The miser of Oven Street
The
Petite Presse, November 19
th, 1868, transcribed from the
le Droit newspaper the following fact:
“
In a miserable garret in Oven Street[1], an individual of a certain age, named P… lived in poverty. He did not receive anyone; he prepared his own meals, that were much smaller than those of an anchorite. Covered in sordid clothes, he slept on an even more sordid pallet. Extremely thin, he seemed parched by privations of all sorts, and was generally believed to be in the grip of the most profound destitution. Meanwhile, a nasty smell had started to spread around the house. It increased in intensity and ended up reaching the establishment of a small caterer, located on the ground floor, to the point that customers complained. The cause of those miasmas was then carefully sought, and they ended up discovering that they came from the accommodation occupied by Mr. P ... The discovery made them think that the man had not been seen for a long time, and fearing that some misfortune had happened to him, they hastened to inform the district police commissioner. The officer immediately went to the scene and had the door opened by a locksmith; but as soon as they tried to enter the room, they were nearly suffocated and had to move away promptly. It was only after some time when the air in the cubicle was refreshed that it was possible to enter and cautiously proceed to the findings. A sad spectacle was presented to the police officer and the doctor who accompanied him. Mr. P's body was lying on the bed… in a state of complete putrefaction; it was covered with anthrax flies, and thousands of worms gnawed at the flesh, which fell apart in shreds. The state of decomposition did not allow to recognize with certainty the cause of death, dating back to a distant time, but the absence of any trace of violence suggested that it must be attributed to a natural cause, such as a stroke or aneurysm. They also found in a piece of furniture a sum of about 35,000 francs, both in cash and in shares, industrial bonds, and various securities. Following the ordinary formalities, they promptly removed the human remains and disinfected the room. The money and securities were sealed by Justice." This man was evoked in the Parisian Society and gave the following communication:
Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, November 20
th, 1868 – medium Mr. Rul
“You ask me why I let myself starve, being in possession of a treasure; 35,000 francs is a fortune indeed! Alas! Gentlemen, you are too well informed of what is going on around you not to understand that I was undergoing trials, and my end tells you enough that I failed. Indeed, in a previous existence, I had fought strongly against poverty that I had overcome only by prodigies of activity, energy, and perseverance. For twenty times I was on the verge of being deprived of the fruits of my hard labor. Also, I was not kind to the poor that I sent away when they came to my house. I reserved everything I earned for my family, wife, and children. I chose as a test, in this new existence, to be sober, moderate in my tastes, and to share my fortune with the poor, my disinherited brothers. Have I kept my word? You see the opposite; for I have indeed been sober, moderate, more than moderate; but I was not charitable. My unhappy ending was only the beginning of my sufferings, harder, more painful now, when I see with the eyes of the Spirit. So, I would not have had the courage to present myself before you, if I had not been assured that you are good, compassionate with misfortune; I come to ask you to pray for me. Alleviate my sufferings, you who know the means of making the sufferings less poignant; pray for your brother who is suffering and who wants to come back and suffer much more still! Have pity on me, my God! Pity on the weak being who failed; and you, gentlemen, have compassion for your brother, who recommends himself to your prayers.The miser of Oven Street.”
[1] Rue du Four-Saint-Germain (T.N.)
