Year: 1875

A letter from Erie, Pa, to the Cincinnati


Enquirer contains the following curious


story:


A singular phenomenon is just now Great


ing sensation a few miles south of this


city, in the shape of a mouse e-catching


infant, SURPRISING in expertness the agility


of the best canine or feline mouser in the


country. The report of this singular freak


of nature reached me so we'll authenticated


that | concluded to crafty my curiosity.


The little girl in question is trifle over a


year old, and can just begin to run about


the house and yard. The moment she


wakes and gets out of her crib she goes to
the old kitchen re-place, which is infested


with species of small house mice, and sits


down by hole in the corner very much


like cat with her eyes intently fixed on


the burrow. She sometimes occupies this


position for an hour without moving, till


mouse makes its appearance, when, by IA


sudden start, apparently without any effort,


she seizes her victim by the neck. AS soon


as her prize is secured she seems to be


electrified with joy, and trembles from
head to foot, uttering kind of wild


murmur or growl, resembling the halfsup
pressed snarl of a wild cat. On arriving
at the house and making known the object
of my visit, the mother expressed the will
!nsmcss to give me an exhibition of the
strange popularity of the baby providing
would promise not to make their names |
public, as she seemed to dread the notoriety
already given to the affair. The baby was
asleep when l arrived, and on awakening
she started at once on her strange mission.
She is a beautiful little blonde, of delicate |
features and bright blue eyes, and her hair |
lies all over her head in golden curls. |
There is nothing unusual about the coun-
tenance of the child, or different from that
of any pretty featured baby, except while
stalking her game. Then her eyes become
glistening and fixed, sparkling like gems,
and her face and hands turn pale as wax,
while she appears to hear or notice nothing
going on around her. but keeps her eyes
steadily centered on the burrow whence
she expects her game to sally forth. The
mother, an older sister of the child and
myself sat in semi-circle around her.
During that half hour we neither moved
nor spoke above whisper when suddenly,
like the sprnging of trap, the little
things hands went down on the hearth,
followed by the fine squeak of the mouse,
and that strange, low growl and singular
tremor of the body of the child. AS usual.
she held the mouse by the neck in her right
hand, while it squirmed desperately to get
away. She then pressed it up against her
bosom and felt of it gently and softly with
her other hand; then would dexterously
change hands, carefully keeping her grip
on the neck to avoid it's bite, though her
mother told me she had been frequently
bitten, and while sensitive to pain, and
crying at the least ordinary hurt, she never
was seen to vince or show the least pain
from the bite of mouse. | examined her
ingers, and found them SCARED in many
places where she had been bitten tried
% realize how the feat had been accom- ,
Dished, but it was done so suddenly there
was no time to analyze it. Yet | was
assured by the family, who had taken fre-
Iuent observation, that the mouse when ,
'nce out of its hole seems to become
charmed or magnetized, and has no power,
'r at least shows no disposition, to escape


ill caught, when it is too late. If any one {
approaches the child to take the mouse ,
way from her, she will utter shrill
scream, and then try to conceal her prize
~ putting it into her mouth.