The Era-leader. [volume] (Franklinton, La.) 1910-current, 1911-04-20
DID NOT COME BACK
cat Chased Rat Into Polar
Bears Den,
y" toraoino for His Breakfast Tom
Ventured Too Far into Bruins
Gage and Nine Lives Are
Lost in a TwinkIina.

Cage and Nine Lives Are
Lost in a TwinkIino.
New York-This is the story of
oat and rat and a polar bear |
happened at the Bronx Park ZOO. Th,
M anu the polar bear are still alive
but the cat is not. And il you doub
tne tale that follows, most any keepe,
~ the ZOO will conduct you to tn,
Dear dens and say:
There is Silver King, the pola,
Dear. l offer him in evidence"
should curiosity. or skepticism
prompt you to inquire about the cat
me keeper will tell you that his grave
- down under one of the big oak tree,
near the duck pond.
every one who has visited the zoo
recently knows all about Silver King
He's the very first thing to which the
Keepers call your attention. But the
cat and the rat are not 80 we'll known,
ID TACT. neither Of them really be.
!oneed to the ZOO at all. They had
Just wandered in and acquired squat.
tors rights.
The cat was a battlescared old
male. He crept into the reservation
one day when no one was looking, and
proved himself quite a rat catcher.
Had 1t not been for that, Tom would
nave been promptly elected from the
soo' But rats have become a pest
near some Of the animal houses. Tom
soon became one Of the regular fix.
lures. He slept in a little tlssure in
the rocks to the east Of the bear dens.
Sometimes the cat would Green
through the bars and snatch pieces Of
Dread Or meat left by the bears. Tom
waxed fat and sleek from his foraging.
But Tom never lost his fondness for
rat meat. He preferred to kill them
himself. too. One morning recently
Tom. the cat, was very hungry. The
long rainy days had kept him confined
to the cleft in the rock. No rats ever
ventured there. But on the morning
In question the sun was shining. Tom
ventured out to hunt for his break.
fast.
Along the stone wall yxach forms
the base for the rows Of iron bars in
front Of Silver Kings den there ap-
pearsd a rat, large, fat one, which
looked % though 1t couldn't run very
fast Tom saw 1t. Creeping along,
With his body close to the ground,
Tom drew close, close enough to
spring And suddenly, like a cata.
mount launching upon its prey. Tom
hurled through the afr. But the rat
Daw him Just in time. and tumbled
o6 the wall and into the den of Sill
ver King.
Hunger had apparently made Tom
reckless. Into the bear den he sprang,
md skurried across the floor after the
rat. And then Silver King took part
ln the chase. The keepers say that
Silver King only wished to
play. But after the cat, which WAS
lftsr the rat. went the big polar bear.
And into the cave Of Silver King
vent the three animals.
4 moment passed, and out from the
ave ran the rat. The cat was close
behind. Silver King was still bringing
,p the rear. but gaining fast.
At the edge Of the bear tank the
:hase ended One Of Silver Kings
,ig paws came down squarely upoE
,oor Toms back. and Toms nine lives
,aSsed out In q twinkling. The rat,
4 course, escaped. One Of the keep
NJ who had witnessed the chase and
b tragic ending procured long pole
md fshed Toms body out And later
% buried the cat beneath the tall oak
re.