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
The haunts of these unfortunate beings are in Vine-street, Saffron
Hill, Bleeding-heart Yard on Holborn Hill, Coal Yard in Drury Lane,
and in the purlieus of Shoreditch. Whole houses are occupied by these
wretched boys, who sleep eight or nine in a bed. Each boy's monkey
is chained near him every night on going to rest, and the other
curiosities are placed in situations appointed to the owners; so that,
on starting out in the morning, each boy takes his own companion. On
the ground floors reside the men, some Italian and some English, to
whom the monkeys, &c., really belong; and they provide each boy with
lodging at fourpence a night, with a basin of gruel in the morning,
upon starting on their peregrinations, having first paid the master for
the use of whatever curiosity they may take with them to exhibit. The
following are the charges made by the proprietors upon the juvenile
crew.
For a porcupine (very novel, there being only two) and an organ, 4_s._
per day, being 2_s._ 6_d._ for the porcupine, and 1_s._ 6_d._ for the
organ.
For a monkey (undressed), 2_s._ per day.
For a monkey in uniform, 3_s._ per day.
For a box of white mice, 1_s._ 6_d._ per day.
For a tortoise, 1_s._ 6_d._ per day.
For a dog and monkey (the latter may be frequently seen in the street
riding on the dog's back), 3_s._ per day.
For dancing dogs, four in number, including dresses, spinning-wheel,
pipe and tabor, &c., 5_s._ per day.
For a box of wax figures of the Siamese twins, 2_s._ per day.
For an organ with figures waltzing, 3_s._ 6_d._ per day.
Some of these boys, by their artlessness of manner and gesticulations,
it is said, obtain six or seven shillings a day, and some more. One
of them being asked, what was the largest sum he ever received in
one day, replied, fifteen shillings, which he accounted for in the
following manner:--One day he was ambulating about the Marine Parade,
at Brighton, with his dog and monkey on his back, when a gentleman
offered him fifteen shillings to allow him to throw a stone into the
sea for the dog to fetch. The boy consented, the stone was thrown, and
away jumped the dog with the monkey into the sea; the monkey fastened
tight round the dogs neck, and both reaching the beach in safety, the
boy received the premium.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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