The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-09
THE UOoD RAT IS 4 THIEF.
Detection of n Four-Footed Robber In n
California Camp Remarkable Variety
of Plumber STOLEN Jcwelry Recovered
ERSily-t Wood Rats Home.

SAN GABRIEL. Cal. july 4.-"You wouldn't
think. now said n returned camper. TINT
plain IA: could almost break w n camp and
make old friends look askance mt one another:
but it's a fact. and since Two been looking into
the question I've heard OF several cases where
q mt might have sent n man to Jail.
IT was this way. a dozen or more Of us 20
camping ovcry year up in tn" mountains.
Sometimes We camp out and pitch tent and
sometimes we live in n little log house on q
mesa that reaches out into the San Gabriel
Canon. This cabin is Just log affair under
the oaks with u row OF hunks all around and
big fireplace that is in itself Il sOace to the
weary fisherman. This year we had man
TO do tho hnavy work about the camp. ono
OF those DaGo red fellows. a woodchopper
by profession. lie was of course always about
the place. So when missed four candles ono
night and Jmrkins lost his tobacco and some
on" else Il paper Of hooks We began to make
M our minds that the Dago was working us.
and in cold bloodcd way at that. But we
said nothing Just watched him. and when we
found he didn't smoke that rather nonplussed
US. The next night my toothbrush disap-
pearcd and another candle; but tho Dago
didn't us" toOthbrushes. The following night
five or six cards out OF Il pack Disappeared, and
n box Of patent California matches, the kind
that look like slivers cut out OF block and
smell like tho mouth OF "A volcano when the
sulphur is blowing your wav.
Well. we made NJ our minds that tho DaGo
was the thief. and opinions were divided as to
whether he was klcrtomaniac or a plain
thief so We determined to send him o T on an
errand and then search his tent We sent him
down TO another camp and when he had passed
the bend we went into his tent and made a
thorough search. but found absolutely nothing.
We had wrongcd the man. unless he carried
the stolen goods with him or concealed them
somewhere; but this seemed improbable The
next night another candle Disappeared also
a cork screw and number OF small things.
and tho door had been locked it
became evident that the thief was on the
inside. While We knew it was nonsense
l think that every man there felt that possibly
some other fellow had developed n streak OF
keptomania. The only thing to do was to
watch SO took it upon myself to 90 into the
detective business. and when we turned in. |
pretended to sleep and waited to see what
would turn up Nothing happened for an hour
and then every man in the camp was fast
asleep, some snoring as hard as they could.
AS lay there. watching the dying embers
and the snoring suspects. it occurred to me all
at once that perhaps ore of us was somnam-
bust and took the things in his sleep. | had
heard of such cases. | was passing this over
IN my mlnu Wnen noticed something moving
on the table whore we had been playing cards.
The light from the fire llumined II very plainly.
and l saw that 1t some kind OF animal
about the size OF a rat. As l looked another
appeared. having evidently climb up the
tabiecoth that hung to the floor. The
next thing / noticed was a card waving
in the air: then it seemed to pass
down the table: then candle mysterously
disappeared from the three nails that consti-
tutcd the candIcstick. First thought | was
dreaming. then ! something climbing
tho wall and where the light cleaned out
strongly on tho beam | saw two rats walking
along, one with n candle in its mouth, the
other bearing u card They travelled the entire
distance of the room on the grder then disar-
peared behind a partition Presently they came
out again and went back the same way and
one climbed upon the table and began to drag
at u notebook which finally fell to the floor:
then the other RAJ, went running along drag
BY this time II had dawned upon me who
the thief was, and taking my pillow ! let drive.
ana GT T b the raj and hC M GGTp on the
camp was In an uproar wanting to know what
was the matter The, raj had been knocked
II and tossed it on III" table. then told the
story to my ast"nishod fellow campers. Yes.
rat. with smooth hair and bright. sparkling
c5'ng and tehnd it T found 2 aySry ' rte" We
had missed and a great many we hadn't
missed. a most remarkablc lot o, stuff, all
been food there would have been some
excuse ese,nS,v for IT, but here were things
merely to crafty their propensity for stealing
When we had collected the piunder 1t was a
vaety o tastcs merc were seven corE
corSscr"w with big wooden handle. seven
IA ali ~ hn, ipry
brush coil of wire. four or Ave pieces Of
bread, some crackers, shoestrt4g: a piece of
flies and LOT Of truck that ranged from an old
fnr-to9th comb to the leaf OF an almanac We
gave the Dago the freedom % the town, you
may be sure; for the unjust suspicion we had
- Wool rats are the greatest thieves in the
Of an instance which occurred Ia the mountains
whore they not only caused suspicion, but
the tour of the Sierras north OF the Yosemite,
.na syery nSht Was in the party and
the men came to me and said that a Valuable
piece OF lewcry had disappeared during the
night, Their" were five in the marty and four
attendants, and. of course. suspicion rested on
the latter. We spent all the forenoon talking 1t
over and wondering what to do. Finally de-
oidsd to go to the Oldest attendant and tell him.
When did the man laughed and said: Have
you hunted in the wood rat S nest? No, had
rat 70 he took ma ABOUT f ty feet away n3o
the bush. whore there was pile OF sticks at
FEAST llVe ieet lllBI, SUnpel ike n Dig beehive.
The first thing saw was tho missing Jewery
lying on the ground NJ One.of the entrances,
whore the wood rat had dragged it and not
only that. but a glove and a whipash and
about quart OF barley were scattered around.
an empty sardine can. q tobacco bag and some
matches-in fact all the requirements for n
forest IRE. SO. you see. II we hadn't had
man who knew what wood rats are, we might
have charged some one with stealing"
Wood rats are common in all the Southern
States. In southern California they make OK
tranrdinary nests on the ground in bushes,
and sometimes In tho tops Of oaks and syca-
mOres. ono OF their nests was opened once
in the hop" ri taking one OF the animals
alive II was the work Of an huur to take
apart the tangle of sticks and branches. Then
two large rooms Were found. one packed with
the soft. wool .lik" lining Of seeds. the bod for
the young, and another and larger fllrd with
seeds, acorns and barley from a field some 300
or 400 feet distant. The nest was pcrmcatcl
with tunnels In every direction. and finally
these entered the ground; so It would have
been impossible 10 burn the little creature out
as 1t would merely take To the underground
hole, which led away no cue could tell wh"rO
The thieving propenSiti"s Of the animal ara so
well known that IN SON" ranches. whom any
thing is missing. the ranch"rs invariably look
at tho wood rats nest before they make charges
against human beings