Year: 1873

| A Miser Dies of Starvation and is Eaten by


his Starving Dog-Missing for Two Months.


One Of the most horrible cases that
ever came to light 10 Brooklyn. or indeed
IN any other city, was discovered a short
time since. a mau was eaten by his own
dog, and more sickepiDg sight never
presented itself to human eyes. A re
porter who visited the scene says that as
cendiug a narrow flight of stairs the wri
ter was shown into small back ROOM
1t was all in confusion, aud looked as if
it had been used as kennel for dogs, as
indeed it had been. There was mahog
| any bedstead in one cornor of the room,
aud cot bed in the centre. A stove, a
chest, leather trunk, and a small clock
on the mantlepiece, stopped at five min
utes to twelve, completed the furnishing
The chest contained wearing apparel. and
the trunk was filled with books and pam
phlets. Almost the first thing noticed
on entering was mans head, partially
covered with black and red comforter
The eyes bad melted away, and the face
was covered with coarse, shaggy beard
The hair was long and slightly .tinged
with gray There were also about the
head, strewn or rolled upon the floor, frag-
ments of au undershirt matted together
and portion rolled about left hand
which, besides the head, was the only
portion of the body left. The hand had
been dislocated, and had evidently been
eaten off down from the socket at the
shoulder. This looked as if a dog had
been eating it only few hours previous,
and such was probably the case. From
the elbow down the arm had become so
covered upln the cloths that even a dog
could not get at the flesh. The arm, in
cluding the hand and fingers, was there
fore intact, but In an advanced state OF
decomposition. From the large bed a
bundle of bones, probably those of the
legs and arms, were collected, some at the
head and some at the foot, halt covered
with the bed-clothes and entirely dcsti
tute of flesh. Some of them were crack
ed into spinters. There were six joints
in all, some so short as to show that they
had been broken.


On the floor between the beds were
found pieces of the entrails, looking as if
they bad been dragged over the floor from
place to place. Near the back windows
under small table stood a portion of the
flesh of the body rolled up and attached
to the skin. The back bone or spinal col,
umn, the ribs, feet, and other portions Of
the body could not be found. When it
was seen that one haod remained intact
it was supposed that it mi ght have clutch
ed a knife, pistol or a razor with which
suicide had been committed, but no ar
ticles were found that would indicate that
deceased had committed suicide.


The theory is that the man starved to
death, and that then his body had been
eaten by his own dog, which bad been
confined in the house with him and in no
way could get out There is little doubt
that this is the fact. The bed clothes.
and even the oyercoat of the deceased
which was found on the floor, gave am
pie evidence that the dog had been the
only live inhabitant OF the place for weeks,
If not for mouths, before the body or a
portion of it was discovered. How he


lived there so long without water, if he
did live without it, cannot be explained
He had the run of the whole house, in
cudng the store aud back room and two
rooms on the first floor above.


The occupant OF the building, Jacob
Knoop, has been dead over two months,
and the dog has been feeding on his body
| all that time. This theory is advanced
! from the fact that be was last seen alive
about two months ago He was very re
served in his manners and did not asso
ciate with his neighbors 1t appears that
he has owned and lived in the corner re
ferred to for about six years, but durin
the latter part OF last summer he closed
up the place and remained inside nearly
all the time. Knoop's creditors obtained
| a Judgment against him, and his house
was sold by the Sheriff Of Kings County
a short time ago. The property was pur
chased by John Miller, who resold or
leased it to James Counaghan. Miller
and Counaghan came to take possession
of the place, but could not get in. They
tapped on the door necessarily. but all
the answers they could get was the grow
ling of the dog. Finally they concluded
to enter by some means, and going into
the yard, burst open rear window. The
dog ran at them, but was finally secured
and removed to the yard where he was
tied up Miller and his tenant then went
up stairs and made the discovery as al
ready described.


A lady of Reading, Mrs John Ramage,
l 4 4,