also ascertained the cause, he resorted to such means as would purify the wound from all poisonous effects, by well cleansing, &c., which happily terminated in nothing more serious than her being crippled in that foot for some time, and wearing the scar as a remembrance. But its mother informed me, that there was no doubt, from the desperate wound inflicted, that had they not instantly run to the child’s rescue, the rat would soon have had her toe off, if nothing worse. This occurrence took place some time since. But now we come to others which have transpired within more recent periods, and of a more dreadful description.
The wife of a labourer, residing near Landor, went out of her cottage, leaving her infant boy, about three years old, asleep on the bed. On her return she heard the child crying vehemently, and upon rushing into the room she saw a large rat busily engaged in biting the little fellow’s face; but on her appearance the animal ran up the chimney. It was found that portions of the child’s flesh had been eaten away, both from the face and one of its thumbs.
The death of an infant six months old took place in Marsh Street, Bristol, from the bite of a rat. Marsh Street is an exceedingly old and filthy street, and lies not only adjacent to the floating harbour, but in the vicinity of numerous warehouses for the storage of potatoes, grain, tallow, oil, and the like; and, as may be expected, many of the houses are infested by rats. The mother, on hearing her infant scream, hastened to ascertain the cause, when she found that her poor child had been attacked in a most ferocious manner. The rat had severely bitten it under the right eye, and marks of the creature’s claws were still visible on its face and neck. There was also a great quantity of blood about the person and clothes of the victim. The mother paid the poor little sufferer all the attention in her power, and a medical man was consulted, but it ultimately died from the injuries it had sustained.
A few years ago, the town of Dowlais was the scene of a most painful and revolting occurrence. Some of the poorer class of houses are infested, to a considerable degree, by rats. A poor working woman having occasion to go from home, put her infant child to bed. Upon her return, and opening the door of the apartment in which her infant lay, she saw three large rats jump from the bed, and, on looking in the direction of her child, she was terrified at perceiving that the bedclothes were stained with blood. She instantly removed the coverlet, when a shocking spectacle presented itself. The rats had mutilated the poor infant and destroyed its life, having eaten away the wall of the belly, and actually destroyed portions of the intestines.
I shall conclude this calendar of infant sufferings and mutilations with one case more, which took place in Dublin, and which is, if possible, more appalling than all the rest. From the testimony of the unhappy mother of the child, which was given on the coroner’s inquest, it appeared that she had committed it to the care of a woman; and it was whilst under this woman’s care that the infant received the injuries which caused its death. Her evidence was to the effect, that on the night in question she fed the child and placed her in the cradle to sleep. She was awoke in the night by the child screaming. Witness got up, and quieted the child, and she went to sleep again. In the morning, at seven o’clock, witness got up, and, on approaching the cradle, found the child and the clothes about her all over blood. On her lifting the clothes off the cradle, two huge rats jumped out, and ran under the bed. She immediately ran with it to the hospital. According to the evidence of the surgeon, the child, when brought into the hospital, was fast sinking from the loss of blood, and half the inside of the left hand was eaten away, and the right arm was frightfully gnawed, evidently by rats; the face was also torn. Despite of every care, the child sank, and expired that morning from the injuries she had received.
It appears that children are not the only victims, when rats are seized with a craving for human flesh. The following circumstance has been mentioned by various authors. There was a German bishop, by the name of Hatto, whose residence was infested with so many of these animals, that he built a tower, close to the Rhine, for his defence against them. Here he resided; but at last they gained an entrance, and at length killed and ate him.
A few years ago a friend of mine was in Dublin. There was a tradition current, to the effect that some time previously a British officer had come by his death in a most melancholy manner through rats. The account ran as follows. A bosom friend and brother officer of his had died of a fever, and he among others attended the funeral. When the ceremonies were over, and all the mourners had retired, he sought an opportunity of leaving the company, and went alone into the vault to pay a last tribute to his departed friend. Now whether, according to the custom of the country, he had partaken a little too freely of whisky, and therefore fallen asleep, or whether he was so completely absorbed in devotional supplications for the welfare of the soul departed, nothing has transpired to determine. But suffice it to say, that in the evening the gravedigger came, and never supposing for a moment that any one was there, closed up the entrance of the vault, and so fastened him in. On the following morning, upon the soldiers gathering, and the muster-roll being called, he was found absent, and being one of the most regular in his attendance, it caused an inquiry as to who had last seen him; but no one had set eyes on him since the evening before. This caused some uneasiness among his friends, since they knew of his devoted attachment to the deceased officer. They called at his lodgings, and ascertained that he had not been home all night. That caused a hue and cry, when the thought suggested itself to some of his friends to have the vault searched. The gravedigger was soon sought for and found. On opening the vault, there lay the missing officer a corpse, and so miserably gnawed and mangled by rats, that, but for his uniform, they could scarcely have identified him. But on further examination some dead rats were found, and were supposed to have been killed by random cuts with his sword in the dark, since that instrument is said to have been found by his side besmeared and clotted with blood and fur. Now whether he died from fright or exhaustion, or from both, or whether the rats in a body followed him up and killed him, will remain to all time a mystery.
About forty years ago there was a pie-maker of Leith who met with his death through rats. It appears that he had gained great repute for his peculiar meat-pies, which were considered both good and cheap. He was an industrious man, and acquired a large connection. It was his invariable custom to make his meat-pies over-night, so as to be ready for the morning’s baking. But for some time past he had found the meat taken out of the pies in the night-time. Thus matters went on till pies and all went. This so puzzled him, that he resolved upon making his pies as usual, and stationing himself in the bakehouse in the dark to watch for the thieves. This he did. On the following morning the neighbours were stirring, but his shop remained shut; they concluded he had been awake all night, and was having a morning’s nap, and therefore would not disturb him. Midday came, and still his shop was shut. At last his customers began to muster for their pies; and sundry inquiries were made as to what had become of the pieman. At last they burst open the door; still no pieman made his appearance. They then searched the house all over, but to no purpose. At last they went into the bakehouse, and there they found him on the floor, a corpse, with his face, hands, and body most frightfully gnawed away. The bystanders were perfectly horror-stricken, and could form no idea as to what could have so cruelly maltreated him. At length one of them passed out into the yard, and there lay a large wooden pump which had belonged to an old ship. He saw a rat pop out at the further end, which, as soon as it saw him, popped back again. This threw some light upon the mystery, and quietly searching, they found that where one end of the pump came against the outside of the bakehouse the rats had made a hole, and so got access to the interior of the bakehouse. They then set quietly to work, and stopped both ends of the pump tight up, and so fastened all the rats tight in. Then all the pots and kettles in the neighbourhood were set to work for boiling water, and after boring sundry holes in the upper side of the pump, they poured in the boiling liquid, one kettle after another, till they scalded all the rats to death; and upon turning them out, it is said, there were hundreds. Now whether the pieman, like the young woman of Paris, died from fright, and was gnawed before he was cold, or whether the rats attacked him in a body and killed him, will remain to the end a mystery.
There lived lately in Clerkenwell a woman aged 63, of rather eccentric habits. Not having been seen for some days by her neighbours, suspicion was aroused, and upon her room being entered, her lifeless and putrefied corpse was discovered
