In the space of a year or so, William Burke, an Irish cobbler, and William Hare, an Irish navvy, lured sixteen people into their Edinburgh tenements and murdered them. They then sold the corpses to the anatomist Dr Robert Knox, a surgeon at Edinburgh University. Their final victim, who proved their downfall, was an old woman called Madgy Docherty, a beggar who went by several names, including Campbell and M’Gonegal. Falling into their company, she was murdered on the night of 31 October 1828. At their trial, Hare turned King’s Evidence, and got off without even a sentence. Burke, meanwhile, was hanged. The people of Edinburgh, who had packed the court at Christmas to attend the sensational trial, were so pleased to see the back of Burke that 30,000 filed past his dissected corpse, which had been used for a two-hour anatomy lecture by the surgeon Dr Monro. Burke’s corpse was then skinned, and his skin tanned and sold in strips. Hare’s testimony gives a flavour of what the pair’s other victims probably suffered.
LORD JUSTICE-CLERK – You will understand that you are called here as a witness regarding the death of an elderly woman, of the name of Campbell or M’Gonegal. You understand that it is only with regard to her that you are now to speak? To this question the witness replied, by asking, ‘T’ould woman, Sir?’
LORD JUSTICE-CLERK. – Yes …
Interrogated by the LORD ADVOCATE – How long have you been acquainted with William Burke? About a twelvemonth.
You have been ten years in Scotland, and you have been a resident in Edinburgh? Yes.
You are a married man, and your wife is here? Yes.
When did you become acquainted with the prisoner Burke? About a twelvemonth ago.
And you became acquainted with the other prisoner Macdougal [Nelly MacDougal, Burke’s partner] about the same period? Yes.
She lodged with him then, and since? Yes.
Your house is near his? On the same side of the street.
Were you in a public house on the 31st of October last, kept by a person of the name of Rymer? Yes.
How much did you drink? A gill.
Was any body with you? No.
Did he tell you about any person being in his house? Yes.
About what o’clock was it? I could not say; it was in the fore part of the day. He took me to this house, and he told me to go down to his house, and said that there was an ould woman in the house that he was going to murder, and for me to see what they were doing; that he had left some whisky in the house; that he got the woman off the street; and that he thought she would be a good shot to take to the Doctors …
Did he use the word murder; or did you understand it from the shot for the Doctors? To see what they were doing.
Did he use the word murder? No.
What did you understand by the word shot for the Doctors; did you understand the meaning of it? Yes.
What was it? That he was going to murder her.
Well, did you go down? Yes, Sir, I went down.
Alone? Yes.
You went to Burke’s house? Yes, I went to his house.
Who did you find there? A strange man and woman in the house; Nelly M’Dougal, and the old woman, – and she was washing her gown …
What colour was it? White and reddish colour, – striped.
Was it like that there? the gown was handed to the witness,
Yes, that is it.
Did you remain long there? About five minutes.
And then went away home? Went home.
Were you in Mrs Connoway’s after that? No, I was not in there till after night.
You know that woman? Yes.
Were you in her house that night at all? Yes, between eight and nine o’clock.
Then you came back from that to your own house? Yes.
Now, who was in Connoway’s when you was there? John Connoway and his wife; and there was William Burke, John Brogan, and another chap – I don’t know his name.
Did William Burke remain with you? He went away with the two chaps, Brogan, and the one I don’t know.
Who else were there? That old wife, and Nelly M’Dougal, and my wife.
Had you some drink when you was there? Yes.
Did you remain there till pretty late? We remained there till between 11 and 12 o’clock. I could not say just directly.
Where did you go to? Nelly M’Dougal asked me and my wife to take a dram in her house.
And you left the old woman there? Yes, we left the old woman sitting at the fire, and John Connoway.
Well, when you were in Mrs Burke’s house, did Burke come in? Yes, and the old wife with him.
Had you any more drinking? Yes; there was a soup of whisky in the bottle, and we all drank it out. We were all pretty hearty.
Was the old woman that way too? Yes …
At this time, did you expect that any mischief was to happen to this old woman? Not that night.
Now, after this, had you any quarrelling or fighting with Burke? He asked me what I was doing there, in his house: I told him that Nelly M’Dougal asked me in to get a dram; and he struck me then.
