The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1905-06-22
FEED HIGH ON MUsKRATs.
of the Animals Consumed
at a Banquet in Michigao
Town Lately.

Two thousand eight hundred musk
Eats were eaten by 1900 guests at the
great muskrat feast recently held at
Monroe, Mich. relates What to Eat.
Statesmen. lawyers. doctors and men
of all professions we're included in the
list of attendants and the relish with
which the rodents we're devoured should
forever set at rest the claim that the
muskrat should not be numbered among
the things that are good to eat. Former
Lieut.. Gov John Strong was present
and should have been awarded the
prize for eating the greatest number OF
roasted rats. He said he never ate any
thing that tasted better and Il is par
TALLY az his suggestion that the feast
is to be repeated at Monroe next year.
All the officials OF the town honored the
occasion with their presence and digni-
taries were there from towns and cities
as far away as Toledo, Ohio From the
latter city came Frank Wade. the
bosom friend Of the late Golden Rule"
Jones. who. he says. taught him TO eat
maskrats. No kind Of meat was served
excepting muskrat. and aside from tho
eating the principal diversion consisted
In speechmaking and listening 90 ora
tons In praise OF the t0othsome "on-
datra zibethicus."
While the guests we're principally pro-
fessional men. most of them were more
or less interested in yachting. and Il
was yachtsmen who devised and sue
cessfully carried out the novel feast.
The occasion was under the auspices OF
the Monroe Yacht club. which boasts
among its members some of the most
noted OF Michigan's lawyers and doe
tors. w r. Sterling commodore OF the
club; II A. Conant, Charles Greening
and Edward Wilder constituted the
committee that had direct supervision
over the festivities.
Preparations for the great rat car
niyal" we're begun weeks in advance.
Three thousand rats were advertised
for, but the number obtained lacked zoe
OF reaching that figure. The feas; began
az ten O'Clock, but In order to have the
rats ready for the diners II was neces-
sary to begin the cooking al noon Of the
festive day. The preparation OF the 70
dents for food was In charge OF c. b
southworth a caterer OF renown. The
noted chefs Davis and Look did the
cooking. The rats we're cooked In bread
ovens After being treated so as TO rid
them Of all the musky odor from which
they derive their name they were
placed in small pans and then showed
into the oven by the hundred II was
ten O'Clock at night when the last pan
full OF the rats. all savory and brown.
was brought from the oven. The meat
Of the rats was very lark. but the feast
ers declared that IL was exceedingly
sweet-far superior 10 Mild duck or
venisOn.
Skilled trappers caught the rats In
their haunts In the marshes OF that sec
ton OF Michigan. the trappors being
spurred 10 extraordinary efforts by the
liberal rewards that had been offered.
Joe Lazette. a grizzled French trapper.
caught far more than any other. and he
was made the hero of the feast and
game keeper Of the club Every bit OF
flesh was stripped from the last bone
OF the rats. Il was nearly daylight when
the feast ended and no one has yet COM
planned OF bad after enects-that is.
from eating the rats.