The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1878-09-04
A REMARKABLE TRIAL.
BURKE AND HARE.


In the early part of the present century
there was great difficulty in procuring sub
iects for dissection for the schools of anato-
my, in Great Britain and Ireland; so much
so that the prices paid for bodies were SO
large as to create class whose special avo-
cation was murder, the bodies of the victims
being sold to the teachers of anatomy. This
monstrous traffic assumed such proportions
as eventually to arouse the suspicious of the
authorities, and the arrest and trial of the
murderers soon followed. Even at this late
date contemplation of such horrors is appal-
ling.
William Burke and William Hare, with
their wives or paramours, carried on this
odious business for a long time, the scene
foltheir operations being Edinburgh and its
environs.
Hare turned "king's evidence" and was
permitted to go at large
The following report of the trial of Burke
we abridge from the London Lancet of
December 81, 1928:
The high court of judiciary, at Edin-
burgh, proceeded on Wednesday to the trial
OF William Burke and Helen McDougal,
indicted for murder. No trial that has
taken place for number of years passed
has excited such an unusual and intense in
tercst; the courtroom being crowded from
an early hour before daylight
The judges present were Lord Justice
Clerk, Lord Pitmilly, Lord Meadowbank
and Lord Mackenzie.
Al cl, tln nr,s
with murder. The first count charged
Burke with the murder of Mary Paterson,
alias Mitchell. 1t then went on to charge
him, that by throwing her down, and cover
ing her nose and mouth by his body or per-
son, and forcibly comprising her throat
with his hands, thus preventing her from
breathing, did sutfocate or strangle her; and
this indictment charged him with so doing
with the wicked atorethought intent Of dis
posing of or selling the body to physician
or surgeon. The second count charged
Burke with having attacked and assaulted
James Wilson, commonly called Daft
jamie by leaping or throwing himself up
on him, when the said James Wilson was
lying in house in Tanners Close, and that
he having sprang up, Burke did struggle
with him, and did bring him to the ground,
and by laying his body or person across
Wilson's face, and by COMPRISING his
mouth, nose and throat, did suifocate and
strangle him in the same manner that he
murdered Mary Paterson, and for the same
purpose.
The other counts charged Burke and
Helen McDougal with having murdered
Mary Goosccall Duffie, Campbell and
Docherty in the same manner and for tho
purpose Of disposing Of their bodies for dis
section.
Burke and McDougal pleaded not guilty
After short recess for consultation, the
judges delivered their opinion scriatim, Il
the effect that the public prosecutor should
select out Of the various acts of murder the
one on which he would 90 to trial; ant
with the understanding that if he failed, tn,
defense was not to complain if he was agar
tried under another.
The lord advocate said he should proceed
upon the charge of numbering Compbell, 81
that both prisoners could be tried at the on,
| time.
The first witness, Mary Stewart, provcC
having seen Margery Campbell at Edin
burgh in October last, and she said sh,
came from Glasgow to look after her son
She afterwards saw her dead body at the
police Office; she was between forty and fit,
years old.
Charles Mclean gave similar testimony
William Noble, shopman, said that OF
| the 31st of last October the woman whC
gave her name as Margery Campbell came
to the shop asking charity Burke was il
the shop, and hearing her name, said shc
was some relation of his mothers and took
the woman away with him, saying he would
give her some breakfast On the next day
Burke, in company with Hare and the te
male prisoner, called at his shop ant
bought an old tea box.
Annie Conway swore that she lived in thu
same house with Burke and McDougal. On
the 3lst of October she saw Burke enter thu
house, with the woman Campbell followin!
him.
| In the afternoon she went into Burke
apartments and saw the same woman sit
ting by the fire supping porridgc and milk
Some time after dark the woman appeare,
very much intoxicated. Mr.. and Mrs. IIar
came in with bottle of whisky before sup
per, and Hare insisted upon all drinking
they all partook of the whisky and wer
merry; Hare, the woman Campbell, ant
Mrs. McDougal danced. Between ten an,
eleven o'clock at night Burke came in anC
d disturbance arose, as if Burke and Hair
were fighting. Witness then left for he
own room. The next morning witness aske,
McDougal what had become Of the old wo
man, and she replied that she had turne'
her out for being noisy. Witness saw
bundle of straw at the bottom of the bed
had laid there all summer, but appeared
have been recently turned.
Hugh Aston, who lived in the same hous
with Burke. heard noise on the night c
the Dist, and woman called out Murder.
He also heard noise Of scuhiing and strug
CLING and woman crying Murder" II
went away and returned, a second time, an