Year: 1866

to visit rat match, in the nortL ern
portion of Philadelphia and, under the
guidance of knowing one" promi-
nent in the sporting circles, found our
selves in front of an ordinary looking
tavern, three story brick house with
tall sign post. We reached this place
after trayersing streets and alleys /
had never seen before, but from my
previous knowledge Of that part of the
city, lshould judge was not far from
Second and Poplar streets. On enter
ing the bar.room there was nothing to
distinguish it from hundred similar
places had seen, except that behind
the usual tumblcr-and -deeant ter loaded
counter running along one side Of the
room, there stood not hirsute bar.
tender, but remarkably pretty and
and modest looking younggirl. Neat
ly dressed and smiling, she presented
= strange contrast to the vulgar row.
dyism by which she was surrounded.
1t was a painful thought that she must
have had long experience, young as
she was, thus to encounter unabashed
the brutal language, and still more
brutal looks Of the ruffisns she served
with drink. The greater part Of the
company, in the intervals between
drinks, crowded round stove in the
middle of the room-most of them
could be recognized at glance as
sports, gamblers, sharperS and pimps,
there was also sprinkling ofstudents
from the medical college, and one or
two officers from aship-of-war in the
harbor. The proprietor Of the house,
a tbick-set Englishruan, seemed well
acquainted with my conductor, for he
not only furnished tickets for our ad :
mission to the coming fight but offered
to take US up stairs osee his canine
menagerie. We accepted the offer and
climbed up to the attic, which smelt
badly enough, but not 80 bad as the
bar-room. Here there seemed 10 bs
dogs of all sizes, ages, shapes and hues
the proprietor produced two or three
pet puppies for our admiration dilated
upon the superiority ofhis dogs, and
then let us down stairs again to the
rat-pit, which was in the cellar, proba-
bly, for security from the attacks Of the
police. 1t was dark, dirty place;
rough plank seats rose in tiers from the
PIT IN the center to the moldy, snail


tracked wall, with here and thero u
gaslight sticking out in vain attempt
to enliven the droary don. The rat
pit itself was circular, about six feet in
diameter, with fence round to keep
the rats from jumping out. The bot
tom was covered with sawdust. The
roats were soon filled, and then bull
headed little man, dressed in fighting
trim, shorts and tights, jumped into
the ring and informed US that he was
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disappointed in the non-arrival Of y
celebrated dog he expected from Nsw
York, but that in order that we might
not lose our sport, the rats would be
put into the ring, and he would either
match a dog OF his own against them,
or kill them himself just as We pleased
The majority OF the crowd seemed de-
! lighted NJ this, and howled out re-
quest that ho would Kill them himself.
A boy then brought in large bag,
and, holding it by the corners, emptieu
TO dozen big ship rats out Oft into the
pit, pretty much in the Style that Pro-
fessor Anderson shakes out his egg
bag. The unsightly animals ranround
the pit for few seconds, trying to
jump over tho fence, or find some other
mode Of escape, but failing in this they
collected in big black ugly masses,
with their little eyesshining like beads.
The rat catcher then jumped into the
pit and knelt on one knee in the mid
die of it. A confederate stood outside
holding a stop watch, and all at once
gave the signal to begin Then camo
a horrible spectacle, Quick as light
ming the man plunged his hand into
the mass Ofrats, seized one by the
back and carried it to his mouth
then = squeak and crunch, ana the
lifelsss carcass was tossed aside with q
broken neck. Az soon az the rats
found out what was going on and that
there was no escape for them, they At
tackled the man. climbing up on bis