Albuquerque citizen., 1908-04-24
BURN MANSION
TO DRIVE AWAY
THE BATS
One of the Oldest and Most
Historic Places in Virginia
Must Be Destroyed.

Aylett, Va, April 24.-Montville,
one of the most famous and historic
places in Virginia, is to be burned to
the ground by its owners, the great
grandchildren Of Patrick Henry, be-
cause it is overrun with bats.
Since the warm weather began
here there is no living in or near the
place. Bats by the thousands hang
about the grand parlors and spacious
bedrooms of the colossal mansion. At
tempts to cXterminate them by poison
and with clubs have failed. Tney are
in every room. They hang in long
strings. as is their habit, from the
furniture, from the ceiling. from the
walls and they are in such mum DerS
that they form curtains before the
windows, darkening the house during
the day.
At night fall they loosen them
selves from each other and dart To
the yards i'm such numbers that they
strike each other in their flight.
only recently Philip Aylett. one of
the owners of the place, and an engi-
neer of reputation in Richmond,
came mere and attempted to make
the house bat proof" Every crack
every door, every chimney was
stopped up, but the bats found a way
to enter. They could get through
cracks which would hardly admit a
roach.
Montville was built about the time
the Americans drove the English out
of the country and its woodwork is
old and brittle. The Workmen were
hardly through with the job when the
bats took possession. They seemed
to be able to get into air-tight rooms.
There was no keeping them out.
Montville is now owned by the six
children of the late William Aylett.
They inherited the home from their
father who had inherited it from his
grandmother, Elizabeth Henry, who
had married an Aylett.
After the death of William Aylett,
half a dozen years ago. his sons and
daughters married and moved away
and Montville was rented for the first
time since it was decided in 1870 to
the first Aylett who came to America
by Charles II.
From the day the lease was signed
bats began to invade the place. The
lessee tried living in the mansion with
his family. but it was impossible. Dur
ing the day there were strings of
oats yards long. The first of the
gruesome creatures would cling to a
piece of wood work. to the wal, the
window sill or to stick of furniture,
and his fellows would cling to him
forming a string of Squeaking, repul-
sive objects. The moment the sun set
the string would dissolve and the bats
would seek the open. squeezing
through the cracks of windows OF
doors and through the floors and
walls.
The Aylctt children offered prizes
to the negroes who would kill the
most bats. \ child stood in the front
door one afternoon and with a tenni-
racket knocked down 1000 bats. Tn
negroes for a time came from every
direction, hoping to win the "bat
prize. but after thousands aud thou
sands of the creatures had been put
to death there was no approcab t
diminution. Poison was then placeo
in every part of the house but tn,
bats only seemed to thrive on it.
This spring the bats have become a
pest to the neighborhood and the
owners of the old mansion have de-
termined to burn it to its foundation
Inc DdlS can Dt Spl llu u III iiO ONh'l
way.
Montvlle is one of the last of the
Revolutionary homes in King William
county. During the life of William
Aylett ii was the most hospitablt
home in that section of the state
There the bellies and oeauX of Nir'
ginia were accustomed to gather anC
the great parlors and broad halls now
given up TO bats We're the scenes oI
some of the most noted social gath
crings Virginia has known since the
Revolution. The original Montvill'
was burned down by the British dur
ing the Revolutionary war. The pres
ent house was built almost immedi
ately afterward.
ROUGH DRY.
Do you know what tnIS meansP 7
not ask our drivers to explain II I,