ANIMAL-TRAP.
A choker trap with all machinery moved behind the upright.
A wire bow is coiled around a bolt at the rear of an upright board, forming a spring whose ends hook to the back of the upright. A wire catch holds the bow raised and engages a baited trigger passing through a hole in the base. The mouse disturbs the bait; the trigger releases the catch; the bow snaps down against the upright. The animal approaching from the front sees only the board and the bait.
“By this construction the machinery of the trap is all on the back side of the upright E, and is not seen by the animals approaching the bait, and the trap can be set from the outside or back side of the standard E, thereby avoiding the danger from accident in setting the trap to which other traps are liable.”— Horace Tinker, from the specification
And the world did not beat a path to his door.