Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-08-02
THE WONDERFUL FLEA.
Most Powerful Thing For Its Size
That Crows

That Grows.
Charles Rothschild has for years
been the worlds greatest flea collector,
strange fad for a prince Of wealth.
ROthschild was the first to obtain and
describe the oriental rat flea. which
comes from the Nile. This is the true
carrier to man of the black death,
which has murdered millions, untold
millions, Of people. The disease occurs
in rats, and one oriental flea can carry
it from a rat to kill a man.
Egyptian or rat fleas had been spread
all over the warm countries Of the
world by the rats which they worry
and ride 1t has been proved that man
heas and cat heas can carry plague,
but not so strong or deadly as the rat
fea's plague. One flea's stomach and
giZZard hold 5000 plague germs, where
germs can further grow and keep alive
for fifteen days, but after fifteen days
white blood cells in the rats or flea's
blood kill the plague germs. Fleas
suck the rats blood. and so get white
cells from the rats. Both rats and fleas
become so charged that the plague
stops, owing to immunity.
Charles Rothschild years ago startled
the world by paying $4,000 for a pair Of
rare, almost unknown, Arctic fieas.
All human fleas originated in north
Europe, and were originally on the
badger before they learned to like to
live on man. Fleas are collected and
no man could have believed that Roth
schild's flea fad could have ever borne
such valuable wisdom as to prove that
the Nile flea is the deadliest Of all
things the world ever saw, for one flea
bite will give a man the plague. If
anybody can find an entirely new breed
of flea Tip promises that Mr.. Roth
schild stands ready to receive the
goods and pay the highest market price
the world affords.
The Egyptian flea does not thrive in
cold climates, for the plague weakens
under a temperature of 80 degrees
Fahrenheit.
The despised and detested flea is a
fine circus and theatrical performer,
but it will be best to admit right off the
bat that the performing power lies en-
tirely in the struggles to Neak bond
and escape. A performing flea Is cas-
lily broken of his habit of jumping the
fence or flying the coop. He is fasten-
ed up in q pill box, with glass sides.
This is made to whirl around like a
lottery box or a Chink prayer wheel,
until the flea student is graduated by
learning it is foolish, tiresome and use
less to jump, since the more he jumps
the less he goes. But most good per-
formers are not trusted. One single
fibre of raw silk is tied around the
fea's waist and knotted at the back,
miniature sash, as it were. The other
end of the fairy cable is glued to post
or ball and chain, or some such rogue
holding flea fastener. Fleas may pull a
carriage by being harnessed in Queen
Mays fairy coach, with shafts made
of finest boar bristles.
The flea is the most powerful thing
for it's size that grows, barring some
bacteria that can hit red corpuscle so
hard they can send it spinning through
the blood like a football. So, when old
Dobbin flea is hitched to his one-fiea
shay and set on q sheet of blotting pa
per where he can pick strong claw
holds with the hooks and claws he has
at the end of every toe, the equipage
rolls off with all the brilliancy, speed
and fnery of one of Alfred Vanderbilts
English turnOuts.
The life of the performing fleas is by
no manner of means as short and fleet
ing as most might guess, for they
usually live to be eight months old.
Some Methuselah fleas act for year.
Flea outfits and instruction in Paris
sell as high as a hundred dollars. Some
ne-night stands make their owners
we'll do flea showmen.-New York
Press.