In fact, everyone was enjoying the new home, except Bismarck, the inventor’s large black and white cat. Although the backyard was encircled by a fence to protect Bismarck’s preserve, the hardy neighborhood cats scaled the high wooden wall to feast on Bismarck’s dinner. Hollerith boiled over at the intrusion. Rimming the fencetop with a wire leading back to batteries and a switch in a third-floor room, the inventor sat watchfully puffing a cigar. When a feline trespasser reached the top of the fence, Hollerith threw the switch, sending a jolt through the predator and making it jump off in surprise. Hearing of the electrical circus of screeching cats, Hollerith’s friends from the Census Office soon stopped off with him to witness another novel application of electricity.
Geoffrey D. Austrian: Herman Hollerith. Forgotten Giant of Information Processing. New York: Columbia University Press 1982, S. 78.
