Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-06-29
GNAIrED BY RATS.

viva " M ~ HA %
WHILE A MOTHER Is ABSENT PROM nER
HOME IN A wRETcHED TENEMENT
A HORDE OF RATS KILL HER
SLEEPING BABE.
PHILADELPHIA, June 24th--At 10
o'clock yesterday morning Mrs. Caro-,
line Fritz, poor woman, residing with
her husband and fourchildren in tcnc
ment, which might by courtesy bo
called house, in the rear Of 300 Brown
street, after seeing two of her children
off to school and consigning a third TO
the care of neigbbor, Mrs. Wurst,
left her five weeks old baby, Caroline,
asleep upon a bed in the second story
and started to gather coal along the
Germantowu and Norristown Railroad
tracks on Ninth street. Two hours
subsequently she returned with her
load, and barely minute ailerward,
when she went up stairs, she was at
window shrieking for help, her face
convulsed with horror and agony, and
holding aloft in her arms to a neigh
boris gaze the bloody, almost unrcoog.
nizable features of her infant "My
God Mrs Rennelstein," the agonized
woman shrieked to her ncighbor, whose
house is in the rear of 305 Brown
street, "look at that the rats have
eaten my baby. Go for a doctor" The
neighbors also ran in attracted by the
screams. The return of the mother
had routed the rats at their horrid feast.
When she entered the lower room two
big gray fellows came Gathering down
the stairs and disappeared in some Of
the numerous retreats lining the room.
THE BABYs FIGHT FOR LIFE.
When she reached the upper cham.
berthe so.called house only having
two apartments--she had found more
than dozen of the eoreatures devour.
ing the infants face and arms raven.
ously and the poor little thing trying
her best with her puny and waning
strength 10 fight them of. Before she
went after the coal she had washed the
child, dressed il airesh and laid il asleep
upon the bed, covering it over with
piece Of tlue mosquito netting. On her
return this netting was torn and gnaw-
ed and diagged away partly IRON the
babo and was red with its blood. The
rats fled Up the chimney, in the holes
around tho floor, into an old-lashioned
rubbish cbset several feet above the
floor and Gown the stairs, some of them
carrying With them in their jaws frag-
ments Of he little ones flesh. One
dropped her nose upon the bed, the
covering d which was marked by the
blood,staired footprints of the vora.
cious crew DR., Wittkamp, who had
been called, made an examination of
the little sufferer and saw that its life
would be of few moments duration
only, Nearl, every ounce of blood had
been sucked from its veins by its do.
stroyers, leaving the babe beaohed al.
most white
SHOCKING SCENE.
They had eten its nose completely
off and part tf the lips and cheeks,
leaving great hole similar to that
made often by cancers. The forehead
and ears and tle throat were spotted,
like smallpox, with the indontions lett
by the teeth ofthe rats. The left arm
and hand, which tho child had evidently
exposed while asleep, were torn and
eaten TO the bone in places. Frat.
fnents Of the flesh were upon the coun
terpane close by. ln ten minutes the
infant died, without a struggle in the
arms Of the mother, the other children
and number Of women ncighbors
forming a mouniul group around it.
Mrs. Rennelsiein, who was the first
to respond to Mrs Fritzs appeal for
doctor, said thai about a quarter before
IL o'clock she beard the infant cry,
and remarked that some of the chil.
dren must have been teasing her, as
they sometimes did She kept on cry.
ing louder then Suddenly ceased. THIS
must have been about the time when
the vermin overpovcred her and drain
ed away her blood.
wagseoeeiPbR0rnf 9HIhhJ hJai6 lhaSieSi,
it seems to be their play ground, and
they had undermined the ground all
around Mrs Fritz herself said the
rats had been so ravenous that she
could not keep potatoes in the down
stairs room, and they even jumped into
the basket which was hanging on the
wall and stole bread.
wREToHED DWELLINGS OF THE POOR.
The house in which the tragedy oc.
Cured is wretched two.story frame,
the last of four similar rattle-traps-rel.
les of the days before the war and for
this particular two roomed shelter Mr.
Fritz paid S5 q month. The Fritz
family had occupied it about a year
since they came from Germany. The
family are greatly impoverished owing
to spell OF illness under which Fritz
had been suffering for several months.
The neighbors started collection five
minutes after the baby's death in order
to get money to provide for its burial
tue ooRoNER's INQUEST.
There was abundant testimony at
the Coroners inquest TO confirm even
the worst stories about the rat. infested
den, in the rear of 800 Brown street
in which the infant Rosanna Fritz was
devoured by the fourfooted horde.
One witness said the rats had posses.
sion OF her house one morning when
she arose. The jury found verdict
in accordance with the facts and recon-
mended the Board of Health to take
some action TO abate the rat nuisance.
A bitter feeling exists in the neigh.
borhood against the owners of these
miserable abodcs, who squeeze extrav.
agant rentals from the povcrty.stricken
tenants and suffer the rattle traps to
go to ruin. 1t is complained that the
children Of the tenements are in con.
slant danger of a night attack by rats,
and that the four-footed pests under.
take an occasional exodus to better
houses in the vicinity.
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G0VERNING PHYSICIANS.