II THE STORY OF DAFT JAMIE, B OF THE VICTIMS OF BURKE AND HARE, , Reprinted by A. & G. Brown, 15 Bristo Place and Mound, Edinburgh. L%. The subject of this Narrative, James Wilson, was born in Edinburgh, Nov. 27, 1809. His parents were in poor circum- stances : and when he was about the age of twelve his father died. Shortly afterwards, his mother, in order to obtain a livelihood, went through the town and country hawking small wares and delf, and as she was from home in general from morning till late at night, he sauntered about the streets, and, no doubt, poor fellow, he would often have been destitute of food, had it not been for some humane persons who had compassion on him, esteeming him an object of charity ; some gave him victuals, others gave him a few pence, which he carried home, till within a few years of his death, when he spent the greater part of them on some useless trash or other, and sometimes on a dram. In the year 1820, one fine Summer's afternoon, he wandered with some idle boys who went in search of birds'-nests, and having stopped till it was getting rather late in the evening, his mother became alarmed for his safety, and whilst she was out in search of him, Jamie returned home. He had not patience to wait till she should return, as he was very hungry ; accordingly he broke open the door. He no sooner got in, than he searched the whole house for something to eat, and at last spied a loaf on the top of the cup- board ; he immediately laid siege to it, but he had no sooner done so, than down he came, cupboard and all it contained. When his mother came home, and saw all her crockery lying in the floor broken, it enraged her so much, that she got hold of a large strap, (probably kept for the purpose,) and gave Jamie a terrible drubbing, which so much displeased him, that he never would reside with her after, but from that time slept on stairs and other places, till some humane individual took compassion on him, and afterwards gave him shelter. He was a quiet, harmless being, and gave no person the smallest offence whatever; he was such a simpleton, that he would not fight to defend himself, though he were ever so ill-used, even by the smallest boy. Little boys, about the age of five and six, have frequently been observed by the Cits of Edina going before him holding up their fists, squaring, and saying they would fight him ; Jamie would have stood up like a knotless thread, and said, with A 2 I ?^o tears in his eyes, that he would not fight, for it was only bad boys who fought ; the boys would then give him a blow, and Jamie would have ran off saying, that wiz nae sare, man, ye canna catch me. Then about a thousan' gets, hardly out o' the egg- shell, would have taken flight after him, bauling out, Jamie, Jamie, . Daft Jamie ; sometimes he would have stopped and turned round to them, hanging his brow, squinting his eyes, shooting out his lips, (which was the sign of his being angry) saying, What way de ye ca' me daft? Ye ir, the little gets would have bauled out. I'm no, though, (said Jamie) as sure's as death, devil take-me, I'm no, daft, at a'. Ye ir, ye ir, the gets would have bauled out ; he then would have held up his large fist, which was like a Dorby's mell, saying, if ye say I'm daft, I'll knock ye down ; he would then have whirled round on his heel and ran off again, acting the race- horse. One day, in George's Street, Jamie was accosted by a respectable gentleman, who said to him, Come along with me, Jamie, and I will give you an old coat. I thank ye, I thank ye, Sir, replied Jamie, I've got plenty o' auld yens at hame. But the gentleman had not proceeded many yards before Jamie ran after him, and asked him if it was a guid ane? O yes, said the gentleman ; so Jamie accompanied him to his house, when the gentleman not only gave him the coat, but a hat and a pair of shoes ; and although it was a very cold and slushy day, he could not persuade Jamie to put on either the hat or shoes ; and when he asked Jamie why he would not put them on ? The answer that Jamie gave him was, that he did nae want to wear them in sick hard times as these. Jamie was a great snuffer, and used a brass snuff-spoon when he took a pinch ; and to all those who made free with him, he give his box, saying, " tak' a snuff;'''' the pen or spoon, had seven holes, which he said was a' the days o' the week, and the middle hole he named Sunday. He had a rote of telling how many lamps there were in town, — how many months, weeks, and days there were in a year ; alsc how many days there were in each month and week ; likewise, the days of the week, and when Sunday came ; this