The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1909-09-11
SOME THOUGHTS ON BUGS.

The following letter was recently re-
ceiyed by the proprietor of a hotel in a
small town in Indiana:
Dear Sir:-1 feel terribly cut up over
what has just happened, and wish to
make ful1 confession. killed about
dozen of your best bed bugs. Why
did it don't know am trying to calm
myself enough TO reason it out. But
it's done and a terrible deed it was. 1t
surely has taken you long time and re-
study to bring them to their present
high state Of Development. You should
be 1ightfully called the Bed Bug Bur-
bank, for it's marvellous what you have
done for the bed bugs. They are the
finest have ever seen and so docile.
The only reason | can give you for
slaughtering SO many of them is because
they disturbed my rest. was awful!y
tired when I went to bed at 0:90, and it
took them two hours to awaken me.
When they did awaken me, felt atheF
cross, for needed more rest and sleep.
However, got up and, after carefully
searching among my clothing and in my
grip for bugs. dressed and am spending
the rest of the night in a chair in the
office. sincerely hope shall not carrv
any of your high grade bugs F,Esy with
me. know my wife would like a start
of them, for she has Gust now stopped
to look for one-thought felt one-was
mistaken) never raised any, but it
wouldn't be fair ts take them from you.
| wouldn't carry any of them away for
anything.
can see now why you collect for beds
in advance, and that is to be sure to get
something for the fine bugs the boys are
likely to ki!l. | killed ten or twelve.
do not know the market price of such
carefully cultivated bugs as these, and
do not know if the 80 CENTS paid you
is enough or Hot but tfelt bug or nv
leg, thcught) if it is not, and you will
send me bill for them, I'll send check.
If were you and was in the bed bug
business as you are, and was as careful
of them as you seem TO be, and had a
side line aa you have OF sleeping travel
ers, 1 would paint "No Hunting AL
lowed' in big red letters on the head
board OF each bed in the house. | be-
lieve the boys would respect this warn
ing, and even give up OF their life
blood to protect and foster your fine
bugs. Judging from the size and per-
sonal app psaFanee' Of the ten or twelve
| killed, I should say you know more
about bugs than anybody, but | would
offer suggestion (felt one on nv arm ),
and that is that each enc be named and
that his aaule be printed on his back.
There is plenty room for this, and in
/ this way you can tell what ones are
killed when some Of your guests ''run
amuck" as | did, Some are no doubt
| much more valuable than others, and If
| John Doe occupies room 20 We'll say,
and some OF your finest bugs are in this
room Il had 20), and you go into the
room next morning, and "Priscilla", or
"Aquilla", or "Patience', or any ot
them is missing, you can charge Doe uI
with them at their raal value and thus
make him show what became q them
| See? | believe this would stop the
slaughter, and be better in many ways
If those killed had had names where
could have seen them, certainly shoulC
not have killed them. You would haVl
had your Gust imagined : saw one or
my hat briml bugs, and would no
have had this terrible Il felt one on my
fother leg) torture of conscience,
AS my great desire is to pass the re-
mainder OF my days in peace of mind
with a clear conscience, shall neYe
return to your hotel, for the temptation
to deeds OF violence is too strong. S.
good-by forever. E. STARBUCK
Goshen, Ind.