The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-11-27
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS.

They were telling their experiences N
hunting, and were relating hair-breadth
escapes from bears, mountain lions,
snakes and the like in the Rocky noun
tains in the wild west, when one of the
old hunters said: 1T IS not necessary to
looking for danger, for there IS danger
in any kind of hunting. and it viii make
itself known when 1t is least expected A
man might hunt bears and mountain lions
for years and never be in the least dan
ger, unless we consider the danger of the
gun bursting or the chance of a. snake
bite, but it is a. fact that there is more or
less danger in any kind of hunting, and
that is the very reason that men enjoy
it. I remember an incident that occurred
in Butler county which Will prove to you
chasing jack rabblts-haS It's dangers.
There was a young man by the name of
Tucker, who had a farm in the eastern
part of the county, who was very fond Of
watching a Jack rabbit chase, and he
never went to the field without taking
his dogs with him in order that he might
have a little excitement in case he should
scare up rabbit. He was out in the
field one day cutting corn when the
hounds that were following him saw a jack
start for the road, The road was on the
east and north sides of the field in which
started the rabbit towards the road on the
east, he at once concluded the rabbit
the north side He was not mistaken and
when he got to the road he saw the rab-
bit turn the corner and start towards him
closely followed by the hounds He stood
in the middle of the road, thinking that
the rabbit would see him and would turn,
but 1t was evidently running with It's eyes
shut and did not waver in it course When
it got almost to him it gave leap, as Il
to jump over his head. but he had raised
at the same time and the rabbits head
struck him squarely above the eyes. The
young man who had been working with
him had been close by his side when they
got to the road and as Tucker fell over,
ne went to his assistance The young man
found that Tucker and the rabbit were
both dead-the force of the rabbit had
been sufficient to crush fuckers skull.
When the cOroners jury met they gave
decision that Tucker had come to his
death at the hands of a jack rabbit, which
was endeavoring to escape from its nat
ural enemies, the dogs. have seen many
rabbits being chased by hounds and I
knew that they were running very fast.
but never realized the great speed they
attained until heard of fuckers death.
This simply goes to show you that a.
man takes his life in his hands when he
hunts any kind of game, no matter how
apparently inoffensiEe it may be-"
''There is a young man who runs a gro
Gerry store in FL Dorado, who has a bad
time with rats said a travelling man at
the National. Il do not mean that he sees
young man was but recen i married ma led
and is a model when it comes to good be-
havior; what I mean is that the rats are
50 thick about the store that it is almost
impossible to keep goods of a destructible
only eat the potatoes or carry them off
for future use, but they would steal eggs
cut holes in the -four and meal sacks, eat
holes IN the wooden ware, chew the strawS
off the brOoms, turn over the coal scuttIe,
tear up the package cO1f6e and DO a
thousand other things that caused loss
and annoyance. The rats were so thick
that it was useless to leave cats in the
store over night, as the rats would have
fun with them and the clerks would have
to sweep up their nangled remains in the
morning. After he had secured all the
cats that were not family pets, and had
started a cat burying ground. besides
giving away twenty pounds OF mixed
candy to boys who had stolen the cats,
he came to the conclusion that something
else must be tried. One of those wise
travelling men who know everything. said
that he knew a sure cure for rats and to
prove that he was good fellow he gave
the young man the advantage of his
knowledge. His scheme was to sprinkle
that when rats had run through the I've
and had burned their feet. they would
soon look for a place where they could
run about without getting the hot foot
and would leave the store It seemed like
a good scheme and the young man pro-
ceded to put it in practice. He gave the
floor q good coating of I've before he
locked the store at night and expected that
ternoon. He was disappointed; the rats
remained. They set traps as they had
they caught rats with legs almost eaten
away by the I've. Hundreds of rats were
caught in the traps that were partially
eaten by I've, and the only explanation
given is that with only a piece of leg left
were forced to take their chances in eat
ing the cheese in the traps. People gen
this case proves that rats are not SO
smart after all, or they certainly would
nave lett the building when their feet
were burned. The young man who runs
the store is trying to use the occurrence
rats are smart and that they would
rather stay in his store and eat good gro
ceries, even if their feet do burn, than go
to other stores and eat poor CLASS of
goods. The other grocers are inclined to
sheer at the explanation, but the fact re-
and wade through I've. The young man is
now waiting for another suggestion that
will rid him of the pests"
Talking about rats and their peculiar
way and their ability to catch-on,' said
paper man, reminds me of the time I
worked in the Gazette office in Emporia-
think have heard about rats and every
thing relating to them, but must con-
fess that I never knew a thing about
were thicker than fiddlers in the hereafter.
and were familiar as a friend half
was grocery store which kept on hand
lot of corn and feed and on the other
slde was res Iaurant where they threw
out all Kinds OF scraps for the benefit of
the rats. say for the benefit of the rats
because the dogs and cats were afraid to
come around, for the rats would eat them
up 1t was regular rat PARADISE they
had everything their own way They
would come in the office and would build
their nests in the cases and when the ad.
man pulled out a case and reached for a
letter it was nine chances out of ten that
he would catch hold of a baby rat. There
were several girls working in the office
at the time but they got 50 accustomed
to the rats that thew would not even
scream when the rats ran across the floor
The rats were especially fond of the paste
which the devil had made up for stick
ing together the single wrappers, and they
would come in at night and have a feast
on that paste We tried putting arsenic
IN the paste, but the rats soon got onto
that and would not touch it when it had
the rats for the paste put an idea. in the
head of the foreman and he proceeded to
office in the evening and take the paste !
away When the rats came out for it