Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1898-01-20
Attacked BY Rats.

prominent in his community, had suf-
fered considerable loss from rats, which
infested his barns. They destroyed his
farm produce, ate his grain, robbed his
bennery, and even ruined harness IN
his barn. He resorted to various meth
DDS to exterminate the pests, but de-
spite all his efforts their numbers
seemed to multiply.
At length he hit upon the idea of
constructing a monster rat trap IN the
loft of one of his barns. This trap was
like a big box, some ten feet square,
and about four feet high. Mr.. Crook
completed it week ago, baited it, and
then left it to do its work. He did
not visit it again until Tuesday, when
he found that its captives numbered
several hundred. The farmer called
his rat-terrior, Spot, and thrust the
dog into the trap in the belief that he
would make short work of the enemy.
The dog sprang fercely to the task,
but the rats, instead Of trying to es-
cape, leaped upon him by the score
from all sides, and, although he killed
many of them, he was soon stretched
lifeless in the trap.
Angered at the fate Of his pet, Mr..
Crook armed himself with two stout
cudgels and prepared to do battle with
the rats. He opened the door Of the
cage and crawled in. The wire netting
at the top came too low for him to
stand erect so, creeping on his knees,
he laid about him with the cudgels
At the first blow the rats flew at him
as they had at the dog. He beat them
down by the dozen, but they swarmed
upon every part of his body. They
bit his arms and legs, tore the flesh
from his hands and fastened upon his
face,
The farmer flung himself at the door
of the cage in frantic attempt to es-
cape. He could not open it. He had
sprung the lock on entering the trap
and made himself prisoner He
threw his weight against the door, but
it did not yield. He next tried to
force his way through the wire netting,
putting his back against it and raising
himself with all his might. 1t resist
ed his strength. The rats had been
clinging to him all this time and tear
ing his flesh, and now in frenzy he fell
to using his clubs on them again. His
blows were futile. He moved down
scores of them, but others sprang to
their places. He tore them from his
face and shoulders and stamped upon
them with his boots and swung his
clubs upon them, but he could not
drive them back. His strength failed
and at length the horror of his situation
overcame his senses, and ne dropped
unconscious in the trap.
He was found in that condition
quarter of an hour later. They had
climbed to the loft in the expectation
of seeing the terrier, Spot, extermlnate
the rats, and were Mortified on looking
into the trap to see the dog dead and
mangled, his master mutilated and APP
parently lifeless and rats gnawing at
them.
The men opened the door and drove
out the rats, then dragged forth the
farmer and carried him to his house.
His nose and ears were gone, his face
frightfuIly bitten, his hands torn to the
bone, and his eyes so scratched that
the sight was destroyed.
Doctors We're hastily called to attend
the man, and after some time restored
him to consciousness, but he was soon
seized with commissions, which lasted
most of the day. The physicians say
that if blood poisoning sets in they
cannot cove biC life