Burke and Hare (28 page)

LETTER TO THE LORD ADVOCATE, DISCLOSING THE
ACCOMPLICES, SECRETS, AND OTHER
FACTS RELATIVE TO THE LATE MURDERS;
WITH A CORRECT ACCOUNT OF THE MANNER
IN WHICH THE ANATOMICAL SCHOOLS ARE SUPPLIED WITH
SUBJECTS. BY THE ECHO
OF SURGEONS’ SQUARE.

‘What? Shall wealth screen thee from justice.’

‘Good friends! let me not stir yosu up

To any sudden flood of mutiny.’

Mark Antony.

My Lord,

You are aware that, at this moment, the public feeling is strongly excited against the perpetrators of the late foul and cold blooded murders that have taken place in the very centre of a populous and civilized city. The exact extent to which this traffic in blood has been carried on, and by whom, is yet a secret. Part of the gang have been brought to light, and by a strict investigation, I have no doubt but the remainder may also be brought to condign punishment. Your Lordship is aware, that in all civilized nations, blood calls for blood. The holy religion to which we subscribe, and the God of all nature hath expressly said, ‘That he who sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.’ The late horrible traffic has chilled every breast against the individuals, and it only surprises the public that such a traffic should be carried on in the heart of a populous city, and in so open a manner, without coming to the knowledge of the men in power; in carefully perusing this letter, your Lordship will perceive, that at one period, when a just suspicion fell upon Burke about the beginning of October last, a policeman was stationed at his door, but even then, he eluded their vigilance, and the body was safely deposited in the Lecture Room. Your Lordship will pardon me for not making farther remarks, until I give verbatim the words of some of the parties said to have acted a conspicuous part in the tragedy. My motives for setting the inquiry on foot were these, viz:– To have a candid statement from the individuals in the service of Dr Knox, who must have known when and how they became acquainted with Burke and Hare, – by what means the bodies were procured; from whence, – and by whom are the Anatomical Schools supplied, – who are the parties that examine the bodies before dissection, – and if there is any register of opinion kept respecting them.

Your Lordship must be aware that the public eye is fixed upon you, as public prosecutor, and as the greater portion of that public is ignorant of the regular routine and evidence required, before your Lordship can file a Bill of Indictment, with any degree of certainty as to its issue, and as it is a known trait in your Lordship’s character, to lean to the side of mercy, yet, in this case, we trust you will strain every nerve, and sift this dreadful plot to its very core. I will now proceed to detail P—n’s own words, which appears to me, (especially as it is supported by other proofs) to carry a considerable share of plausibility along with it.

David P—n was first in the employment of Dr K— in the year 1824 or 1825, for about one year, and on his return from the army at the close of 1827, did apply to Dr K— for his former situation, and was engaged in the beginning of February 1828, as the Museum keeper; his salary was very small, but from the fees paid him by the students, he contrived to make a very comfortable livelihood. He had nothing whatever to do with the subjects (or bodies) brought to the Lecture Room, his sole charge was to keep the Museum, and be answerable for articles therein; at that time he did not know how the Doctor obtained subjects. But shortly after saw Burke and Hare, (Burke was called
John
, and Hare
William
) who had brought a subject, and delivered it to Mr M—r, an assistant, who had the management of that traffic, and from the conversation that then passed, understood that they, (Burke and Hare) had been in the habit of supplying Dr K— with subjects previous to that time.

During the Lectures, Burke or Hare, and sometimes both, frequently called towards evening, and informed Mr M—r that they had a subject for the Doctor, when Mr M—r would accompany them, and return in the course of an hour and a half, or thereabout, the Doctor always desiring P—n to be in the way with the keys, as it would not do to keep the parties waiting on their return, and that the rooms should be kept open until they did return. In this manner did they continue to supply, or rather assist in supplying the Lecture Room during the season, nothing particularly occuring to his notice, until they had brought a female subject. Now, my Lord, mark his own words, “Not being in the room when the body was brought, – I found Mr M—r in close conversation with Burke and Hare, and a female subject stretched upon the floor, the beautiful symmetry and freshness of the body attracted my attention; soon after I heard Mr F—, another assistant of Dr K—, say that he was acquainted with the deceased, and named her as Mary Mitchell, (this was the girl Paterson,) my curiosity being roused, I was determined to enquire at the first opportunity where they had got the subject in question; accordingly, at their next appearance, which was a few days after, either informing Mr M—r that they had another subject, or requesting payment for the last, but not having heard their general conversation, could not say which, I then took the oportunity of enquiring at Burke where he had procured the last subject; when he answered, that he had purchased it from the friends of the deceased; it was rather a new thing for me to hear of the relatives selling the corpse of their friends, and I enquired where the relatives lived; at this, Burke looked very suspiciously at me, and at length said, as nearly as I can recollect, If I am to be catechised by you, where and how I get subjects, I will inform the Doctor of it, and if he allows you to do so, I will bring no more to him, mind that. Now, as I remembered that I had positive orders from the Doctor not to interfere at all with these men, I was content to be silent.” To a question put to P—n, whether he had any suspicion of Burke and Hare, as to the manner they had obtained the body of the female, or if he heard any of the students or assistants making any remarks upon it. Answered, that he had not the slightest suspicion as to the deceased having met with a premature death, but did think that it really was sold by the relatives, or by some one who kept a brothel or lodging house for paupers, from whom the resurrectionists purchase subjects; the only remark he ever heard made by either the assistants or students was, that it was a fine proportioned body, and that she must have been a very handsome woman, so much so indeed, that many of the students took sketches of it, one of which is in his possession.

