Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 218, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 September 1910 — PIED PIPER BADLY WANTED [ARTICLE]

PIED PIPER BADLY WANTED

Rodents Overrun Town of Greenwich, Conn.—Get Intoxicated on Deacon’s Liquor. Greenwich, Conn.—“ Wanted —ln Greenwich, Conn., one pied piper similar to the one who formerly operated in Hamelln, province of Hanover, Prussia, and whose effective business methods have been described by the late R. Browning.” This advertisement or one something like it may soon be published by the Greenwich board of selectmen if the rats here continue to Increase in numbers and boldness as they have been doing in the last two weeks. Driven by thirst occasioned by the long dry spell, they seek liquids wherever they can find them. They are overrunning everything and the worst part of it Is the cats seem to be all on a strike. Druggists have sold more rat poison In the last two wekes than In a year previously. Merchants, particularly fruit dealers, are greatly worried by tho.rats. More surprising than anything else Is the story of the depredations committed in the house of a certain aged deacon and temperance worker here, whose name is withheld by request. The other night when he went to bed he left a quart bottle of cold tea, with which he refreshed himself this hot weather, on the top of a cupboard. When he arose early the next morning he found the bottle broken oh the floor and rat tracks all around it He believes the rats, with almost human sagacity, pushed the bottle, which was of the small bottomed, broad-shoul-dered variety, off the shelf and drank the contents. wnen the cook arose to build the fixe she found four rats lying intoxicated on the floor of the kitchen, which adjoins the room containing the cup-

board. The deacon says he thinks the rats crawled half a mile from the cellar of a local barroom.