Did you strike again? Yes, I did.
Had you a fight? Yes.
And her there? Yes, we had.
Now, where were the women during this? They were redding us.
They came betwixt you to separate you? Yes; he pushed me down twice on the bed, and the last time I lay on the bed.
How long did you lie there? I could not say.
LORD JUSTICE-CLERK. – You were twice down on the bed? Yes.
LORD ADVOCATE. – Now, when you were fighting, where was this old person? She was sitting at the fire, – and she got up and desired Burke to sit down, and she said that she did not want to see Burke abused. Did she run out? Yes, she ran out twice to the entry, and cried out for the police.
She went twice to the passage? Yes.
What did she call out? It was either murder or police, I could not say which, but it was some of them.
Well, how was she brought back again? It was Nelly M’Dougal that fetched her back.
Did she then get any push, or fall over on the ground? Yes she did; – when we were struggling, I pushed her over a little stool.
And you continued to struggle while she lay there? Yes; she raised herself on her elbow, – she was not able to rise, being drunk, – and called on Burke to be quiet.
LORD JUSTICE-CLERK. – You mean quiet from fighting with you, or you with him? Yes.
LORD ADVOCATE. – Did he quit you at last? After he threw me the second time on the bed, he then quit, and I lay still in the bed.
What did he do? He stood on the floor; – he then got stride-legs on the top of the woman on the floor, and she cried out a little, and he kept in her breath.
Did he lay himself down upon her? Yes, he pressed down her head with his breast.
She gave a kind of a cry, did she? Yes.
Did she give that more than once? She moaned a little after the first cry.
How did he apply his hand towards her? He put one hand under the nose, and the other under her chin, under her mouth.
He stopped her breath, do you mean? Yes.
Did he continue this for any length of time? I could not exactly say the time; ten or fifteen minutes.
Did he say anything to you when this was going on? No, he said nothing.
Did he then come off her? Yes; he got up off her.
Did she appear dead then? Yes; she appeared dead a wee.
Did she appear to be quite dead? She was not moving; I could not say whether she was dead or not.
What did he do then? He put his hand across her mouth.
Did he keep it there for any length of time? He kept it two or three minutes …
What was you doing all this time? I was sitting on the chair.
What did he do with the body? He stripped it of the clothes.
Where did he put them? Under the bed.
What did he do with the body? He took it and threw it at the foot of the bed, doubled her up, and threw a sheet over her; he tied her head to her feet. He tied her head and feet together, and covered her up with straw.
Now, during this time this man was lying on her, where was M’Dougal and your wife? When they heard the first screech, they left the foot of the bed and went into the passage.
Did they both run to the passage? Yes.
Did they come in again when this was going on? They did not come in till this was all over, and her covered over with straw …
Did you see the blood? I did not observe any at that time.
No blood on the floor? Not any at that time.
Any blood on the woman’s face? I did not see any at that time.
Did you hear these women cry any thing after they went into the passage? I did not take heed.
Nobody came in at that time? None.
Before the women sprang up, had you seen Burke turn the woman round, or do any thing at all to her? He was on the top of her when they sprung out of the bed.
Was he long in that position before they went away? A minute or two; whenever he catched her, she gave a screech, and they ran away.
None of them laid hold of Burke, and tried to screen the woman? None at all …
Neither of them made any attempt to save this woman, or to take Burke off her? Not that I saw …
Well, did Burke go out then? Yes, Burke went out.
Immediately after this old woman was laid in the straw? Yes; he immediately went out.
Was he long absent? About ten minutes.
When the women came back, did they say anything? Did they ask no questions? No.
Did you say anything? No.
What did you do then? They went to their beds again.
Did neither of them ask for the woman Docherty when they came back? They did not.
Then you say Burke went out, and returned in about ten minutes; did any body come back with him? Mr Jones.
Was it not Mr Paterson? It was the Doctor’s man …
Do you know where this man lived? He lives down on the other side of the street, in the West Port.
Well, when he came back with Burke, what did Burke say to him? He asked him to look at the body he had got; he said it would do well enough; to get a box and put it into.
Did he point to the straw where it was? Yes, and he wanted him to look at it; but he would not look at it.