From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Nov. 5, 1911:

“For some unexplained reason the Chase county jail recently became overrun with mice. The mouse population increased so rapidly during the summer, while the jail contained no inmates, that the mice, no doubt, had begun to think it their own and resented the intrusion of the four prisoners who recently came to share quarters with them. The mice kept up a racket all night long, scampering back and forth over the iron jail floor and even jumping on top of the beds of the sleeping men. The prisoners at last declared war upon their tormentors and begged the sheriff to give them mouse traps to aid in the work of the slaughter. This request the sheriff readily granted and he also put a bounty of one cent upon the head of every mouse in the court house neighborhood. Now the prisoners spend their time contriving the capture of the mice and fixing tempting morsels from the remains of their meals with which to bait the traps.”