and
high spiced meats of Cathay, but the
chances are that lie would have come
to the front with meddling with politics.
The Greeks Were unq%uestionably over;
run with mice, and Bishop Hattie had
frn1lhlaS 0f hty nm, ,,,ttl. A. .~A. W..
latter hard hearted prelate lost wealth,
dignity and life. but the Greeks had u
peaceable and gentlemanly method of
dealing with mice tina is rather unique.
When a cellar of a granary was overrun
with mice the Greek superstition die
tated that a letter be written in large
readable ancient Greek characters, with
thse words:
Il adjure you, we mice. now present.
neither to injure me nor LET others do
so. l give you yonder field (specifying
one not too far OFF and if ever l catch
you here l swear by the mother Of the
gods l Will tear you into seven pieces"
The paper containing these words was
TO be placed on a large rock in the field
with the writing uppermost. 1t was be-
ileNed to be efttcacious, and no doubt
there were cases that could be pointed
to in proving the proposition.
People Of the present day. after wag-
ing fruitless and Intellectual war against
the rats with poison and ice picks,
sometimes try writing letters to them
after h style of the Greek letter, al
though not in the same words. l have
a case on unimpeachable authority, told
me last week. 1t occurred in Milwau-
kee. A housekeeper on Grand avenue
found that there were many rats in the
cellar II store room. She wrote a let
ter addressed to the rats, politely call-
ing their attention to the fact that their
presence in the house was a great in
convenience. The latter pointed out that
there was a feed store in the neXt block
where they would attain better results
with less work. Finally, the letter re-
quested the rats to go, as a personal IA
Vor. The letter was laid on the lower
cellar stair n night. Next day the rats
had disappeared and We're seen no more.
My informant did not profess to believe
that the rats were accommodating
enough to move their quarters because
they understood that she wanted them
to DO SO. Her theory was that seeing
the white paper or the steps and taking
1t into their heads it might be come new
Warlike stratagem directed agains,
them, the rats deemed discretion the
better part of valor and left the place
Rats, like all the rodents, are extremel,
Suspicious.