Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-10-05
RATS IN AN ELEVATOR.
DOZEN OF THE RODENTS SET
AT LIBERTY.
The Young Ladies in the Car Ar,
Panic Stricken and There l.
All Kinds of Trouble
As "a Result.

zone OF my liveliest experiences in
connection with snakes" said Mr.. r
l.. Dittmars, formerly of the Natural
History Museum. who was one of the
chief exhibitors at the snake exposi.
ton, and who is well-known expert,
took place in an elevated railroad car
! keep large collection of snakes r
my homo in Harlem. and | was brin.
ing home a box of live rats to fee,
them on. 1t was about six O'Clock Il
the evening, and the car contained
many girls, typewriterS, shopgirls, an,
the like. I had put my box of rats IN
der the seat and was absorbed in my
newspaper when l heard a faint pat
tering sound beneath me. | looked
down and saw large rat slowly
emerging from under the seat What
had happened was obvious. The box
had got open somehow or other and
the rats were at liberty.
The situation was once that de-
manded prompt action. The rat l had
seen was the pioneer. There were a
dozen in the box. As yet none of the
girls had become conscious of the pres
ence of their novel travelling cOmpan-
ions, but their period of ignorance
must be brief and when it expired
new that had little mercy TO expect
ut the hands of the enraged women.
The course | chose was rather prudent
than heroic. | changed my seat to the
opposite side of the car, and proceeded
with the peruSal of my paper await
ING the upshot of the adventure with
trembling heart
as I expected the first rat was fol-
lowed by another and another until
there were dozen of them strolling
up the aisle The scene that enSued
heggarS description. ShIieks and
screams and whirling skirts. women
scrambling over the seats and one an
other in the last extremity of terror.
This excited the rats, which rushed
hither and thither Squealnc and seek
ing asylumS As for myself ! joined
in the hurry burly apparently as start
led rs any of my companions The
pandcmonium. of course. attracted the
attention of the conductor. who rushed
in To see what happened In a few hul-
ried sentences | explained that some
base-hearted villain had secretly intro
duced a box of live rats ito the ear
doubtless as a cruel practical joke. The
language of the conductor was vigor.
Gus. and | indorSed it all He never
suspected the fun truth. and at the
next station the car was cleared of it>
human occupants and left TO the exclu
siye occupation of the rodents, concern
ing whose ultimate fate | am ignorant
10 this day.
Indeed. rats are awkward custom
ers, whatever way You take them They
are the favorite food OF many of th,
larger snakes, but great care has tC
be taken i'm administering them 4 rar
is always game and will not hesitate
TO attack rattlcsnake. It will JUMP
on the reptiles back and attack its
spine. On one occasion I put in a rat
with a biz water snake and left il
there. The snake was not hungry but
the rat was, and when | happened to
examine the cage few days later
found that the order of events | had
contemplated had been reversed. The
rat had eaten off several inches of the
snakes tail. Now always take care
10 cut off the sharp points of the rats
teeth before Introducing them into the
snakes cages