Hackteria Network Zines Library/Oddities
Oddities
"FULL REVELATIONS OF A RAT-CATCHER" by Ike Matthews (1898)
- Author: Ike Matthews / Friendly Societies' Printing Company
- Format: A3-BW, cover + 8pp inside
- Language: English
- Date: 2020
◈ ARCHIVIST SUMMARY: Reprint/remix of a Victorian-era Manchester rat-catching manual (1898). Includes period pest control techniques, historical advertisements, and DIY pest management knowledge. Published under "Ike Matthews" name. Printed by the Friendly Societies' Printing Company.◈
- Machine Extraction: Based solely on the provided text, the zine is a reproduction of a historical document titled "FULL REVELATIONS OF A RAT-CATCHER" by Ike Matthews, dated 1898 and printed in Manchester.Tangible Subjects:
• Professional rat-catching and rabbit shooting. • The use of dogs, ferrets, and nets for pest control. • The supply of live rats and rabbits. • Gun safety and etiquette for rabbit shooting. • Methods for removing rats from warehouses, offices, storerooms, and private houses. • The habits of rats, specifically "Drain Rats" or "Black Rats."Tools and Equipment Discussed: • Guns (specifically for rabbit shooting). • Ferrets. • Nets. • Dogs (for locating and retrieving rats/rabbits). • Candles (used for illumination under floors).Workshops/Themes: • Rat-catching methodology: The text explicitly advises against poisoning rats in enclosed buildings, arguing that poisoned rats die under floors, causing a stench and health hazard. The recommended method involves using ferrets and dogs to catch rats under floors. • Rabbit shooting instructions: A list of safety rules is provided, including keeping the gun pointed safely, not shooting at a rabbit on a burrow hole to avoid hitting the ferret, and not moving from the position assigned by the gamekeeper. • Professional services: Ike Matthews offers his services for rat-catching, rabbit shooting, supplying and working ferrets, and breaking dogs and puppies for ferreting and "Batting" (likely a typo for ratting). • Author's stated philosophy
- Key Concepts: Food & Fermentation, Community Events, Feral Knowledge, Urban Symbiosis, Waste Ecology