he knew from different people putting him in mind of them. If any asked him how many lamps there were in town? He sometimes would have said, there were five thousan', twinty, ten, a hunder. Sometimes he was asked, What month in the year the ladies talked least ? He would have said, the month o' February, becuz there wiz least days in't. Others would have asked him, Why is a Jailor like a Musi- cian ? He answered, becuz he maun tak' care o' his key. Others again, would have asked him, What is the cleanest meat that a dirty cook can make ready? A hen's egg is the cleanest, said Jamie, for she canna get her fingers in't, f tak' a slake o't. Jamie was highly pleased when any person put these guesses to him ; but if they put any to him that he did not know, he would look sulkily at them, aDd say, he did nae ken that yen— it was nane o' his guesses. Ah ! nather it is, Jamie, I forgot, it's no a guid yen, (the bye-standers would have said), Jamie then would have said, I can tell ye a' a guess, that nae body kens, nor nae body cun guess't. What is't, Jamie? (some of them would have said.) Then Jamie immediately recited it, half laughing, which is as fol- lows: — Tho" I black an' dirty am, An' black, as black can be ; There's muny a Lady that will come, An' by the haun' take me. Now ye'el no nane o' ye guess canna that. Ah no, Jamie, we canna guess that fickly ane, wha learned ye a' thae fickly guesses ? Jamie replied, It wiz my half step-mither, for she's a canty body, for she's aye as canty as a kittlen when we're a' sittin' beside her round the fire-side, she tells is heaps o' funny stories, but I dinna mind them a'. Weel, but ye'll can tell us some o' them (says a by-stander) I, says Jamie, she, she tells us about Cock Roben ; the King o' the Cobblers ; the House that Jack built ; an' heaps o' funny funny yens that I dinna mind. Ah 1 I ken your guess Jamie (says a by-stander) it is a tea kettle. Becuz ye ken, becuz somebody telt you ; and then Jamie would have ran off. A 3 Jamie was highly pleased when any person had been given him praise for any thing he had done. The porters of the Adam's Square stance were well up to hu- mouring Jamie, for many long and serious cracks they had with him, but sometimes they teazed him ; however, he never would leave them without presenting his box to them to take a pinch. The porters would have asked him why he did not wear such a piece of dress that such a person gave him? Jamie would have said It wiz o'er guid for him to wear; for when he had guid claes on the folk did nae gie him ony thing. One night, when Jamie was rather late in going home to his foster parents' house, all the rest of the children had taken their seats round the fire, and some of them had hid his stool, and told him it was lost, and he would have to sit on the bare floor ; Nae, said Jamie, I'll tak' the kail pat for ae night, which he did ; but poor fel- low, he had no sooner sat down, than the lid and he fell into the pat, and it was upwards of twenty minutes before he could get out, though several auld wives assisted him. Nothing offended Jamie more, than to put on his head a womans' mutch; the origin of his aversion to a woman's cap was, that at one time he had a fever and got his head shaved, and of course he got on a cowl, or night-cap, and he blamed the cap for taking a' his hair awa'. Jamie was for many years (before he fell a victim,) never known to be absent a day, forenoon, afternoon, nor evening, (or even at any other time, if he got notice that there were a sermon) from Mr Aikman's Chapel ; it was astonishing how regularly he attend- ed that place of worship, without any person going with him ; he had a sweet voice, and sang when he heard the congregation singing ; but he never uttered any words that a person could make any sense of; several attempted to entice him to go into the Gaelic Chapel, which is only next door to Mr A's, but Jamie said he wadnae gang t' ony body's kirk but his ain ; Jamie said he liked Sunday aye best, for he gaed to Lady after the kirk cam out, baith afternoon an' it night, and got meat and kail. At one time when Jamie was sauntering in Hunter's Square, a coachman of that stance got hold of him, and requested him to sing King David's Anthem, and he would give him his coach and horses, and also make him Provost ; but Jamie said a' the folk wad hear him : No, no, said the coachman, I'll put you into the coach and shut the door on you ; so he immediately opened it, took down the steps, and handed Mr James into the carriage, with all ima- ginable politeness; Jamie at once commenced singing, but the coach- man again and again