Story Time
Mongoose Box Stories
I’ve scoured the web for stories about “the box” and found only these few. While you already know how the story goes, it’s fun to see the different takes on them.
I’ve brought them all together here for your reading pleasure, with links back to the original sites.
The Mongoose Cage
Soaring seems to attract an eclectic bunch of people and one of the more memorable was Mahlon Weir. He’d usually show up at a soaring contest with some new and unusual attraction, game or scam.
He brought along his mongoose cage to a contest at Hutchinson, Kansas. It was a cage with a divider with a doorway in the center of it and some fur could be seen through the door.
The trick was to get someone interested in his story about how vicious the mongoose was and how it was so fast that it could kill snakes. Once he got his mark hooked, he would trip a hidden latch, the top would fly open and toss a piece of fur at whoever was in front of it.
One evening some of the people told him that they had a new victim for his mongoose cage. They brought a fellow with gray hair to see his mongoose. Mahlon had never seen him before but jumped at the chance of a new victim.
He went through his spiel then said he’d shake the cage to get the mongoose to come out where he could see it. The mark was bent over in front of the cage waiting for the mongoose to come out when Mahlon tripped the latch and the piece of fur flew out into the guy’s face.
He staggered back, grabbed his chest and flopped down on the floor. Two of the spectators, who just happened to be doctors, rushed to his side. They felt his pulse, pounded on his chest, and put an ear against his chest. Then they looked up at Mahlon and said, “He’s dead!”
Mahlon’s face went ash white and a few seconds later, everyone began to laugh as the guy on the ground sat up. Mahlon had been scammed by his own trick. He put the mongoose cage away and it was never seen again.
From: Physics Forum – posted by Ivan Seeking
When I was about 12 year of age we had a neighbor who came by one day with a large cage that contained an “Australian Mongoose.”
The cage had two sections; One section had a wood frame covered with heavy gauge screen, and the other was completely enclosed and made of plywood. We couldn’t see the entire animal but the tail was visible as the mongoose slept in the enclosed section.
Deep scratches, at least 1/4″ deep, were visible all over the wood cage. Chicken bones were seen broken and splintered and lying all over the cage. He said that he fed it whole chickens.
This thing was so fast and so dangerous that if it were to get out we might all be mauled within seconds. It kills so many people each year in Australia . . . and on and on until, just when he had us convinced this was the most dangerous animal known to man, the top of the cage flew open and the thing came right at me and hit me in the chest.
We were standing in the garage at the time. I was literally on top of the washing machine and heading for the rafters before I realized that nothing was attacking me.
The phony fox tail was lying on the floor. The spring loaded trap door of the cage had a hook attached that threw the tail when a secret latch was released. My dad told me later that he really thought I was dead. I really did as well.
From: Shotgun World – Posted by huntswithdogs
Another of our techs, had this wood & wire cage with big warning signs all over it. DANGER! BITING ANIMALS! DO NOT TOUCH!
When a newer person came to work, we’d give them awhile to get used to us, then start talking about the “MONGOOSE.”
Talk about how bada$$ they were because they could hunt and kill king cobras and other poisonous snakes. How sharp their teeth were (it helped that the tech had been working on cars all his life and his hands were pretty banged up from under car hoods) and point out the scars on his hands, telling all kinds of outlandish stuff. How bad attituded they were and how much trouble the tech had had trying to catch it after it got out the last time.
When the big day came, the tech would come walking up through the lot really slow, wearing welders gloves, toting this big ole box with all the warning signs and whispering for all within hearing to be quiet so “it” wouldn’t wake up just yet.
After sitting the box down, he’d get whichever victim to come around to the front of the box. You had to get the box low enough so the victim would have to squat, slightly.
All you could see, thru the wire, was a brown tail hanging out of a hole in the back of the box. All the while, us helpers were still talking about how mean this thing was and asking the tech when it last ate, etc.
When the victim assumed the position, the tech would offer to tap on the back of the box to “wake up” the Mongoose. He’d hit a little lever on the back, releasing about half of the top (it was spring loaded), which flew forward and smacked down on the front half. The “Mongoose”was attached to this by a string.
Sometimes the”mongoose” would land on the victim, then things got REAL interesting.
We had this one new tech that was a big ole biker boy. Acted like he ate razor blades for breakfast or something and would fight anybody, anytime.
The mongoose hit him right in the face! He’d squealed like a little girl, turned and ran down between some cars in the lot and broke off 3 side mirrors in the process.
One gal, who worked in the office, was wearing a wool sweater and skirt when she got to meet it. The mongoose stuck to the front of her sweater. She stood there all wide eyed and shook while making this low moaning noise.
When she recovered, somewhat, she started cussing a blue streak! That’s when we realized she’d peed herself. I think this was the last time the mongoose got to come to work.
If you make a box and create some stories of your own, (and if you’re willing to share) I’d be happy to put them on this page, too! Use the Contact page to send them in for all to enjoy!