The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-10-17 00:00:00

BURKE, THE MURDERER.

It would seem that Helen M`Dougal, the paramour
of Burke the murderer (and who gave origin to the '
word " burking "), was living in New South Wales
until the other day, when she was accidentally burnt
to death at Singleton. Such was the information, at
all events, conveyed by telegraph from Sydney to
Melbourne on the 13th of last August. It is stated in
the message that the miserable woman was sent out
many years ago to the colony inwhich Rheims at length
come to a tragic end. It may be added that her maiden
name was Bougal. Burke met with her shortly after
she became a widow, in a rural part of Stirlingshire,
where he was working as a labourer on a canal. This
happened a few years before he and Hare engaged in
that fearful series of murders in the West Port of
Edinburgh which made their names for ever infamous.
Helen was tried along with Burke before the High
Court of Justiciary- in 1828, and, thanks to the power-
ful pleading of her counsel, Henry Cockburn, she
escaped the doom which overtook her partner in crime.
The verdict in her case was one of' ot proven," and
on hearing these words from the foreman of the jury,
Burke turned to her, and said, " Nelly, you are out of
the serape." No one had, or could have, any doubt as
to her guilt ; and the jury incurred a great deal of
blame for their verdict. From the condemned cell
Burke sent his watch and what money he possessed to
M`Dougal, saying, "Poor thing, it is all I have to
give her; it will be of some use to her, and I will net
need it." On her liberation from prison she returned
to her old haunts, and being at once recognised, was
set upon and narrowly escaped death at the hands of
the mob. She afterwards left secretly for the village
where Burke first found her, but she hail also to flee
from it, and nothing has since been heard of her until
now, when this story of her death comes from the
Antipodes. She must have been upwards of seventy
years old when she died. Burke was executed at
Edinburgh on the 16th of February, 1829.

EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY OF A
WOMAN'S BODY.

The rein lin; of a human body wh !Ls r: is very
litde doubt has hell that of a %,", ,111. in have la ea dig.
covered near Ludlow, under circumstances aliich have
given rise to a suspicion of foul play. A labourer in
search of his master's pigs was walking through a
wood in a lonely neighbourhood, about two miles
distant from the torn, when his attentioe WAS drawn
to a woman's garment lying upon the ground, and very
much torn. A little further oa be saw a thumb, with
a portion of the flesh adhering; and lying about in
different directions, as if torn to pieces and then
scattered, he found a skull and various other bones of
a human skeleton, some with pieces of flesh hanging
to them, but for the most part bare. A heap of clothes
showed where the body had originally rested, and the
skull lay apart from them about a dozen yards, while
the ribs and portions of the spice were found nearly
twenty yards off in another direction. Among the
clothes were a black imitation sealskin jacket, a
gingham dress, in the pocket of which was a purse
with a small sum of money, a brown crinoline bonnet
if fashionable make, and a pair of stays, in which a
portion of the body remained. Near the stays the hair
id the deceased, which the police describe as being
'long, fine in quality, and of a light brown colour,"
was picked up in a perfect state of preservation. 'I he
remains were found near a ditch, and there are indica-
tions which show that the body, when entire, had lain
in this ditch and had been rooted out and devoured by
pigs. The locality is, as we have stated, an unfre-
.luented one, the turnpike•road being 400 yards distant,
and there being no footpath anywhere near the ditch. ,
An inquest has been opened, and adjourned, pending
the the completion of a surgical examination of the
remains. Meanwhile the police are diligently engaged
in the endeavour to get at the bottom of the mystery.
At present the only clue they have to the identity of
the body (which the doctors say has been dead about
two months) is a partially illegible name written with
marking ink upon a portion of the underclothing. The
letters that can be deciphered spell " ('ham---,"
and in another place "K C." is written, followed by a
figure, supposed t, be "6."

MR. JOHN THOMAS UPON THINGS
IN GENERAL.
(From Punch.)
Dear Chewles,
As you have gone abroad perhaps it may emus,.
Ulf I devote a hour or so to telling you the news
For law ! the forrin newspapess theses redly whiling
in
Exceptinck 'f
the Fulltongs as In general begin em;
Tho any English editor bed deem ii. disgrace
If a novel were hintruded In his Valuable space.
But to matters mere importank—.llevery footman ove lie
know
That to give small fees to suvnts is In lll,gh life voted Low
Yet some mean and stingy tellers have been writing to the
(A Finial whose ea:11111one with my own they mostly chimes).
And ses they we Bloated Flunkies are well paid to do our
work,
So fees should be forbid to us, no wine Is to a Turk.
For ses they when out a visiting its hard lines on a swell
To have to pay a Fiver for our answering the bell.
Well, as to getting fivers that them Ganiekeepers may do,
But Its seldom as a fivers tipped to such as me and U.
Nor It isnt only swells as gives the most they can Ilford,
For youll often find a Mister pay more libral than a Lord:
And although to get sliver every footman he is willing,
lire known him in some cases condescend to take a sidling'
But surely gems a visitting a trifle ort to pay,
When they gets wet thro in Voting or come late eine from
the Play,
What with cutting them their Sanessiches or cleaning of their
elites
The hextry work they give us we pore Suvvnts only knows.
And Im sure theres not a Phootman now hi England or In
Wales
As would bear the Bills of service if It wasn't for the Valls !
Theres not much news a stirring now as nobody. In town,
Excepting as the Queen of Spain have been and lost her
crown.
So now she has to ide her mid by living out of sight,
Anti the only comfort Left her is to feel it serves her Right.
And altho with Revolution all her subjel maytit agree
Some change for their bad sovereign they must be glad to
see.
You dont care much for l'olly tin, else doubtless youd be
busy
In betting wkos to win the game Bill Gladstone or Ben

Ben hen for liirlsh Church and State which Bill he hopes to
sever,
For he wants to see them Paddles as contented as therm ,
clever.
Ben Dizzy hes a downy Card and plays the parsons gone.,
For he knows that thro the country thcyll set all the Squires
in flame
And spite of Brix of Parliament this Lection time I fear,
Myren be a lot of Bribery which to voters it means Beer.
Still I hope the side of Justice it will in the end prevail,
Lay tit Irish Church lose on its Bier hi spite high tories Ale.
But speakin of church subjex, whod have thought of our
gusantiet
A walking in purcession anti a bearing of a banner I
I don't widish to be hard 41 her, for ladies Well I know
Is liable In religion to be smitten with mere show,
And mummeries anti flummeries are likely to impose,
For people who like income are led easy by the Nose!
I like to hear good singing anti good sermons too unless,
, But I doubt ifs line preacher need to put on a fine dress.
And all them gorgeous vestments and them crucifers and
copes
They ain't for English parsons but for Fanishes and Popes.
While as for Arvest Festivals which now is ail the go,
To me a church it slat the place to hold a Flower Show;
Anti when it comes to carrying of a Pigs Bead throw town,
Tis a going of the whole hog as in klngland won't go
down!
Mores other news of hintrest that lin sorry not to tell,
But MlMlses for live minutes sheve been ringing of her bell,
Which if it isiit mitered soon shell make me cry Peceavy,
, And so no more at present from
JOHN Titoamis of Belgravy.