About this time it appears that Burke and Hare became rather troublesome at the Doctor’s house, and he not being altogether over anxious of such visitors, requested to know where they lived, and finding that they resided in Portsburgh, requested P—n, as his lodgings was in Portsburgh also, to take any message for him they might have, which he was to convey to Newington, and return an answer, this he absolutely refused, saying that he did not wish resurrectionists to be coming about his lodgings, but they ought to call at the Lecture Room; this did not suffice, for either the Doctor, or some one for him, had given P—’s address, and in a few days they called at his lodgings, requesting a small sum, which they said the Doctor was due. He accordingly went to the Doctor and received the money for them, not at all pleased with the mission.

Previous to this period, Burke became a patient of Dr K—’s, and came to the Lecture Room to have his wound dressed. He disappeared for some time during harvest. P—n being also from home during the vacation, the rooms were under the care of Mr Angus M—n. On his (P—n’s) return, he learned from (M—n) that Hare, or William as he was called, had been there a short time before with a subject, unattended by Burke, but P—n could not say whether it was male or female, as he did not see it, and although he firmly believes it to be the case – cannot vouch any father than M—n’s own words. When he again received the keys from M—n, and when the Lectures were about to commence, the Doctor made frequent enquiries at his assistants if any of them had seen John, (meaning Burke,) going about, and requested P—n to find him out, and desire him to call upon the Doctor. P—n’s enquiries were fruitless; some time after Burke called at the rooms to have the Doctor’s opinion respecting his wound, which had assumed a dangerous appearance. He said he had been either at the country or at the harvest. The Doctor and his assistants seemed glad of Burke’s visit, and he was earnestly requested by them to resume his supplies of subjects as formerly.

Burke’s confession, as stated in the Caledonian Mercury, sets forth, that P—n had frequently urged Burke and Hare to procure as many subjects as possible. P—n admits that, on one occasion, he was requested by the Doctor to desire John to get as many subjects as possible, as he would require all he could get; but denies that he ever received any fee or reward above his regular salary and students fees; and that he had nothing to do with the procuring of subjects, that being entirely the assistants’ duty, which another part of Burke’s confession fully corroborates, when he says, that he never sold a subject to any other person but the Doctor or his assistants; and that he had no more to do than leave the body at the Rooms and go to the Doctor for the money. Another proof that others were equally, if not more culpable, than P—n, is as follows:– At the commencement of the Lectures in October last, P—n overheard a conversation, rather in high words, between Mr F—n, one of the assistants, and Messrs Burke and Hare, the import of which was, that Burke and Hare were insisting on raising the price of subjects, whereas F— insisted upon £8 being a fair price. The sum demanded he did not hear, nor knows how the dispute was settled. Now, my Lord, you will observe, they did not apply to P—n as to the individual they considered authorized to make a bargain; but here is a more important point, and one to which I trust your Lordship will pay particular attention. He says, “That about this time Burke called at the Lecture Room and informed some of the assistants that he had a subject for the Doctor, and requested a box and a little money, he got a trunk and a few shillings and went away. He, however, did not fulfil his promise that evening, but called on the following day, and requested me to inform the Doctor that his neighbours, or the neighbours, suspected he had a subject in the house, and that as a policeman was watching their motions, and seldom left the corner of the house, he was afraid to bring it. I went and informed the Doctor what Burke had said, when he desired me to make minute inquiry into the truth of Burke’s statement; but not knowing where he (Burke) lived, and it being rather a delicate point to inquire after, I obtained no information; that day also elapsed without any appearance of the subject, and the following day the Doctor got rather enraged, he remarked that John was a coward, and said, that he would write to the authorities and procure a protection for him to carry any packages safe to his Lecture Room. Burke having called at the nick of time, I told him what the Doctor had said, and in a few minutes he saw the Doctor himself. The conversation was nearly as follows: after Burke requesting the protection, the Doctor said he had not got it yet; but that he (Burke) should bring the box, and that if he, or those employed by him, were stopt upon the street, they were for their own personal safety to suffer themselves to be taken to the Police Office along with the package. In a short time they would be relieved, and the package would assuredly be sent to him from the Office; Burke’s reply was, that if he was once taken to the Police Office he would not so easily get out again.”