desired him to sing out, for he did not hear him, though he was singing loud enough to have been heard at a very great distance ; the coachman opened the door, and told him he would have to come out, if he did not sing louder, for he really could not be heard ; so poor Jamie raised his voice to such a pitch, that he was actually like a lunatic in bedlam, which made a great many run to ascertain what was going on ; amongst the group assembled was Boby Awl, who, when he saw Jamie looking through the coach-door window, exclaimed, Eh ! i it's Daft Jamie, I ken him, I see him ; so James was desired to come out and shake hands with his worthy friend Robert. Ah, says Boby, did ye get a ride Jamie? Ay, says Jamie, but no' far. The waggish coach- man then got Jamie and Boby to dance, which caused a great crowd to gather; but a policeman came and dispersed the whole concern. At one time, when Jamie was at a very respectable old maiden's house in George's Street, which he often frequented, the flunky and cook were very kind to him ; the former of them shaved him : one day when going to put the suds on him, he said he did nae think he wad shave him ony mair, unless he gave Peggy a kiss ; Jamie re- plied, but maybe Mem wad be angry. No, no, said the flunk', she'll no' be angry, for who can she ken, she'll no' see ; Jamie then turned round his head, half laughing at Peggy ; but Peggy said, a tweel a wat no' Jamie, ye'll no kiss me wi' that lang beard, it wad jag a' my lip ; then the flunk' proceeded to shave him, when done, Jamie peeped into a mirror to see how he looked, according to cus- tom, and when he had got his shirt-neck up like a dandy, Peggy insisted on having a kiss ; but Jamie clapped his hands on his mouth saying ye'r no bonny lass, ye'r no bonny for me, and since you was proud, I'll be saucy, I'm a dandy now. Weel then, said Peggy, let me see how the dandies walk : so Jamie marched up and down the kitchen, like a hen in a gutter, with his head up like a Pea- cock or a Bubbly-jock. A4 8 Many attempts were made by the vulgar to coax Jamie and Boby to fight, but they could never get their wish accomplished ; for Jamie always said "he would not fight, for only bad boys would fight." The only quarrel they ever had was in the Killing Market. A caddie, known by the name of Wag Fell, generally employed by the clytery-wives, in procuring lamb's-blood /' mak' bloody puddens, the stratagem that this Wag fell on to set these two idiots at logger- heads was the following : — he gave Boby a putrified sheep's head, saying, ' ' it wad mak' a fine fry, Boby ; " and shortly after he had got it in his possession, Wag desired him to lay down the head, and stir the blood with a stick which stood in a pail ; and while Boby was engaged in doing so, Wag took up the head, unperceived by Boby, and gave it to Jamie, desiring him to "tin hame an' get it boilt ; " but Jamie had not ran many steps before Wag told Boby that Jamie had stealt his head, and ordered him to run after him and take it /rae him. Boby immediately set off, roaring, Daft Jamie gies my head, and overtook him, and laid hold of the head, saying, "my head ;" but Jamie held it fast and would not give it up, say- ing, "it was his head for he got it ; " they struggled for a consi- derable time. A great many butchers, caddies, and idle boys assembled round Jamie and Boby ; some desiring Boby to take the head frae Jamie ; and others were bawling to Jamie to keep it,, for it was his ain ; others were roaring out a fight, a fight, strike him Boby ; others exclaiming, thump him Jamie, thump him. When Boby saw he could not get it from Jamie, he struck him so violently on the nose that it bled profusely ; Jamie would not strike again, but held the head firmly, kept it in spite of Boby, and ran off with it.f At one time, when Jamie and his old companion Boby, met in the Grassmarket, they clubbed to have a gill of whisky, and ac- cordingly went into a shop there to get a counter dab; at the moment the gill stoup and glass were placed on the counter, Boby asked Jamie to light his pipe and give him a smoke; so Jamie t When these two idiots met, if either of them had any thing to eat, the one always gave the other the half of what he had. 9 loaded his cannon, as he termed it, but the moment he turned him- self round to take a light, Boby seized the stoup and drank off the whole of its contents ; Jamie slyly glared over his shoulder and said to him, "have ye drunk it a', ye daft beast, an left me nanef" " Ey, said Boby, because I was dry." At one time, when Jamie was a little musky, he was accosted by a woman who had got a black eye. Oh ! fy, fy, Jamie, it is a great shame to see you, or any such as you tak' drink. A weel, says Jamie, what I ha'e in me, you, nor nane like ye, can tak' out ; an' what way hae you got that blue eye? Hae ye faun on the tub nae, when ye was washin' ? This abashed the woman a little, to hear such a question come from him, and she muttered, that she got it on the sneck o' the door last night. Ou I, said Jamie, ye ken ye maun tell the best story ye can, but I ken ye hae been fou when ye got it, an' by yer imprudent tongue t' yer gudeman, he had taken ye through the heckle pins ; I saw ye yesterday whar ye sid nae be. The woman was glad to get off when she heard Jamie speak in such a sensible manner. Jamie was once accosted by a Gentleman, who said, "Jamie, I hear you have got siller in the bank ; why do you keep it there?" Jamie replied, "Becuze I'm keepin' it till I be an aul' man; for maybe I'll hae sair legs, and no can gang about t' get ony thing frae my nineteen frien's. Jamie was once interrogated, Why the Ladies in general did not carry Bibles to Church? "Because," said Jamie, "they are ashamed o' themsel's, for they canna fin' out the text." "That is very true," said an auld Dominie, "for I observed twa governesses sitting in a front seat in a church that I was in last Sabbath, and the text was in Ecclesiastes, and neither of them could find it out." The following may probably be assigned as a reason why the fair sex are so diffident in text-f tiding skill : — The Ladies are too fond of folks, That they may have a talk — Than to perplex their minds with books They'd rather have a walk. A5 IO The following contains many statements, relative to the horrific atrocity committed by that monsterous blood-thirsty savage, Burke, and his Associates, in the murder of this harmless youth. It is probable that he had been for some time watched by this gang of murderers, and marked out as one that might be easily taken off without suspicion. He was met by Burke about nine o'clock one morning in October last, wandering about the Grass- market. He instantly accosted him in a fawning manner, and in- quired of him where he was going? Jamie told him, he was going to seek his mother, to whom he was warmly attached. The wretch saw at once that he now had him within his grasp. He contrived to persuade him that he knew where his mother was, and that he would take him to the place ; and by coxing and flattering, he at length de- coyed him into Hare's hovel, or rather den, solely for the purpose of murdering and selling him to the Surgeons for dissection. Jamie, poor fellow, had no sooner entered their horrid cave, than those mon- sters of iniquity pretended to feel the greatest kindness for him, and having procured liquor, they pressed it upon him ; he at first decidedly refused, but they so far wrought upon his good nature, by their assumed kindness, that they induced him to join them in their cups, and they plied him so well, that he was soon overpower- ed and fell asleep. Burke, impatient to accomplish his object, sud- denly threw himself upon Jamie, and attempted to strangle him ; which roused the poor creature, and, muddled as he was with liquor and sleep, he, by a dreadful effort, threw Burke off and got to his feet, when a desperate struggle ensued : Jamie fought with the united frenzy of madness and despair. Burke would have been overpowered, had not Hare rushed forward and tripped up Jamie's heels, and then dragged him along the floor, with Burke lying above him ; after which, both the ruffians got upon him, and at length, though not even then without the greatest difficulty, succeeded in strangling him. The Public papers subsequently state that this account of James' murder is incorrect, for Burke, since his imprisonment, declares that Hare began the struggle with him, and they fell and rolled to- gether on the floor, then Burke went to Hare's assistance, and they at length finished him, though with much difficulty. II It is reported, that during the struggle with these inhuman butchers, Jamie bit Burke so violently on his legs, that, if the laws of the country had not promised to hang him up by the neck, he would likely die, for his wounds have cancered from the vio- lent gnaws he received ; but this report has since been found false. 