Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-03-13
THE RAT TAILED CACTUS.
Strange Story In Which Mike Walsh
and Daniel Webster Figure.

Mike Walsh of New York was an ante
bellum representative of district in that
city, and from portrayals of his character
by the daily press of that time appears to
have been man of jest. A bit or comedy
in which Daniel Webster became involved
goes to show the quality of Mr.. Walsh's
humor. The Botanical garden, north OF
the capitol, was then in existence, anu
Representative Walsh while walking past
IT one day with several companions CHANGED
to speak Of It, His friends were admirers
of the garden and Of the skill and learning
of an old Frenchman in charge OF it. Mike,
from natural spirit of contradiction, com
bated every point brought out in its favor
by his friends and said that Bowery boy
could make the botanst believe that wheat
was oats.
They had reached Mikes lodgings dur
ing the course Of the conversation, and, to
clinch his argument, he said that he would
himself hoodwink the professor and would
gather the materials for the hoax on the
spot. So from pile of rubbish near a
fence he selected sound flower pct and
then searched for something to put in it.
This proved to be dead rat. Mike placed
it in the pot and carefully covered 1t over
with earth, leaving the tail above ground.
Then, taking splinter from an old green
shutter, he stuck 1T in the pot and tied
the rodents tail to 1t perpendicularly with
piece of cord The outfit was complete
and Mike journeyed back to the garden
with his queer plant, which he informed
the professor was specimen of the "rat
tailed cactus.'
A friend of his, II lieutenant in the navy,
had, he said, returned from the then little
known land of Japan and brought with
him this specimen of il rare vegetable. The
professor was most eager to become pos.
sessed of the specimen, but Mike was re-
luctant to part with it. To be sure, he
said, he might keep it for years and never
have visitor who knew anything about
it, 70 this the professor replied that the
public garden was tho place for 1t, then
every ono could see it, Mike disliked to
part with Il gift from Il friend, but finally
yielded to the professors entreaties
The botanist examined the growth crit
ically and then attached IL slip of paper on
which was written name composed Of
two words, which Mike said averaged 16
letters each. Then itwas placed in warm
corner where the temperature was sup
posed most to resemble that of an oriental
country, and was each day sprinkled with
water heated to 70 degrees. Much attcn-
ton was attracted to the growth, and the
papers printed an article describing it,
Daniel Webster, who occasionally visited
the garden, had Il long conference with the
professor about the plant, and the bota.
mist promised the statesman one of the first
slips to set ont at Marshfeld, Mr.. Web
sters home. The cactus was closely
watched day by day, and when its tip, as
a result of time and high temperature, be-
came slightly excoriatcd, tho professor $
delight knew no bonnds, 1T was about
to bear blossoms.
The joke, however, Mike said, was too
good to keep, Especially in II hothouse,
and so before long thoy began to smell II
rat Tho botanist was overcome with
chagrin and shame, but this was as moth
ing compared with the wrath of Webster
who chiefly blamed the professor for hay
ing taken him in and whom he styled,
with an oath, "a frog eating trenchman !"
Washington Star.