The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1899-01-21
QUEER CALIFORNIA HUNT.
u Hogan with . search for Dedbsgs
aud Ended with About Bar-
rel Of bats.

AOOuI w milce uoItu VI oah EAA-
cisco, In the county Of Sonoma, stands
the California state home for the feeble
minded. II is presided over by DIR. 4
L. 0sborue, who has horror of un-
cleanliness In any form, When, there
fore, one day an attendant reported TO
him that bedbugs had been discovered
In his dormltory, the doctor was horri-
fed. lie hurried 10 the scene OF the
invasion, Here be found in the north
wall long zlglag crack in the plaster,
made by a recent earthquake, and In
this crack a nest Of the creatures. No
time was lost In attacking the invaders.
The usual chemicals were applied, the
dormitory was oyerhauled, beds and
bedsteds were thoroughly cleansed, and
when the fumigation was finished there
was not bedbug in sight. Within "a
hours, back came the attendant with
the tidings that the insects had reap
reared in greater numbers than ever.
DIR. Osborne Is an enthusiastic ANA
teur naturalist and familiar with the
habits OF almost all common insects.
He at once ordered thorough search of
the caves of the institution for swal-
lows nests, for II Is In these that ths
bedbug frequently propagates, as
every farmers wife knows. But not
one could be found. So the doctor
spent that evening out OF doors, ram
bling about she premises, with his eyes
and ears open. His quest was reward
ed by the discovery Of another possible
source of supply.
The air was full Of bats. They fut-
tered about singly and in schools TO the
number Of thousands, seemingly. He
had never seen so many bats in his life.
The origin OF the bedbugs was no long
er a mystery, for he knew that the
ratio of the bedbug 10 the bat Is the
same as that Of the hea TO the dog. So
the doctor ordered the carpenter tc
locate the sleeping place Of the erea
! t,lrcs and ,sgsni 70 I'D -,psssrrs,,.---r
II took The carpenter two days 20
trace the bats TO their lair, but he
finally did. The earthquake which had
| cracked the plaster In the dormitory
had wrenched the tin flashing Of the
chimney several inches away from the
bricks, thus affordlng the bats ingress
to the hollow space between the lath-
work and wall Of the building. The car
penter went TO work on the wall and
soon tore a hole large enough for boy
TO crawl through. While he stood look.
ing at 1t out came bat, startled by the
unwonted daylight Another followed.
and another, and the carpenter began
TO amuse himself by chasing them
around the room with his hat. Still
others emerged from the hole In tho
wall, and presently The astonished car
penter found himself in the midst OF o
swarm of bats.
A great battle followed. The carpen-
ter laid about him with everything he
could get hold Of and the bats few
about his head in clusters like swarm
Of bees. He fought until exhausted,
then gave 1t up and sent for the doc
tor, who found him In his shirt sleeves
with trembling limbs and arms akimbo,
. surveying a row of dead bats which he
! had laid out on board. There were 4s
'ThiA Is the official list Of the killed
} and wounded" said the carpenter
: Three thousand more few away oui
Of the window"
: "Nonsense!" said the doctor, bui
went of to the laboratory and got some
. hisulnhida Of carhon which he nut into