The sun., 1908-04-26
CAT THAT WENT 10 UTICA.
Things Ex-IAeut. LusSleF Didn't Tell h'
Reporters About His Pet.

| the arrival there OF the pet cat LETT In New
York by John j. Lussier when he retired
as lieutenant from the Brooklyn Bridge
squad and went 10 Utica TO run a hotel
has been causing no end Of discussion In
geological circles between the bridge and
tho Battery None Of the naturalists is
inclined TO doubt the accuracy Of the story
that ex-Lieut. Lussier apparently handed
out TO the Utica reporters when they went
around to the Gates House to note the
hotel arrivals. They are amazed merely
because the cats last recorded act In this
city was to jump from the Brooklyn Bridge
into the East River.
what surprises me Also said the presi-
dent OF the Downtown Natural History
Club is that Lussier didn't tell the folks
up Utica way a bit Of the cats history
while he was introducing the animal into
polite circes there. II may have been
because Lussier hasn't fully established.
there the reputation for veraoity that he
had when he took the train for Utica and
didn't want to get in bad in a new place.
For the sake Of seeing simple justice done
the cat | will relate few Of the leading
happenings Of It's career.
a1he cats name was Commissioner
don't know just when Lussier first picked
her up, but it was a good many years ago
when he was q roundsman down In the Old
Slip station
"The cat was az once adopted by the
station house and the policemen agreed to
put her on the same footing with the other
attaches That Is, they would call her
Doorman until she had her first batch OF
kittens, then they would promote her name
TO Patrolman, then 20 Roundsman, Ser
geant, Captain and Inspector.
"Of couBe the boys weren't counting
on the names running out as soon % they
did, but anyway, inside OF year the cats
name was Inspector Then it was decided
TO call the cat Fourth Deputy Commits
sioner, and finally she was entitled to the
title Commissioner.
Commissioners encounter with Whis-
kers, the popular station house rat,
Ia one Of the most interesting events Of the
cats career. The Old Slip station was
favorite retreat Of many OF the leading
rats from nelghboring docks, and many
Of them used to run in ani chumwith the
desk sergeant late at night when no one
was about and il was hard work keeping
awake.
aLuGsier didn't warm up to any Of these
rats, except Whskers. He he'd a natural
prejudice against rats. but WEiskers did him
a service that he couldn't overlook
"0ne night, while dosing at the desk, he
was aroused Just as an automobile dashed
up to the door by a sharp squeang in his
ear and a pronounced pulling on one end
Of his long brown mustache. Lussler
awoke to see that the trouble was caused
by big rat He had scarcely got his eyes
open when the then Police Commissioner
hustled I'D to the desk, saw Lussier was
on the Job AMI went right out again
"Lussier felt that such an act deserved
official recognition, and the rat was named
Whiskers and put on the roll as an Un-
salaried attach6 along with the cat. Lusser
had some little difficulty TO establish friend
ship between the tTo, but as the rat was
almost as big as the cat they got along well
for a long time.
sOne day, after another batch Of kittens
had aTived Lusser took Whskers in to
introduce him 20 the members Of Com
missioner's family. The cat wasn't there
at tho time and he left the rat with the
kittens while he went TO answer telephone
call
"When he wen, back hc found Whiskers
breathing his last. with Commissioner
beating his brains ont against the floor.
The cat hal returned suddenly and mis-
constituting the rats Intentions had given
battle Tlissipr blamed himself more than
he did the cat, and their friendly relations
continued.
when L,ls-iar vas transferred from the
Old Slt2 station to tho BROOKLYN Br1 1ge
suiaI Commissioner followed him over to
tho station house IN Washington street,
BROOKLYN 4 day or a. or Brooklyn was
enough for Commissioner. and after that
she used 10 wni for l,ue ior on the bridge
and walk back and forth with him.
Elm those aavs lIusSar usNt 10 nun mp 10
Utica occasionally to stay day or 40 with
relatives, ard Commissioner always went 10
the Grand Central station and saw him oh.
Whom he returned ha Invariably found
Commissioner waiting for the Utica train,
"On tho last nrht thai luSsior crossed
the bridge. the day hn r'tired from the
force. Commissioner me- him ~ tho Brook
lyn side as usual. When lh'v got to the
middle of tho bridge the mt C-vo \ sudden
cry. as o' grief, and PLUNGED over into the
water. Lrssier dpcil lei th1. the cat knew
thcy were 70 bo separated ard had com
lriiteI suicide through gre'. Tho cats
suicide was notoi IN THr SrN al tho time.
sLusser's grrnrisa when th1 Cgt turned
up alive and well in Utica can readily I've
Imagined No wonder hc wa afraid thN
folks there wouldn't hoieve the true story
II no told IT,
'TMssinr told the Utica reporters that hc
guessed tho cat walked all the way there,
but know that the cat was1't IN the Police
Department ~ many years for nothing.
What she did was 70 GO M o Grand Central
Station, find the Utica train, and jump on
the blind baggage"