Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-16
A mousE-PRoTECT1NG MAYOR.

Conn, 1,ul forth its retractile Claws few
days ago and administered 2 hgu1atiye
scratch to the towns Mayer. Charles II.
Leeds. which that individual Will moi soon
forget The membership OF the crganiza-
ton. as might be supposed. is composed
of ladies Men do not take to cats
leastwise not the men who have once been
over the whiskered nilk-stealers and al
most goes so far as to put kittens on e
parity with babies. Some time ago the
good women decided to have a cat show
and to make field trial Of kittens the
prime feature OF the exhibition The plan
was to release live mice in pen with the
incipient Tables, and TO award prizes to
those kitties which displayed the greatest
skill in Staying the despised little rodents
We are not informed what sort OF cos
tunes the members Of the club intended
to wear at the time the mice appeaved, or
whether It was their purpose to view the
trials on stills. bat this much Is GER
tain-the idea originated with Mrs. Homer
S. Cummings. daughter Of James p.
SMITH. former commodore Of the New
York Yacht Clun. and wife Of Mayor
Leeds's predecessor in Office.
Had Mayor Leeds been e prudent man
he would have let the ladies, cats and
mice run things as they pleased. bui the
demon Of .ndiscretion got the better Of
him. While in this condition, he penned
the following letter:
January 10. 1908.
Mrs. Homer S. Cummings. Stamford,
Conn
Dear Madan.--It seems to me that q
mouse catching contest. as feature Of
the cat show. would tend to prom ote
cruelty IN the community. Please do not
have any such contest on the programme.
Very truly,
CHARLES II. LEEDS. Mayor.
That Mrs. Cummings knows how to ma
nipulate a stub pen, (no woman uses any
other kind In these degenerate days., and
that she possesses the unusual feminine
accomplishment of being bott, brief and
forcible, is evidenced by her reply. Here
is the canister she shot at the Mayor.
January II. 1909
iic4l' N1ieAISS -. <@SSS&Ss- SOus1sS
Dear Sir.--It seems to me that a mousse
protecting Mayor as a feature Of the cat
show would tend to promote levity In the
community. Please do not fail to have
the police force on the grounds.
Very truly.
MRS. HOMER 8. CUMMINGS.
President" 8
To say that the mouse protecting
Mayor was crestfalien, but half ex-
presses it. He has thrown up the SPONGE
yea. surrendered almost without MUIR
muir. The poor. subdued wretch now an
nounces that he has not the slightest idea
OF interfering with the field trials
Mrs. Cummings has also CONSENTED to
talk for publication She said that the
ladies were hopping mad at first, but that
they ultimately Gained down to q realiza-
ton Of the humor Of the thing. And then
the good woman of the riri1e pen added:
There was time in the good old Puri-
tan days when they hanged a cat on
Monday for killing mouse on Sunday.
Now. this is the only way can account
for the Mayors position. Perhaps he
traces his ancestry back to the Puritan
fathers. and this Puritan blood is crop
ping out in his administratio ] don't con-
slider that am any more bloodthirsty
than Mayor Leeds in this matter. It is
the cats legitimate business TO kill mice,
| and am very sure that if it were not for
these two cats that am entering for the
field trials. we would be overrnn With
mics here
In justice to stamford's Mayor, It should
be stated that be is young. He is only 81.
When he gets older he will be wiser-that
is to say. be will be more careful how
he undertakes to reform woman's Club.
And, by the way. il should be stated that
| there is no accounting Tor the eccentric
| ties OF people who love cats