Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 August 1891 — A New O’Possum at the Park. [ARTICLE]

A New O’Possum at the Park.

New York Sun. The Central Park Menagerie/ received an addition Thursday afternoon in the shape of a good-siized opossum. The odd thing about this osossum is that it was caught right in the heart of New York city. Early Thursday morning, when John Wheeler, of 24 East Fourteenth street, was going -to his place of business lie caught sight of a black animal nanging by its tail from a cross piece of a telegraph pole at University Plnce and Thirteenth street. Mr. Wheeler and a number of men and small boys set about catching the animal. ’ Sticks and Stones were thrown and the opossum was soon brought down. Mr. Wheeler got a cloth bag from a neighboring shop and with it Captured the little animal. The opossum was taken to Mr. Wheeler s home, and after his far-uly and friends had looked at it he carried it up to Central Park and presented it to Superintendent Conklin. *‘lt is a curious fact,” said Mr. Conklin, yesterday, “but-these animals are quite frequently found in in the city. Some years they are moro plentiful than others, and four years ago as many as a dozen were found. .The opossum brought by Mr. Wheeler is the first one caught this year that I havo heard of. it is a full grown animal.” Superintendent Conklin said he was at loss to understand how the opossums had found their way to the city. “There area great many of them on Long Island,” he said, “but how they got across tho water, if they came from Long Island, is a mar ;el to me. I have never heard of any being found in Westchester county, but it is barely possible that they may have come down from somo of the country district? just north o> the cU*»- w *