'Tis said, that Jamie would not fight, But he fought valiantly that night, When he contended in despair, With ruffian Burke and squalid Hare. Certainly, those scientific individuals who attend the class in which he was dissected, must be very hardened men, when they saw Jamie lying on the dissecting-table for anatomy ; for they could not but know, when they saw him, that he had been mur- dered; and not only that, the report of his being a-missing went through the whole town on the following day; there could not be any one of them but must know him by sight ; for he was two or three times daily, for hours at a time, in the Necessary, (head of College Wynd), the moment he sat down to do his need, he gab- bled away at some nonsense or another, which attracted the atten- tion of all who saw or heard him ; sometimes, from those who were humane, he got a halfpenny or a penny. It is remarked in the Weekly Journal, dated January 7, 1829, that one of the students recognised the subject to be Jamie the mo- ment he saw it, and that he had seen him alive and in health only two days before. Jamie could not fail to be recognised by most of them, though he had wanted the head, for his feet were very large, rough, and a great many warts on them by not wearing shoes. If any of them had been possessed of the smallest feeling, they would have given notice to the Captain of Police, by an anonymous letter, of what they had witnessed. Had a dead dog been recog- nised on the table, the effect produced, for all that we can learn, could not have been more lightly forgotten. Only two days did intervene, Since Jamie on the street was seen ; Till he was on the table laid, Cut up by the dissecting blade. 12 ELEGIAC LINES WRITTEN ON THE TRAGICAL MURDER OF POOR DAFT JAMIE. Attendance give, whilst I relate How Poor Daft Jamie met his fate ; 'Twill make your hair stand on your head, As I unfold the horrid deed ; — That hellish monster, William Burke, Like Reynard sneaking on the lurk, Coyduck'd his prey into his den, And then the woeful work began ; — "Come, Jamie, drink a glass wi' me, And I'll gang wi' ye in a wee, To seek yer mither i' the town — Come drink, man, drink, an' sit ye down." " Nae, I'll no' drink wi' ye the nou, For if I div 'twill make me fou ; " "Tush, man, a wee will do ye guid, 'Twill cheer yer heart, and warm yer bluid " At last he took the fatal glass, Not dreaming what would come to pass ; When once he drank, he wanted more — Till drunk he fell upon the floor. " Now," said th' assassin, "now we may Seize on him as our lawful prey." "Wait, wait," said Hare, "ye greedy ass He's yet too strong — let's tak' a glass." Like some unguarded gem he lies — The vulture waits to seize his prize ; Nor does he dream he's in his power, Till it has seized him to devour. The ruffian dogs, — the hellish pair, — The villain Burke, — the meagre Hare, — Impatient were their prize to win, So to their smothering pranks begin : — 13 Burke cast himself on Jamie's face, And clasp'd him in his foul embrace ; But Jamie waking in surprize, Writhed in an agony to rise. At last, with nerves unstrung before, He threw the monster on the floor ; And though alarm'd, and weaken'd too, He would have soon o'ercome the foe ; But help was near— for it Burke cried, And soon his friend was at his side ; Hare tripp'd up Jamie's heels, and o'er He fell, alas ! to rise no more ! Now both these blood-hounds him engage, As hungry tygers fill'd with rage, Nor did they handle axe or knife, To take away Daft Jamie's life. No sooner done, than in a chest They cramm'd this lately welcom'd guest, And bore him into Surgeons' Square — A subject fresh— a victim rare ! And soon he's on the table laid, Expos'd to the dissecting blade ; But where his members now may lay Is not for me— or you — to say. But this I'll say — some thoughts did rise It fill'd the Students with surprise, That so short time did intervene Since Jamie on the streets was seen. But though his body is destroy'd, His soul can never be decoy'd From that celestial state of rest, Where he, I trust, is with the bless'd. J. P. 14 The following Lines were sent to the Editor by an Anonymous Cor- respondent, for insertion in the Life of James Wilson ; and it is sincerely hoped they will meet with general approbation. MRS. WILSON'S LAMENTATION, ON HEARING OF THE CRUEL MURDER OF HER SON. Why didst thou wander from my side, My joy, my treasure, and my pride? Though others little thought of thee, Thou wert a treasure dear to me. I little thought when thee I left, So soon of thee to be bereft ; Or that when after me you sought You would by ruffian men be caught. Thy playful manners fill'd with joy The aged sire and sportive boy ; Of real joy you had enough, When you could give or take a snuff. The tricks you play'd with childish art, Bound you the closer to my heart ; Thy kindness to thy mother prov'd How dearly she by thee was lov'd. What horrid monsters were those men Who lur'd thee to their fatal den ; That