The miser of the Rua do Forno.

— The newspaper Petite Presse, of November 19, 1868, reproduced the following fact, according to the Droit:

“In a wretched garret of the rue du Four-Saint-Germain, there lived in poverty an individual of a certain age, named P… He received no one; he himself prepared his food, far more frugal than that of an anchorite. Covered in sordid clothes, he slept on a pallet even more repugnant. Of extreme thinness, he seemed withered by privations of every sort and was generally regarded as a victim of the most profound misery. “Meanwhile, a fetid odor had begun to spread through the house. It increased in intensity and ended by reaching a small restaurant, situated on the ground floor, to the point that the customers complained.

“They sought, then, the cause of these miasmas and ended by discovering that they came from the lodging occupied by Mr. P…

“This discovery made them recall that this man had not been seen for some time and, fearing that some misfortune had befallen him, they hastened to notify the police commissioner of the quarter.

“Immediately the judicial authority went to the place and had a locksmith open the door. But, as soon as they wished to enter the room, they nearly suffocated and had to withdraw promptly. Only after having let the outside air enter for some time were they able to enter and proceed to the examinations with due precautions. “A sad spectacle presented itself to the commissioner and to the doctor who accompanied him. Stretched out upon the bed, the body of Mr. P… was found in a state of complete putrefaction; it was covered with blowflies and thousands of worms were gnawing the flesh, which fell away in pieces.

“The state of decomposition did not permit recognizing with exactitude the cause of death, which had occurred a fairly long time before, but the absence of any trace of violence led to the thought that it was due to a natural cause, such as an apoplexy or a cerebral congestion. Moreover, they found in a piece of furniture a sum of about 35,000 francs, both in cash and in shares, industrial bonds, and various securities. “After the ordinary formalities, they hastened to remove the human remains and disinfect the place. The money and the securities were sealed and gathered up.”

— Having been evoked at the Society of Paris, this man gave the following communication:

(Society of Paris, November 20, 1868. – Medium: Mr. Rul.)

You ask why I let myself die of hunger, when I possessed a treasure? Indeed, 35,000 francs is a fortune! Alas! gentlemen, you are too instructed about what takes place around you not to understand that I was undergoing trials, and my end says well enough that I failed. In effect, in a previous existence I had struggled with energy against poverty, which I had overcome only by prodigies of activity, of energy, and of perseverance. Twenty times I was on the point of seeing myself deprived of the fruit of my hard labor. For this reason, I was not sensitive toward the poor, whom I drove away when they presented themselves at my house. I reserved all that I earned for my family, my wife, and my children. I chose for my trial, in this new existence, to be sober, moderate in my tastes, and to share my fortune with the poor, my disinherited brothers.

Did I keep my word? You see the contrary; for I was very sober, temperate, more than temperate. But I was not charitable.

My unfortunate end was only the beginning of my sufferings, harder, more painful at this moment, when I see with the eyes of the Spirit. Thus, I would not have had the courage to present myself to you, had I not been assured that you are good, compassionate toward misfortune; I come to ask that you pray for me. Relieve my sufferings, you who know the means of making sufferings less poignant; pray for your brother who suffers and who wishes to return to suffer much more still! Mercy, my God! mercy for the weak being who failed. And you, gentlemen, compassion for your brother, who commends himself to your prayers.

The Miser of the Rua do Forno.