Monday, Sep. 23, 1929
Cat Static
At Grand Rapids, Mich., the city pound manager put a cat into the asphyxial chamber with some dogs. The cat arched its back and spit for a fight. Its fur was bristling. .The manager slammed the chamber door and turned on the gas. The box exploded, injuring human attendants. Another explosion followed a similar experiment. Last week under the same circumstances there was a third explosion. Deduction: static electricity from the fighty cat's fur ignited the lethal gas. Authorities considered having the Grand Rapids Gas Light Co. perform further executions under contract.