den, where deeds as yet untold, Were done for sake of sordid gold. , But they alone were not to blame ; For when these dauntless monsters came With human creatures scarcely cold, The Doctors took them, we are told. Nor did they leave the Doctor's door Without an order to bring more 1 But Justice stern aloud doth cry, " Let all who wink at murder die ! " i5 And justice shall to me be done, On all who murder'd my poor son ; — I'll make appeal to Britain's King, That one and all of them may swing. But that will not restore my son, Or remedy the mischief done ; He murder'd is— no peace I have, I shall go mourning to my grave. AN ACROSTIC. "Join with me, friends, whilst I bewail Awhile the subject of this Tale ; Many a mind has often been Engaged with Jamie's awkward mien ; Such pranks will ne'er again be seen. We may bewail, but 'tis in vain, It will not bring him back again : Lost he is now — this thought imparts Sad comfort to our wounded hearts ; Oh ! may such crimes nowhere remain, Nor ever more our nation stain." The Editor of this pamphlet, is glad to state, that a subscription has been set on foot for the purpose of conferring on Gray and his wife, a lasting mark of public gratitude ; they being the means of bringing to light the varied details of this horrid slaughter-house ; nor will the Edinburgh Public fail to patronize those meretorious persons deserving as they certainly are of holding a better station in society than that in which they have hitherto been placed ; no sooner had they detected the last victim of murdering cruelty, than they gave information in the proper quarter openly, and frankly, declared all they knew, and, so by their discoveries, the parties concerned in this trade of murder were speedily arrested, and now await the issue of that scrutiny, which will bring to light, as the noon day, their manifold and unparalelled deeds of darkness. i6 The Editor acknowledges the many obligations under which the Public has placed him, in their communications ; but as he would not willingly give offence to any individual, he has been necessitated to withhold from the Public, for the present, many very valuable pieces, both in poetry and prose ; but he pledges himself, as soon as possible, to bring before the Public those pieces which he ap- proves, and which, he hopes, will meet with the Public approbation. The communication of our Classical friend Sawney Bean, to his learned friend Willie Smith, cannot at present be brought forward, till some few anticipated circumstances take place. All future com- munications will be gladly received by the Editor, No. 3, Bristo Port ; and he pledges himself, that no pains shall be wanting, on his part, to secure the patronage of his friends. Though new in my projects, I would not offend That person who shews himself to be a friend, But I will rebuff all that gives me alarm, Or that which may prove Caledonia's harm. Shortly will be published, by the same Editor, price One Shil- ling, (containing 64 pages of letter-press,) an Authentic Narrative of the Life and Death of Robert Kirkwood, better known by the name of Boby AwL k an Idiot who strolled about Auld Reekie. N. B. The Work will be embellished with Six Portraits of Boby ; the one fronting the title will be Boby standing with a skellet hanging before him, (by way of a drum,) with a sheep's foot in the one hand and a large bone in the other. *«* The Work will be very entertaining to any who may read it, though they never saw the Oaf. There will be nothing inserted to offend or corrupt the morals, so that an abbess or modest damsel may peruse it without blushing. FINIS. " O Horror ! Horror ! Horror tongue nor heart Cannot conceive nor name thee ! " Macbeth. THE STORY OF BURKE AND HARE. a €rjtnp; of the Past. Being a brief account of the regular system of murder carried on in the West Port of Edinburgh between the Christmas of 1827 and October 1828. The principal actor in this wholesale butchery, almost without parallel in any age or country, eclipsing anything in story or romance, was William Burke, a native of Tyrone, in Ireland. Born about the year 1792, of honest, hard-working parents, Roman Catholics, he lived and wrought with them until the age of eighteen, when he left and became a servant to a gentle- man in the neighbourhood. After being there about twelve months, the gentleman died ; and Burke at the age of nineteen entered the Donegal Militia. At this period he married a respectable young woman in Ballina, and by her had seven children, who all died except one boy, who was alive at the time of the trial. Owing to some dispute he left them and came over