Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 106, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 May 1910 — RATS CAUSE TWO PANICS. [ARTICLE]

RATS CAUSE TWO PANICS.

Palereon Woman Who Owned Them I* Charred With Arnault, Too. In her efforts to prove to Edward Mills, a hardware dealer, that a rat trap ihe had sold to her was useless, Mrs. Lucy Thompson of Hazel stret caused two panics, one on a ifolley car and the other In the shopping dietrict, and will have to answer a charge of assault and battery. The rats in Mrs. Tomkins’ home had

made a trap a picnic ground for several days, growing fat on the cheese in it without injury to a Paterson (N. J.) correspondent of the New York Tribune says. From a hiding place in the corner of the room she watched three well-fed fats hop into the trap. The rats were having their customary feast when Mrs. Tomkins placed a bag over the trap and kept the rats prisoners, when she started with her captives on a Main street car -for the shopping district to interview the hardware man. The car had gone but a short distance when a dozen women screamed and jumped almost simultaneously on the seats of the car, while others rushed for the door. One of the rats had escaped from the bag-covered trap. The motorman, with the assistance of a switch bar, drove the rat to the street and the car resumed, its journey. When Mrs. Tomkins ultimately reached the shopping district the jostling crowd caused.her to loosen her hold on the bag and the remaining rate escaped to the sidewalk. For a few minutes there was pandemonium among the woman shoppers,'but a traf. lie officer succeeded after some difficulty in restoring order. Mrs. .Tomkins was disappointed at the loss of the rats, but still determined. Going into the hardware store she hunted up the proprietor and hurled the rat trap at his head. As a’ result of this last maneuver Constable Lee from Justice Botbyl’s court served a warrant on her, charging assault and battery. ' ?