Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-06-12
Letters To the Nina

Milwaukee Sentinel: A fallacy enter.
tained by many people regarding mice is
that mouse cats Will kill them. This be-
liel Is proved every day to be CHROME
GUS. A mouse trap is a more sure and
less troublesome method of putting the
pantrys infesters to death. House
cats. as times go by, are changing. For
nerly they were active by day and Wig
llant by night. The tendency of i'm
proved civilization is to make them
sleepy by day and 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 / know, and mice In
Mars may be 50 large thai they hunt
the cats. Both possess some Intelligence
and both have folklore.
The probability is tina the use OF cats
as mice eXterminators is c~omparatively
modern and a custom that originated In
the occldent. The story Of Whitt.ngton's
cat indicates that eats were scarce arti-
cles IN the rat infested islands of the
east where tie London captain trade
at the time the cat sold for -four chests
or gold. Nc one who likes eats and
reads the story of this late day can re-
frain from a slight feeling of dlsap-
pointment at W~hittington's parting
with his cat. He might not have been
lord mayor of London If he had saved
MS feline friend from the fiery sun and
III splced meats of Cathay, but the
chances are that he would have come
TO the front with meddling with politics.
The Greeks were unquestionably over
u with mice, n Bishop Hatto had
troubles of his own with the rats. The
latter hard hearted prelate lost wealth,
dignity and life, but the Greeks had a
~peaceable and gentlemanly method of
dealing with mice that 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, ye mice, now present,
neither TO injure me nor let Others do
so. l give you yonder field Specifying
one not too far Off and ii ever l catch
YOU here / swear by the mother of the
Sods VIII tear o into seven pieces"
Ihe paper containing these words was
to be placed on a large rock in the field
with the writing uppermost. 1t was be-
lleVed to be efficacious, 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 the style of the Greek letter, al
though not in the same words. l have
A case on unimpeachable authority, told
ne last week. 1t occurred in Milwau-
kee. A housekeeper on Grand avenue
that there were many rats in the
cellar and store room. She wrote a let
ter addressed to the rats, politely call
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
Nuf. The letter was laid on the lower
cellar stair II night. Next day the rats
mad disappeared and were seen no more.
MY informant did not profess to believe
mat the rats were accommodating
to move their quarters because
they understood that she wanted them
to do so. Her theory was that seeing
the white paper on the steps and taking
into their heads 1t might be come new
warlike stratagem directed against
them, the rats deemed discretion the
better part Of valor and left the place.
Rats, like all the rodents, are extremely
Suspicious.