to Scotland, where he was employed on making the Union Canal ; and met in with a woman named McDougal at the "8; village of Maddiston, in Stirlingshire, where they agreed to live as man and wife. He afterwards came to Edinburgh along with McDougal, and engaged in a sort of petty traffic, travelling about the country selling wares, buying old clothes, and collect- ing skins, human hair, &c. He also used to purchase quantities of old shoes, and, after cobbling them in the best manner he could, send McDougal to hawk them over the country. They left Edinburgh for a short time, but came back after the harvest of 1827 ; and then they became acquainted with the monster William Hare, who kept a sort of beggars' hotel or lodging- house in Tanners' Close, West Port, under the name of Log's Lodging, the previous husband of Hare's wife. In this abode of profligacy, vice, and drunkenness, they carried on their murderous trade, in which they continued for about twelve months. The first dealing in "subjects" commenced in the following manner in December 1827 : — A lodger died in Hare's house — a tall, stout man, a pensioner, who led a dissipated, good-for- nothing life, — his debauched habits and dropsy combined ac- counting for his death. His funeral was arranged in a decorous way — coffin procured and guests invited ; but instead of the body, there was substituted by Burke and Hare a sackful of tan bark, which was buried with all due solemnity. After the funeral the rogues proceeded to find a purchaser for the body ; and at dusk the body was carried by Burke in a sack to Bristo Port : here he rested and changed with Hare, who carried it to its destination— Dr. Knox's dissecting rooms, Surgeons' Square, where they received for it £7 ios. So much money to such people excited their cupidity ; and Burke states that Hare and he talked over the subject of murder, and the best way of doing it. Their first victim was an old woman from Gilmerton, whom 19 Hare noticed a little intoxicated on the streets. Hare accosted her and enticed her to his den, where she was stupified with drink, and put to death in the manner they afterwards pursued, by covering and pressing upon the nose and mouth. The body was afterwards conveyed to Surgeons' Square, where it was readily sold for^io — December 1827. Their bargain was to receive ;£8 for each "subject" in the summer session, and £10 in the winter. The next unfortunate victim was an English packman, who came to lodge in Hare's house. After this a connected account of the other murders cannot be had, as the co-partners kept no books to which reference can be made, and they were not curious regarding their victims' names, &c. They in all amounted to sixteen : — 1st, the old woman from Gilmerton ; 2nd, the English pedlar ; 3rd, an old man, Joe the Miller; 4th and 5th, Mary Haldane and her daughter ; 6th and 7th, an old Irishwoman and her grandson ; 8th, a cinder-gatherer ; 9th, an old woman taken out of the police officers' hands; loth, Mary Patterson ; nth, a woman from the country ; 12th, the girl McDougal ; 13th, Mrs. Osier or Hosier, the washerwoman; 14th, "Daft Jamie;" 15th, a girl murdered by Hare alone ; i-6th, the woman Campbell or Docherty, which was the last murder committed, and which proved the cause of their detection by an Irish lodger called Gray and his wife, who in looking for one of her children's stockings noticed the body lying beneath the bed covered with straw. On giving information they were arrested, — Burke and his paramour McDougal, and Hare and his wife. Before the trial, an offer was made to Hare, that if he would give evidence he would be allowed his freedom, which he gladly agreed to. The day fixed for the trial was 24th December, 1828, at the High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, at which Burke was con- 20 demned by the evidence of Hare ; Helen McDougal and Hare's wife being liberated. Their trial created the utmost sensation ; and the Court and Parliament Square were mobbed. At the execution of Burke, which took place on Wednesday 28th January 1829, it was estimated that there were between thirty- two and forty thousand people. Amidst the yells of this vast mob, some shouting " he would see Daft Jamie soon," &c, he paid the last penalty of the law at the top of Liberton's Wynd, almost within sight of where they had carried on their butchery. A. B. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. SlOMED UB~~ WAY 1.8 1990 BECU "OCT 2 4 ^ OCT 2 6 REGD ..SB* 3-195* AU G2l«£C0 SEP 1419© SEP % 4 fee ^* 1 AUG 19 19^5 RBCO feomedlcal Library MAY ** 1990 Form L9-6m-3, '54(3446)444 3 1158 01043 2531