Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-25
CITY HALL PIGEONS
COO HAPPILY WHILE
DESTRUCTION PENDS
Handful of Determined Wo-
men All That Stands Be-
tween Birds and Official
Decree of determination.

When Director Harte, of the Depart
ment Of Health and Charities. begins his
crusade against the pigeons Of City Hall
Square, if he does shoot one, he will find
he must contend with Mrs. NJ NJ Halvey,
Office manager Of the Womens Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The cruSad" was to have begun today,
but Mrs, Halvey headed delegation Of
women who called upon the Director
He listened to their remonstunce against
killing the pigeons and then stated he
would hold the matter under advisement.
Mrs. HaIvey says there will be no
slaughter Of the pigeons.
She is not threatening in attitude or
anything like that but her one aim is to
save those birds.
some people say that the City Hall
pigeons are a nuisance. Others say the
pigeons lend atmosphere to City Hall
Square. They liken them to pigeons of
st. Marks Cathedral in Venice. Who
would ever hear Of st. Marks If it were
not for the pigeons, they ask II it were
not for 81. Marks. it Is argued who
would ever hear Of Venice. 4 few people.
perhaps, might remember it because of its
wet highways ana because a certain Bill
Shakespeare wrote a drama concerning
mercart OF the place.
There are a few friends OF the pigeons
even in city Hall Sheriff A. Lincoln
Acker says: Let the pigeons stay. Drive
out the rats. give those little pets of the
public nearly 100 pounds of feed each
week. There are number Of rats in
the City Han that should be disposed Of"
sa!d the Sherin with wise nod. What
ne meant can only he guessed at.
When the city Hall was completed, and
before even the officeholders could select
comfortable chairs and desks that were
not meant for hard usage, the pigeons
arrived. They looked that big pile of
stone over and decided that under the
caves was juSt the place for them. It
was and has been for years.
THE FIRE HOSE AGAIN.
Director Harte is contemplating aiming
a h!gh-pressure FIRE hose at the caves and
drowning the pigeons, That was tried
once before during the Reyburn admin
istrauon. While constant readers" wrote
Z" the newspapers protesting against the
cruelty The wet pigeons, with cries Of
protest and anger, flew over 10 Broad
street Station and lighted upon the train
shed. There they dried off, RrOoned
themselves and returned to the C'itv Hall
as soon as the hose ceased 10 be A menace
When a FIRE hose did not discourage
those uig's Tim OI4arv. who tn.n u,.
Assistant Dire ctor of Public Safety. got
busy He said he knew pigeons All the
way from the homiug variety to stool
pigeons, He knew as much about them
as he did about race horses, and that
was considerable
pLearv Is the man who devised the
WIr"-scr"en scheme that r. today seen
over al. entrances to city Hall.
The screens, all credit 10 O'I4arv. did
battle the pigeons for several days. Some
birds flew home late in the evening and
in not tie best mental condition bumped
AGAINST the screens
They became bruised and wiser birds
Then the pigeons got used to the device
and cleyerly duckcd under the screens to
hnd their roosting places
ianitor Of the CITY Hall came near
solving the pigeon question. He fed the
birds every morning and as they ate from
his hand on the city Hall roof he would
W7ng the necks OF half dozen or So
He did IL quietly SO as not 10 friznten
the fock, II is said that ianitor ate
pigeon pot pl" even for breakfast. He
died from appendicitis The death certih-
cate did not state what effect a steady
diet of pigeons had upon him.
John Ritchie, a former detective, feeds
the pigeons every day, He viii miss the
birds II they are eXterminated. So will
a tall, slender young man who feeds the
pigeons every time they are photo
graphed. II is remarkable how he can
bob up al the psychological moment and
get into the cameras range.