The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-07
LIKE THE PIED PIPER.
Ezra BOwden Clears Castirc, Me-. OF Rats
by a Method All ltis Own.

CAsrIHE, Me, Nov. 27.-As soon as the
colony Of summer visitors went away from
here this year. the rats which had lived
upon the fat Of the land among the plethora
OF good things thrown away by the wealthy
began to invade the barns, granaries and
larders Of the regular resideuts and great
was the havoc they wrought.
Every method Of rat killing known to
mankind was tried. and when traps and
poison and deadfalls had been set out and
proved Of no Use. the rats were thicker than
ever They seemed to thrive from the per-
secution. A week ago, whom the question
was one OF life or death with the citizens,
Ezra Bowden came over from Orland.
Hearing Of the situation. no offered TO rid
the town Of rats on commission by agree
ing TO do the " holo job in two days at a
maximum cost Of one cent for every rat
slain. Everybody wondered how he'd
do II.
Ezra called for a strip Of soft pine board,
With these and a small fox terrier
which had followed him from his home
he began his campaign.
On entering q room infested with rats
no first went about and stopped every rat
hole but one with broken glass and bits Of
brick Next he sawed a square piece from
his Pine board fitted it over the open rat
hole, and bored a hole in the board so 1t
would serve as continuation Of tho hole.
Then he drove five or six finish nails through
the block and nailed il over tho rats run
way in such a position that the nail points
would form a funnel, the narrow part Of
which would be inside the room.
After this he closed up the room and
went 70 the next house. where he hxed up
another room similarly. During the first
granaries, all Of which he supplied with
these traps Of his own invention.
The citizens jeered While he was emok-
ing his pipe at the hotel in tho evening.
Bowden was waited on by a committee
and asked to explain himself. as tho matter
was too serious to be treated as joke.
But II won't cost YOU anything II don't
I'm working by the piece-i.o rats. no
paw"
But those sharp nails reaching. into 1 the
the committee. There isn't much profit
in catching fifteen or twenty rats a day
at a cent for every rat
THAT isn't your lookout said Bowden,
And nv board Is paid in advance for two
DAYS. tan walk home"
Early on the following morning Bowden
began to visit his traps. When he opened
the door Of the hotel granary he had to
shut il again in a hurry. and even then
half O dozen rats ran by him lilo called
his dog, and opening the door few inches
showed him inside the room. There was
a loud noise Of scramblng and screaming
and ba rking for few minutes. Then
quiet regned and Bowden threw the door
wide open and walked in,
There were l73 rats lying about the room
and one rat nearly dead was impaled upon
tho nail points above the rat hole. The
nails had been driven at an angle TO permit
the ingress Of all the rats that cared to
come, but the first rat that tried to 60 out
by the hole ran against the nail points and
was caught in the hole, after which no
more rats could quit. The fox terrier did
the rest.
When Bowden returned to Orland the
following evening he carried moro than
$40 Of Castine money In his pocket, and the
people treated him as II he had been q
second Pied Piper Of Hamlin.