The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 2/2: being a series of memoirs and anecdotes of notorious characters who have outraged the laws of Great Britain from the earliest period to 1841Pelham, Camden
History
The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 2/2: being a series of memoirs and anecdotes of notorious characters who have outraged the laws of Great Britain from the earliest period to 1841
Pelham, Camden
Crime -- Great Britain; Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England)
Mr. and Mrs. Gray, whose names we have already mentioned, were also
examined upon the same point, and having proved the presence of Mrs.
Campbell in Burke's house at the time of their arrival, they stated that
Mrs. M'Dougal had told them in the morning, that she had turned out the
deceased because she was impudent. They, however, watched their
opportunity, and slipping into the room unseen, discovered her body
concealed among the straw under the table.
Other confirmatory evidence was also given upon the same subject; and
David Paterson, the porter at Dr. Knox's, having detailed his account of
the transaction of the purchase of the body in the manner in which we
have already described it, and of its arrival in a tea-chest; and other
witnesses having proved that they saw the prisoner (Burke) and Hare
carrying a tea-chest in the direction of Dr. Knox's, but in such a line
of street as clearly showed their object to be to escape observation,
William Hare, the approver, was called.
Lord Meadowbank, a learned and very distinguished judge, presided upon
this occasion, and with the most humane feelings, he earnestly cautioned
this witness to give his evidence with truth. The fellow, whose
appearance in the witness-box excited great interest and indignation,
sullenly answered, that he intended to do so, but that he only came
there as a witness in the case of the "old woman," as he emphatically
described the deceased Mrs. Campbell, as distinguished, doubtless, from
other miserable victims; and his examination then proceeded. We shall
give his evidence as nearly as we can in the terms in which it was
delivered by him in the witness-box. Having been sworn in the common
form, he said he was a native of Ireland, and had resided in Scotland
ten years. He had been acquainted with Burke about twelve months.
M'Dougal lived with Burke as his wife; witness lived in the West Port,
not far from Burke; he was in a public-house in the West Port on the
forenoon of the 31st of October, when Burke came in, and they had a
gill; he asked witness to go down to his house, to see the shot he had
got to take to the doctor's; he said he had taken an old woman off the
street, and wished witness to go down and see her, and see what they
were doing. He understood by the word "shot," that he was going to
murder the woman. He went to Burke's house, and found there was a
strange man and woman (their name was Gray), the old woman, and Helen
M'Dougal; the old woman was washing her short-gown; it was white and red
striped. [Identified the bedgown.] Witness remained in the house about
five minutes, and then went home. Between eight and nine on the same
night he was at the house of a man named Connaway with his wife; and
Burke, Mrs. M'Dougal, the old woman Campbell, and a lad named Broggan,
Mrs. M'Dougal's nephew, came in. Liquor was introduced, and after a
while, Burke and Broggan went away. Witness remained some time longer,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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