Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-07-18
RATS IN AN ELEVATOR.
"A DOZEN OF THE RODENTS SET
AT LIBERTY.
Tho Young Ladies In the Car Are
Pnnic-Stricken and There Is
All Kinds of Trouble
AS Result

'One 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 EXPOSE
ton, and who is a well-known expert,
took place In an elevated railroad car.
keep large collection of snakes at
my home In Harlem, and 1 was bring
Ing home a box Of live rats to feed
them on. 1t was about six o'clock in
the evening, and the car contained
many girls. typewrtters. shopgirls. and
the like. I had put my box Of rats I'M
DER the seat and was absorbed In my
newspaper when heard faint pat
tering sound beneath me. looked
down and saw large rat slowly
emerging from under the seat. What
mad happened was obvious. The box
bad got open somehow or other and
the rats Were at liberty.
THE situation was once that de-
manded prompt action. The rat had
seen was the pioneer. There We're 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 IL expired
new that l had little mercy to expect
at the hands Of the enraged women.
The course chose was rather prudent
than heroic. 1 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 l 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
beggTs description, shrieks 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
h1ther and thither squealing and seek
ing asylums. AS for myself I Joined
in the hurry burly apparently as start
Led as any of my companions. The
pandemonium, of course, attracted the
attention of the conductor, who rushed
IN to see what happened. In few hur.
ried sentences I explained that some
hase-hearted villain had secretly intro
duced box Of live rats ito the car
doubtless as cruel practical joke. The
language OF the conductor was vigor-
Gus. and I Endorsed it all. He never
suspected the full truth and at the
next station the car was cleared of its
human occupants and left to the exclu-
slve occupation Of the rodents. concern
ing whose ultimate fate l am ignorant
to this day.
Indeed. rats are awkward custom.
ers. whatever way you take them They
are the favorite food of many of the
larger snakes, but great care has to
De taken In administering them. A rat
is always game and will not hesitate
10 attack rattlesnake. It will Jump
on the reptiles back and attack its
spine. On one occasion 1 put in a rat
WIN Dig water snake and left 1t
there. The snake was not hungry, but
the rat was. and when I happened to
examine the cage few days later I
found that the order of events 1 had
contemplated had been reversed. The
rat had eaten off several inches of the
snakes tail. Now always take care
to cut off the sharp points of the rats
teeth before introducing them into the
snakes cages