Spotted in the Hustle newsletter this week.. this has to be the most American solution ever to the rat / mouse problem!
Oh, rats: Have a pest problem? James Williams of Fredonia, Texas, has an extremely aggressive solution. He patented an “animal trap” in 1882 that got right to the point. The invention was comprised of a wooden frame that could hold a pistol or a revolver, with a lever extending from the front. Any burrowing creature that stepped on the lever would discharge the firearm (you can deduce the rest) and an alarm would sound from the trap so it could be reset. “Trap” might be the wrong word here.
