Shocking Occurrence: An Infant Child Destroyed by Rats

Mr. Hyndman held an inquest, a few days ago, in Dublin, on the body of a child, named Jane Drury, aged 15 months, whose death occurred under the following circumstances:—Sarah Tyler stated that she had charge of the deceased child, and having heard it scream at four o'clock on the morning of the 25th, she got up and lighted a candle, but there was nothing the matter with it then.  She had previously observed the noise of rats in the room, which was situate at the top of the house, 13, South King-street, and on getting up at seven o'clock, she went over to the child's cradle, and found it covered with blood ; her ears and face were marked with bites ; there were two rats under the cradle clothes, and one on the floor at the time.  She heard no screams from the child from four o'clock till seven.—Surgeon Bavan said that he saw the deceased in the hospital on the 26th, in a very exhausted and weakly condition from the loss of blood.  There were two wounds on her face, and about half of the inside of one of her arms was eaten off, and there were a considerable number of bites on the other.  She died of these injuries, and her previous emaciated state.  The jury found that the deceased died from having been severely bitten by rats.  (The Leeds Intelligencer, February 11th, 1854)