Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 September 1894 — Elaborate Traps. [ARTICLE]

Elaborate Traps.

On nothing has the inventor more frequently exercised his ingenuity than the miking of traps to catch mischievous insects, animals and men. The rat has received especial attention. Some of the contrivances made for his undoing are so elaborate that no full-wit-ted rodent would go near them. A trap recently seen consists of a double chamber, one chamber has a glass end through which Mr. Ra.cees two or three imitation rats having a nice time with a bit of cheese. Wishing to join them, he runs around the box, gets into the other chamber and is caught. There are numerous devices which employ mirrors for the purpose of alluring the rat to his fate. He mounts on top of a barrel anl sees a toothsome bit of cheese. As he appr aches it he beholds another rodent —in rea itv his <7wn reflection in a piece of looking-glass—coming for the cheese from the opposite direction. He makes a dash to get there first, and a pivoted board drops him into the cask, which is half full of water. Conti ivances for catching thieves are more interesting. One o'them is designed to discourage bank sneaks. The sneak puts his hand in through the teller’s window, and unintentionally a tuates a mechanism which causes a slide with spikes to close sudden y upon his paw and im ale it. A trap of a somewhat similar characte - is a steel shutter for a house window, so disguised with covering and fringe as to look like an ordinary curtain. If a burglar tries to ente - at night, it shuts down upon him, the spikes hidden by the fringe helping to hold him fast.