Did your Lordship ever hear this before? – Did such a statement come out upon Burke’s trial? or, were such questions ever put to P—n? If this statement therefore is correct, and information given to the Police that a corpse supposed to be disintered, or otherwise, was actually in the possession of Burke or Hare, why not instead of placing a policeman as a watch over their motions? I say, why should not a warrant have been granted to search the premises? If this had been done, it might have been the means of saving many victims that afterwards fell into the hands of these blood-thirsty miscreants. It may be asked, how could the authorities prove that the individuals were murdered? seeing that even our professors of anatomy could not perceive any thing like external marks of violence, or symptoms of an internal nature, to lead them for a moment to suppose that the subjects heretofore brought by Burke and Hare had met with a premature death. I am inclined to think that this part of the mystery has been overlooked, not by any means imputing any blame to Dr K— or his assistants. But, Tyro, as I am on matters of anatomy, I have always been led to consider that suffocation or strangulation causes the blood to flow to the head, consequently makes the face of a strong livid colour, with a small discharge of blood from the mouth, nose, and ears. Now, as most of the subjects produced by Burke and Hare had suffered death by suffocation, and as these bodies were generally disposed of to Dr K—, I think it but natural to infer, that if the Doctor saw these bodies, he is either horribly ignorant of his profession, or he wilfully withheld that information he ought to have given. I will ask any of the professors of anatomy, candidly and honestly, that if two men, of the appearance of Burke and Hare, had brought them ten or a dozen bodies, with the same appearance as those brought by B. and H. must have had, what would be their opinion? I am certain of one thing, that it would, at least, have a great tendency to rouse their suspicions, and make minute inquiries as to the manner they obtained such subjects. But we are told that Dr K— did not know, nor had he the most distant idea, that these subjects were any thing but disintered bodies; all the subjects brought to him by Burke and Hare, and that were examined by him, he could not even guess at the cause of their death. On these grounds we are bound to believe that no blame can be attached to the Doctor, seeing
he himself is equally as ignorant as his Students.
In respect to the words said to have been spoken by the Doctor with regard to the protection, and that if they were stopt, to suffer themselves to be taken into custody, when they would soon be released, and the package assuredly sent to him. If such really was the case, does it not stigmatize [
sic
] the Police establishment in the eyes of the public. – An establishment which we with confidence look to for protection, and pay a heavy tax for its support. I am inclined to think that there must be some mistake in this part of the story, for I feel pretty confident, that if the body had been taken to the Police Office and examined, a thousand to one but the surgeon of that establishment would at once say that it had come by a premature death, and Burke seems to have been pretty much of the same opinion, as he knew that if once there, the body would be examined, and consequently an investigation would take place that might lead to a discovery of his nefarious traffic. But to proceed with P—n’s narrative. “One day they (Burke and Hare) called upon Mr M—n formerly mentioned, who resides in Surgeons’ Square, and told him, that they had a subject for the Doctor, and requested him to be in readiness; that evening about seven o’clock I called upon Mr M – n and found him waiting in the Square, he then told me that a subject was expected for the Doctor. In a short time three men (Burke, Hare, and M‘Culloch) made their appearance with a large box, or chest, which was deposited in one of the rooms; and as they insisted upon having money, we thought proper to look into the box previous to reporting to the Doctor. When we did so we found it contained the corpse of a stout young man, but did not examine it; I immediately went and informed the Doctor that the parties before mentioned had brought a subject, and were anxious for some money. The sum given to me by the Doctor I delivered to them, and they called the following day for the remainder, making in all L.10. When the body was examined in the morning, one of the assistants remarked, that it was very like DAFT JAMIE, in which opinion all present agreed. I myself remarked, that I did not think Jamie either so stout or robust as the subject before me, and that I did not think he was dead, as I had seen him a day or two before; but did say that there was a strong resemblance. Some discourse then took place amongst the students respecting the manner the body had been obtained, when it was generally supposed, that if it really was JAMIE, his friends must have sold him to the procurers. Dr K— all along persisting that it was not Jamie; nothing more of consequence occurred until a report that Jamie was amissing reached Surgeons’ Square, when the dissection of the body was ordered. It may be necessary to remark, that the usual method adopted by the students in dissecting, is to make a transverse section of the cranium, or to separate the superior portion from the base, in order to enable the student to dissect the brain. In dissecting this body the head was kept entire at the express request of one of the Doctor’s assistants, but for what purpose I cannot say; Mr F—n, another assistant, seemed doubly anxious to have the feet of this subject, which he received from the students that dissected the body. It is a common practice amongst the students that when they wish to preserve the bones of any limb entire, to immerse it in a jar of water until decomposition takes place, when the soft is cleaned from the bone; but in this case, however, Mr F—n deviated considerably from the usual method, for he immediately was at the no small trouble of detaching bone from bone PREVIOUS to their being immersed in water. I do not pretend to offer any opinion upon his doing so, I merely state facts.”