The Detroit times., 1915-02-27


distress On their wheels they would
speed after pys1le and ultimately re.
turn with her 10 be nnrsed 10 health
or sent 20 Il painlsss death.
Miss cording relates that she pene-
trated the yilest aud most sQualid sec
tions Oh the city At I'll hours and
searched Warehouses at night and
regularly visited the church crypts.
II was In the latter that she was most
literally rewarded The most frtiit-
ful place IN the entire city was ST.
Luke's In Old-st A large part OF up
ward OF 1900 cats gathered In be-
tween Jan. and April ]. 1913, were
found here. Most were starving and
all were ugly Petticoat Lane was
another good hunting ground.
Il was early learned that many .
cat with q kitchen for it, home got
nothing substantial to eat II the
kitchen were located In the poorer
quarters OF the city The early eff
forts were mostly directed to the
kitchens. II the occupants gave up
the cats. well and good: II not, the
felines were netted and taken, pro-
testing. 10 the refuge. That they
were better dead than alive was the
theory on which the women pro-
or the half-milIlon cats captured
less than per cent we're allowed to
live. AT nrst II was quite an easy
matter TO obtain comfortable homes
for them. After q while the cats be-
came more numerous than cat lovers
and but one alternative remained, the
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with the bodiest save that they were
disposed Of" IA nowhere divulged.
Only four OF the half.milllon felines
remained permanent boarders AT the
refuge. There were named .respec-
lively, "Blackfriars." "GeorEe." THE
Old Man" and Hackney" An adven-
ture attended the capture Of, each.
To get one Mas Cording climbed q
high wall: another came after q bat
tie, and . third WAS nstted following
an exceedingly exciting chase. All
grew TO ripe old age. and may be
living yet for ali the record shows.
Prior to Miss Cording's death the
Royal Society for the Prevention or
Cruelty to Animals, headed by the
king and queen. advanced money for
the extension Of the work, and after
Miss C0rding died took over the ref
uge. In her will Miss Cording be-
Queath1d everything she had, except
her sitting room furniture, TO the so
ciety, and 'asked that her two mot
tees, Deeds not Words md LAB.
orare est arare." be hung ON. the
walls.
Another claimant for the bsquest
left by Miss EVEN 10 the London In
stitute for Lost. and Strayed Cats.
During the commission hearings this
organization was represented by
learned counsel. II developed that
Mrs. Morgan is now head OF the In
stitution. She told great deal about
cat catching; she said her patients
were captured by men hired for that
purpose. She made q good record,
but was far outshone by Miss Cord
ing.
The Institutes annual report, at
tached to the papers, is finely Illus
trated and contains much poetry In
tended to make folks think OF stray
cats. One page Is devoted to the feed.
Ing Of the waits. Like Miss Cording,
Mrs. Morgan doesn't think mice and
rats are good for felines. She insists
suut Shcy QOu lhc turl0s hituOuBu
when pressed they viii consume
them. She points out that after q
cat has killed q mouse II refrains for
q considerable time from eating It.
Mrs Morgan said that when she
met Miss Cording In 1898 she offered
to take I'll the catssehe could catch
for 20 shillinss Z year, but she was
soon tired Of her bargain. The cats
begin to come In ct the rate OF 20 q
week. and her place was soon over
run. So. after time. she was forced
to tell Miss Cording that she couldn't
take any more. At one time every
post brought frightened. squalling
feline. which either had to be fed or
killed. or both. Like Mas Cording.
she charged no fees to the public.
Which society will receive the
$4,000. or whether either will get It.
can not be decided until Surrogate
Fowler has gone over the testimony.
which Is voluminous.
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