Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1913 — Jail Cat Makes Round of Prison Each Night [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Jail Cat Makes Round of Prison Each Night

Minneapolis. Minn.,—“Bill,” the “ county jail cat, has achieved Came. Bill is 3 years old. For two years he has been acting as night watch in the jail. For that length of time Jailer Nels Clausen had not eeen Bill and he thought the cat had done the seemingly imposfeible—escaped from jail. On the contrary. Bill has been very much on the job and lim been active in preventing jailbreaking. , It all came out the other day when James Merrick, night jailer, related how Bill had followed him on his rounds through the cell block each half-hour during the night. Other night men confirmed the story as hav-

ing been true in their time on duty within the last two years. “Promptly at 6 p. m. as I have come on duty," said William Tinkum, another night sentry, “Bill has come out from his place in the lower drawer of the desk. He crawls in from behind the desk and has made himself a comfortable home in the lower drawer. Out he comes at that hour, brushes against me and then goes to the elevator entrance to see if the wicker cage that guards the door is closed. “We have to make the rounds every half-hour and right to the second old Bill is there to start. That cat seems to know when the time comes for ringing up the signal station, for he makes the rounds just as regular as clockwork, and if I seem to take too long in making the inspection he strikes out ahead and goes back to the signal box to wait for me.” Jailer Nels Clausen said that the cat was born in the jail three years ago and for a year was kept in the jailer’s apartments. Then one day he missed it.