Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-02-10
Audubon Go. journal.
EXTRA, IOWA.
g. W GUERNSEY. Manager.
February 10, 1898.
LETTERS TO The MICE.
fhe Ancient Greek Method of Kidding
Fields of the Pests.


= fallacy entertained by many
people regarding mice is that house
cats will kill them. This belief is
proved every day to be erroneous.
A mousetrap is a more sure and
less troublesome method Of putting
the pantry's infesters to death.
House cats, as time goes by, are
changing. Formerly they were ac-
tive by day and vigilant by night.
The tendency of improved civiliza-
ton is ito make them sleepy by day
and rovers by night. They have
their whims nowadays. requiring
considerable attention Perhaps the
superior intelligence Of the Mar
tians 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
have folklore.
The probability is that the use of
cats as mice exterminators is COM
paratively modern, and custom
that originated in the occident. The
story of Whi1tington's cat indicates
that cats were scarce articles in the
rat infested islands of the east
where the London captain traded at
the time the cat sold for four chests
of gold. No one who likes cats and
reads the story at this late day can
refrain from a slight feeling Of
disappointment at Wilmington s
parting with his cat. He might not
have been lord mayor of London if
he had saved his feline friend from
the fiery sun and high spiced meats
of Cathay, but the chances are that
he would have come to the front
with meddling with politics.
The Greeks were unquestionably
overrun with mice and Bishop Hat
to had troubles of his own with the
rats. The latter hard hearted prel-
ate lost wealth, dignity ard life,
but the Greeks had peaceable and
gentlemanly method Of dealing with
mice that is rather unique. When
cellar or granary was overrun
with mice, the Greek superstition
dictated that a letter be written in
large, readable ancient Greek char
acters, with these words:
"Iadjure you, you mice, now pres
ent, neither to injure me nor to let
others do so. l give you yonder
field - specifying one not too far
off-"and if ever Icatch you here
swear by the mother Of the gods I
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 upper
most. 1t was believed to be effica-
cious, and no doubt there were cases
that could be pointed to in proving
the proposition
People Of the present day, after
waging fruitless and Intellectual war
against the rats with poison and
ice picks, sometimes try writing let
ters to them after the style of the
Greek letter, although not in the
same words. / havea case on unim-
peachable authority, told me last
week. 1t occurred in Milwaukee.
A housekeeper on Grand avenue
found that there were many rats in
the cellar and storeroom. She wrote
letter addressed to the rats, polite
~ calling their attention to the fact
that their presence in the house
was a great Inconvenience. The let
ter pointed out that there was 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 personal
favor. The letter was laid on the
lower cellar stair one night Next
day the rats had disappeared, and
were 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 on the stair and
taking it into their heads it might
be some new warlike stratagem di-
rected against them the rats deemed
discretion he better part of valor,
and left the place Rats, like all the
rodents, are extremely suspicious.
Milwaukee Sentinel.
Three Trainmen Injursd, One Fatally.
CEDAR FALLS, Ia, Feb. 4.-There
was collision on the Chicago Great
Western railway at fredericksburg last
night. The westbound freight, while
running at high speed, struck the rear
end Of train at Fredericksburg, de-
molishing the engine and cars, and
scalding three Of the trainmen so badly
that one of them, Engineer Grim Of
I.