New-York tribune., 1902-01-10
BROADWAY STOPS FOR A MOUSE.
TEAMS ARE DRIVEN AROUND IT AND A
MOTORMAN STOPS CAR RATHER
THAN CRUSH 1T.

For nearly an hour yesterday afternoon a Grip
pied mouse, with body half an inch long and
a tail twice that measurement, had the right of
way in Broadway at a point just below DAILY s
Theatre. Horses and wagons were driven care
fully around it, and once motorman stopped
his car and gently pushed the manned creature
off the rails
Where it came from could only be a subject
of conjecture. A street gamin espied it first.
He just about kick it with his foot
when a portly looking man whose eye had
caught the crawling thing stopped him.
Don't hurt the poor little thing" he said;
'It's injured already"
The boy couldn't understand the motive. but
he obeyed the command Together the man
and boy stood and watched the mouse. other
men and boys and women came along, saw
the man and boy intently looking stopped and
bent their gaze. Another boy essayed to kick it..
Leave him alone" yelled the first boy, and
he grabbed the other youngster by the collar
and laid him on his back. for the newer arrival
the smaller.
A more miserable looking. drtier mouse could
not be imagined Two of its legs had been
crushed, and it was just able to drag itself along
on the other two. It was so weak and dispirited.
and yet so tenacious of life. 1t had lost the
power to squeak and the instinct Of fear. 1t was
bent on getting to the curb, and 1t minded not
men, horses teams.
The crowd increased until fifty persons were
gathered along the edge of the curb ana
around the mouse on the sloppy asphals
They watched the struggles of the MANNED
persevering creature 1t failed, only TO
rest bit and try again. raising itself ana
Again and again it fell back into the water IN
the gutter to crawl out and gather its waning
strength for another trial
Kill it, put it out of Its misery! SAID one
ma hu no
The mouse turned and crawled painfully
toward the tracks. A big express wagon
drawn by two horses came along at trot
Look OUT" yelled the crowd in chorus.
The driver pulled UP sharply and leaned out
He saw the little brown, wet streaked patch
barely moving.
ITS a mouse; don't hurt him." sang out
boy 49,,
side of the that it would be left IN
the open space between the wheels. He looked
back saw that he had calculated aright ana
smiled A faint cheer came from the crowd
Forornly the mouse dragged its body, with
FREQUENT stops until it reached the car tracks.
A car bowling along. Again went up
shout from the crowd:
Look OUT"
The motorman looked out, or rather over the
dasber He saw the mouse. He stopped his
car. Jumped TO the street and carefully pushed
the mouse to one side of the track. AS the car
went on the crowd gave him a cheer.
The mouse crawled back and began a series
of desperate, futile attempts to climb the curb
stone For the next half hour horses and We
hcles of all sorts. including automobiles. came
to a stop when they reached the spot where
the mouse fighting against the inevitable
and took particular care to make wide detour
around it.
The crowd didn't say much but it watched
with the most intense interest. Several sug-
gested that the creature ought to be killed,
but no one would crush the life out Of such
BILE object.
cts go away" said a finally. Some
how will come along and end it,
The knot of men and women dispersed. A
how came along, sighted the mouse resting for
another effort at the curb and kicked II into
the middle of the street. Several were
looking back. 49,