The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1907-04-30
Bourbon's Crop OF Rats.


Senator Blackburn called Woodford
county the asparagus bed of the gar
den spot, but the characterization was
due rather to the fact that the Senator
lived in Woodford than to any essential
difference between the favored soil OF
that county and that of Bourbon. AS
matter of fact, there is not much more
difference between the various counties
in the heart of the Bluegrass than
there is in the several segaments of
the heart of a rattlesnake watermelon
from the Ohio river bottom. If one
OF them seems more blessed than
another, it is merely because of
difference in the point of view in
region where the love of the native
land is so strong that patriotism mar.
rows down to county boundaries, and
no one will admit that a crow may fly
for an hour over fields as far to look
upon ard as good to live upon as those
which hold his hearthstone. Because
OF the equality of the soils of the diff
ferent bluegrass counties and the pride
Of their inhabitants, It will be neces-
sary to have thorough rat killing in
Bourbon. None other than war of
absolute determination will suffice.
Bourbon county, according to Paris
dispatches, is literally overrun with
rats. The rats are eating pigs and
shocks OF fodder. They have waxed so
corpulent and grown so frisky upon the
fat of the land of Bourbon that they
are not in the least afraid of human
beings, although Bourbon county pro-
duces some of the finest and fighting
est" specimens OF manhood the word
has ever seen. Pantries, parlors,
dairies, chicken-houses and stables are
invaded by rats of such enormous size
that when man meets one he cries
out for help.
The rats or the rightful owners of
the land must go. Therefore, day to
rat killing has been set apart, and
every patriotic son of Bourbon must
march fearlessly against the invader
and stake his last drop of blood upon
his ability TO defend his home.
In some counties it might be easy
enough to drive the rats away, but not
so III Bourbon. 1t is no more possible
to convince any quadruped or biped
who has lived in Bourbon county that
it would not be better to drown in his
blood than to be driven across the
frontier than it would be to convince
the Dutch that it would be the better
part OF valOr to evacuate Holland. 1t
is not to be expected that the rats
who have prospered in Bourbon will
not be imbued with the proper spirit
of patriotism. With the instinct that
teaches them to know a good thing
when they strike it, as we'll as to know
sinking ship and desert it, the rats
of Bourbon will never turn tail to an
opposing force. The bluegrass must be
watered with the blood of the last of
their kind.
When the battle with the rats is
fought Bourbon eountians should re-
member the glory of their ancestors
who fought at the battle of Blue Licks,
and remember that the reputation of
Bourbon county has been kept unsul-
lied since the Indians died to defend it
from whites, who died that the sur
viVors Of their race might own if. The
battle must be sharp, decisive and
bloody, and no quarter must be given
or retreat expected, for from the point
of view of the aristocratic and pluto
cratic rodent it is better to be dead
40 bo ~, oxzilo from RO1rY-bN10 oOI1ntxy