The history of the London Burkers: Containing a faithful and authentic account of the horrid acts of the noted Resurrectionists, Bishop, Williams, May, etc., etc., and their trial and condemnation at the Old Bailey for the wilful murder of Carlo Ferrari, with the criminals' confessions after trial. Including also the life, character, and behaviour of the atrocious Eliza Ross, the murderer of Mrs. Walsh, etc., etc. — John Shaqi
The history of the London Burkers: Containing a faithful and authentic account of the horrid acts of the noted Resurrectionists, Bishop, Williams, May, etc., etc., and their trial and condemnation at the Old Bailey for the wilful murder of Carlo Ferrari, with the criminals' confessions after trial. Including also the life, character, and behaviour of the atrocious Eliza Ross, the murderer of Mrs. Walsh, etc., etc.Anonymous
History
The history of the London Burkers: Containing a faithful and authentic account of the horrid acts of the noted Resurrectionists, Bishop, Williams, May, etc., etc., and their trial and condemnation at the Old Bailey for the wilful murder of Carlo Ferrari, with the criminals' confessions after trial. Including also the life, character, and behaviour of the atrocious Eliza Ross, the murderer of Mrs. Walsh, etc., etc.
Anonymous
Bishop, John, -1831; May, James, -1832; Ross, Eliza, 1793 or 1794-1832; Trials (Murder) -- England -- London; Williams, Thomas, -1831
Mr. THOMAS replied, that the prisoner Bishop told him he got the body
at Guy's Hospital, and employed the prisoner Shields to carry it from
thence to the King's College. As this declaration on the part of Bishop
appeared to be very important, he (Mr. Thomas) sent a message to Guy's
Hospital, to request to know whether a boy answering the description
of the deceased, had died there lately. He received for answer, a
slip of paper stating that, since the 28th ultimo, three persons had
died there; that one was a woman, and the other two were males, aged
thirty-three and thirty-seven, so that the statement of Bishop as to
where he obtained the body could not be true.
Mr. MINSHULL asked if any person had been to claim the body?
Mr. THOMAS replied, that a gentleman was present, whose son, a boy,
aged fourteen, was missing since Tuesday; he had been to see the body,
but found it was not his son.
Mr. HART, a respectable tradesman, residing at No. 356, Oxford-street,
then came forward, evidently in great distress of mind, and in answer
to questions by the magistrate, said, that his boy left home in the
afternoon of Tuesday last, and was never seen since, although he had
been advertised in the newspapers, and every possible means had been
used for his recovery. The poor man wept bitterly, while he deplored
his loss, and seemed to think that his son had been made away with by
some abominable means, and disposed of to the surgeons; a circumstance
which he considered not at all unlikely, from the facility with which
bodies appeared to be disposed of at dissecting-rooms, as proved by the
evidence of the witness Hill.
Mr. MINSHULL, addressing the prisoners, told them that he was ready
to hear anything which they wished to state, but at the same time he
felt it his duty to caution them as to what they should say, because it
would be taken down in writing by the clerk, and, whether favourable
or otherwise, it would be produced as evidence at their trial, if he
should decide to commit them.
The prisoner BISHOP said, that he had nothing to add to what he had
already stated. He got the body at Guy's Hospital, and employed Shields
to convey it to the King's College.
WILLIAMS and SHIELDS declared their innocence, and the latter said,
that he merely acted in the matter, as porter to Bishop.
The prisoner MAY, who was dressed in a countryman's frock, and who
appeared perfectly careless during the examination, in answer to the
question, if he wished to say anything, replied, that he knew nothing
at all about the matter, and said that he merely came to the College
to get some money that was due to him. It was not my subject, he added,
and I know nothing about it.
Here two or three constables, who were in the body of the office,
exclaimed, that they knew May to be a noted resurrectionist; and one of
them said, he had him in custody at Worship-street Office for stealing
a dead body.
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