Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-11-22
" "BURKING."

Wholesale Murder TO Supply Snbjects for
Dissection-TwO Human vampires-Dis
covery of the Crimes and Punishment of
the Assassins.
''To burke, burking, being burked. burked."
This verb of regular conjugation was
born into the English language on the
3lst of October, 1928, when was perpe-
trated at Edinburgh, the last of series Of
the most revolving and brutal crimes that
have ever been recorded. The definition
OF the new word, the different forms of
which are given above, explains the
manner of the deed, and it may be found
In any of the modern dictionaries. It
will be sufficiently illustrated in the fol-
lowing narrative:
William Hare, one of the murderers,
was born at Newry, in Ireland, in 1892.
His father was cotter, or small farmer,
and he was brought up to the same oc-
cupatlon. When he was twenty five
years Of age he went to Edinburgh and
was employed as boatman on the
Union canal. A fellow laborer was Will
liam Burke, the son of Neil Burke. He
was born in the parish of Urney, near
Strabane, in the county of Tyrone, Ire
land, about the year 1893, and went to
Scotland in 1917. Hare impaired to
Burke scheme of improving upon the
then slow production of subjects for
dissection, and the latter embraced it
Immediately with the ready decision of
genius. They proposed to lure their
victims into fitting den and there to
do away with them in such a manner
that it would appear that they had died
from natural causes. They discussed
the different methods which had before
been tried by the people desirous of re-
moving their neighbors from these
earthly scenes, and they philosophically
rejected them all. Burke conceived an
idea in comparison with which in his
superb imagination all others appeared
vulgar. 1t fitted neatly into Hare's out
lined plan and they proceeded to test it
practically. Everything succeeded ac-
cording to their wish, and these pioneers
OF science-for the fruits which they
plucked were rendered to that goddess
Abandoned the ways of water-side
characters and devoted themselves en-
| tirely to their new avocation. They
found it convenient not to dwell long in
single place, but wherever they went
Mr.. Burke ostensibly worked at the
trade of cobbler. What Hare pretended
to do does not appear, unless it was to
deal IN old clothes, as a means of &C
counting for the presence in their lodg-
| ings of the garments which had been
worn by their victims. They denomi-
mated the latter, after they had been
converted into merchandise in one form
and condition, by the generic term OF
"shots," 20 that their casual converse
tion might not betray the secret which q
benighted world would not be apt to re-
gard in the same scientific light that they
did. They found no difficulty in set
tling them, and indeed their principal,
patron, DR.. Knox, celebrated teacher
of anatomy, was very much delighted to
procure subjects SO fresh and 80 life like
as those which these artists regularly
furnished to him. AS consequence his
class became very popular among aspir.
ing students. At length, however, there
was breaker in this smooth tide oI
success.
The first knowledge which the public
| h0o VI uuCbO 1Oullut bIdubDlTeu
through the unaccountable disappear.
ance of begging woman named Mary
Campbell, or Duffie or Bocharty, who
had been last seen alive in tho lodgings
of Burke and his wife in the Tanners
Close, in West Portsburg. The discov
cry had been brought about by an over
doing of their business. Burke haG
been in the habit of letting part of hi
house to transient dodgers, always prob
ably with the contingency in his minds
eye of converting them into stock il
trade, and in the last week OF October
poor man, named Gray, with his wife
had stopped there on their passag,
through the town. In the evening the,
had seen Burke entering his own apart
ments. accompanied by an old and mean
ly clad woman. In the morning the,
were surprised at not seeing her, ant
prompted by an instructive suspicion
they peeped into room which was oc
cupied by Burke, and from which the
had heard proceeding the sounds G
carousal on the night before. On th
floor they saw fresh marks of blood, an
they found on removing some stra,
which was heaped under table hae
gard and repulsive corpse. which the
recognized as the woman they had miss
ed. Struck with terror they retreate
| {~oV,a kha vnox,o ksaJ So. II. ...o.