The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-01-17
RATKILLERS BATTLE
IT WAS CELEBRATED BY A BANQUET
AT A ScHooLHoUSe.
Two Hundred People Participated In tho
Feast-The Dogs Were Guests OF Honor.
Nearly Five Thousand Rat Tails Exhib-
tied AS Proof of the Slaughter.


tied AS Proof Of the Slaughter.
Az the ilti,e schooiiouse in Curncyviile
o., 200 people few nights ago sat down
to novel banquet. 1t was feast in honor
of the great rat killing contest which was
waged for three days in the northern edge
of Clinton county and resulted in the
slaughter Of 4, 920 rodents.
The banquet was rendered by the losing
side in the contest, ana the dogs which
had participated in the hunt were guests
OF honor. While tho men and their ladies
participated in the feast and recounted
their battles, the dogs were decorated with
| ribbons and petted as probably they never
were before
The vicinity in which the contest took
place Is one of the best communities in
| that part of Ohio, and the participants
were young men from the best families
| and olderono at the head of the best fam
| lilies.
One evening not long ago, while a con-
| siderable company of men, young and old,
| was spending the evening in the Quincy
| Vile postoflice, comfortable and hospita-
BILE loa1ng place for the community, where
all the ncighborhood news is fully dis
cussed, the subject of rats and the great
annoyance they are to farmers was brought
up and duly considered. Finally some one
proposed that an army be raised in the
vicinity for the purpose of discriminating
as many rodents rs possible. To make the
! expedition interesting it was suggested
that sides be chosen and q supper tothe
whole party be given on the Saturday
| night following the end of the affair by
the side losing the contest, the supper to
include the families and invited guests of
| the contestants.
The idea struck the crowd favorably,
| and Immediately Mr.. Il. A. Oren, son of
ex-Statc Senator Jesse n. Oren, and Mr..
! Ebert Kirk were chosen as captains of
the hosts, and they chose their sides, 80
| men each.
The next morning the hunt began, and
/ groups of men could be seen driving out
over the country in all directions eight or
ten in u party. All the rat dogs in the
country for miles around were called into
use while the men were armed with clubs.
The hunters would drive up to a farm
house and make known their mission tC
the farmer, who would gladly join them,
. and turn over his barn; straw stacks,
! chicken houses and other outbuildings &c
the dogs and hunters. Then would com.
! mence1the work of removing the rubbish,
! tearing up floors, forking hay and shovel
! ing corn, .all-of these things being required
in driving the rats out, so that the dogs
! could get atnthem Sometimes in u close
| corner in a corn bin nest of IA dozer
large rats would be. disturbed, and they
would fy;in all directions for liberty not
Tinfrcquently taking refuge.up Fashunter':
leg. pursued by the swapping dogs, amid
shouts of daughter.
! ln,more than one instance men were
bitten by the Infatuated rats, and SONIC
times the dozenrdogs would have all they
could,do TO manage an army of rats, suci
as would be brought TO bay by tearing vi
the floor of barn, which was often done
In several Instances a. hundred rats would
! be killed, in a few minutes, which woulC
| make n lively time for, the dogs and men
slsall of whom. would come out OF the scrim
mage as bloody as butchers, and not with
out wounds either. AT each place the hun
would wind UP with amputating the rats
tails, which were to be used as evidence o
the number killed.
A.. The greatest numbers of rats wer,
caught at TIE barns of Il. l.. Carey, 200; j
X. Johnston. ESQ and George McCune,2 65
| SlaytOn BaDo was =consluereu -tne. cnain
pion catcher often using his bare hands Il
snare the rat when the dogs were no
| handy and he secured more tails than any
body. The champion dogs were A Il
Oren's water spaniel, j. ID. Hurley's ant
w B. Hamilton's small rat dogs and K
l.. Careys rat dogs. This work went OF
for three days, and no one had any idei
how many rats were being killed, few o
them dreaming that the number was run
ming away up in the thousands until Thu
end Of the week, when the two sides me
at the Gurneyville postoflice to count NJ
the tails. 1t was found that Ebert kirl
and his company had caught 2,46S ant
Arthur Oren and his company had caugh
2, 452, making total Of 4, 920.
The result Of the count was received
with great demonstrations of delight b.
the Kirk warriors. Cincinnati Enquirer