The Labor enquirer., 1885-04-11
EATEN BY THE RATS.
Quebec Man Left 10 Starve to Death
In a Miserable HoveI-ToO Weak
to Keep OF the VermIn.

For The Enquirer.
QUEBEC, March 24-John Provan cOnfec-
toner, aged 80 years, was at one time
wealthy and prominent citizen. For some
| time past he has been in adverse circumstan-
ces. One by one the family have died, with
| the exception of one son. who is weak minded.
Lately the old man with his son attempted to
carry on the confectionery business on nasmall
scale, but was unsuccessful and they were
reduced to extreme poverty. The old man
fell sick and his case was represented to the
church of which he had been member, but
they seem to have been inactive, for it is
stated that since the first of January last
there has net been log of wood on the
premises, and little or no food.
On Saturday last the old man became help
| less amidst an indiScribable mass of filth and
misery. While in this position he was left
alone and to the mercy of rats, which began
eating the unfortunate man while yet alive.
His ears, nose, fingers and toes were almost
literally gnaWed off. When assistance ar
rived he presented a most Sickening appear
ance; so much so that attendants could not
be found who would dress his body. He was
finally rolled up in sheet and conveyed to
the hospital where he died last evening.
wish to call the attention of the wage
slaves of our country to the above item
recently published in Capitaltstic paper,
without comment.
This horrible example of what is pos
I sibie under our present social system
is only equaled by-if possible-a more
hideous circumstance that occurred two
winters ago in one of our eastern cities,
the details of which were about as fol-
lows:
A longshoreman. who by sickness and
lack of employment, had been re- duced
to the lowest stage of poverty, lived IN
hovel overrun by rats. While from
home looking for employment, on bit
ter cold winters morning, his wife also
left the house to go along the wharves in
search of fuel, leaving his infant in bed.
Upcn her return she was Mortified land
who can picture the anguish Hf that
mother at seeing several large rats upon
the bed literally devouring her babe.
Its little nose, lips and cheeks torn to
shreds and its head one mass of blood.
There were evidences that the little one
had yainly striven to beat off the vermin
with its puny arms until its agonies
were overcome by Inconsistencies.
Ye towards, that cab yourselves men,
will nothing stir you? Can you stand
idly by and listIessly permit state of
society to exist in which these things
are possible? Are your hearts of stone?
In this land where there is an abun-
dance and to spare for everybody, where
fifty times our population could be amply
supplied with the necessaries and COM
forts of life, you, US. towards that we
are, allow few greedy monopOlists to
not only enjoy the very cream of what
we have already produced, and of which
they possess more than they know what
to do with; but we also allow them to
prevent us from satisfying the cravings
of our empty bellies by DENYING us access
to the natural resources.
Why, the very rats that tore the living
flesh from the paralytic old man and the
helpless infant would not endure what
you submit to every day of your lives.