The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-10-07

subject for mockery. Despite his
unpopularity Gallagher viewed his So
cial ostracism as a joke and through
utter perverseness would demonstrate
his strange power over animals.
For this trait he was feared when
he worked in the appraisers stores as
an opener and packer in 1893. Gal
lagher was appointed in that year and
often boosted that political pull had
led to his selection from the third
grade list Of the custom house.
The old stores building was over
run with rats and they were the one
abomination of the men uncrating and
wrapping the stores. They possessed
no terrors for Gallagher, however He
delighted in their coming. He often
demonstrated his peculiar command of
his voice to his fellow laborers and
seemed to get any call he desired from
the throat region.
One day the tide drove many of the
dock rats among the barrels and boxes
in the stores Office. They ran for shell
ter to the heaps of wool in the section
where Gallagher was working, and in
fright the packers deserted the room.
The stocky Gallagher laughed at their
alarm and pursued the rats into the
wool piles. They were about to attack
him when a weird call issued from his
throat.
His fellow workers looking in upon
him saw the rats gather about him
with squeals of affection that sounded
similar to the noise that Gallagher
made. They crept upon him from all
sides. He stroked the rodents as he
continued the chuckle and they
climbed all over him. Many of the
rats, fattened on the refuse that had
most the size Of cats and aggressive
ly fierce.
Gallagher gave no need to their size
or appearance. He coddled them and
let them nestle in his arms. They
ran about his neck and down the back
of his coat. He tweaked their long
tails, but they did not bite him, and
he performed other minor cruelties
that would ordinarily have provoked
the rodents to sink their teeth in him,
but they made no move to hurt the
laborer. Their tails swished across
his face but he only laughed between
his intermittent calls.
He finally put the rats away from
him, but to horrify the other men he
called them back every noon hour
with the same throaty cry. They
came through cracks in the floor and
from holes in the wall. His summons
was irresistible. To shock his fellows
almost to nausea he permitted the
rats to nibble the food heheld between
stop, but he laughed ct them.
"They are lovable animals" he
often told his companions. "The rat
is much misunderstood. You must
greet him with his own love call and
he will never har,2 you"
On occasions when other men in the
rooms were bitten by the rats. result
ing ultimately in blood poisoning, he
laughed in apparent delight, and, to
show his own control of the rodents,
gathered them about him in scores.
1.-THE Pied Piper Of Hamelin was q
man Of my own type" boosted Gal
lagher. HE could make the rats come
from their hiding places. but 1 am ;su-
perior to him. He used a flute; have
nothing but my throat to win them"
When the situation finally became
unbeaarble recourse was had to the Of
Acials, and in 1897 Gallagher was driv-
en- from his position. He had been
guilty of another offense, but the op-
portunity to leave the appraisers
! stores honorably was given to him.