West Port Murders: Or an Authentic Account of the Atrocious Murders Committed by Burke and His Associates; Containing a Full Account of All the Extraordinary Circumstances Connected With Them. Also, a Report of the Trial of Burke and M'Dougal. With a Description of the Execution of Burke, His Confessions, and Memoirs of His Accomplices, Including the Proceedings Against Hare, &c.Anonymous
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West Port Murders: Or an Authentic Account of the Atrocious Murders Committed by Burke and His Associates; Containing a Full Account of All the Extraordinary Circumstances Connected With Them. Also, a Report of the Trial of Burke and M'Dougal. With a Description of the Execution of Burke, His Confessions, and Memoirs of His Accomplices, Including the Proceedings Against Hare, &c.
Q. Did you find people there? A. I found Burke and another man and two
women.
Q. After you went in, what passed? A. The prisoner told me he had
procured something for the Doctor, pointing to the head of the bed,
where there was some straw; he said it in an under voice. I was near
him at the time.
Q. Was any thing shewn to you at that time? A. Nothing.
Q. What did you understand he meant? A. I understood him to mean a dead
body, a subject.
Q. What were his exact words? A. His words were--“There is something
for the doctor (pointing to the straw) which will be ready to-morrow
morning.”
Q. Was there sufficient straw to cover the body? A. There was.
Q. Was that woman, the prisoner at the bar there, (pointing to Mrs
M‘Dougal?) A. She was.
Q. Would you know the other two persons who were present?
A. Yes.
Hare and his wife being brought in.
Q. Do you know these people? A. I know them by the name of HARE, they
are the other persons that were at Burke’s house that night.
Q. Had you any further conversation with Burke, while you remained
there? A. No, but I sent my sister for him in the morning, and he came
alone about nine o’clock.
Q. What did you say to him when he called on you? A. I told him if
he had any thing for Dr Knox, to go to himself, and agree with him
personally. I afterwards saw the prisoner Burke and Hare in Doctor
Knox’s Rooms in Surgeon’s Square, along with Doctor Jones, one of
Doctor Knox’s assistants. This was between twelve and two.
Q. Did any thing pass there? A. Either Burke or Hare told Dr Knox, they
had a dead body for him, which they would deliver there that night;
and I had orders from Doctor Knox to be in the way to receive it, or
any parcel that might come. I was there about seven, when Burke and
Hare, and a porter named M‘Culloch, brought a tea-chest. They carried
it in, and it was put in a cellar, (Mr. Jones was present,) and when it
was locked up, I went to Newington to Dr Knox, and told him the parcel
was delivered. Hare, Burke, and the porter had either gone before or
followed. I saw them when I came out of Dr Knox’s house. He gave me
Five Pounds to give the men, with orders to divide it between them,
and in order to do so, I took them to a public-house, and got change,
and gave each Two Pounds Ten Shillings. They left something for the
porter. It was understood they were to return on Monday, by which time,
if Dr Knox approved of the subject, they would get the remainder of the
price, which I believe, was Eight Pounds.
Q. Did you hear the prisoner say any thing about women? A. Yes.
Q. Did you see any women loitering about? A. No.
Q. What happened after? A. The next morning, Sunday, Lieutenant
Paterson and Sergeant Fisher of the Police came to me, and I went to Dr
Knox’s cellar along with them, and gave them the package which was left
there the night before.
Q. Was it still roped? A. Yes, as it had been received.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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