The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-16
OLDCRIMES RECALLED.
MURDEEs HASDED DOM IN HIS
IORT.
From The CHICAGO Herald.

the detection Of the greatest number Of the
murderers who have been convicted. The afro
cions murders in Whitechapel, London, details
of which have appeared in the Herald, seem
for the moment TO have terrorized the people
OF the English capital They are OF the kind
that have usually been discovered by accident.
The murderer acting swiftly and secretly, and
among a class OF victims whose lives are bad,
win in all probability. be revealed if revealed
ut all, by some thoughtless or reckless act
Yet it is in dealing with accidents and the
ElendeTest of cleWs that men show their detec-
tive skill and though we do not find such bril-
liant WORK in actual life as That portrayed by
Poe or Gaboriau, crime is neC infrequently UNI
raveled and conviction effected through the
ability OF detectives in tracing The various cir
eumstances attending it.
Among tho more famous Of wholesale muir
iors which has astonishcd the world were
those committed by TWO miscrcants in Edin-
burg, named Burke and Hare, from about
1927 to 1870. The exact number Of murders
they committed was never known, bat it is
supposed to be at least thirty. The require
mentS Of the business was such that 1t was
necessary their victims should not Show marks
OF iO.eico on The persons, for the murdererS
were Engaged in the scientific enter
prise Of supplying Tho Edinburg sur
peons with Subjects" for the dssecting table.
Messrs Bufie and Hare were by birth IFsii-
men, but. b ing Of rowing disposition, folud
themselves doinciled ia Edinburgh some time
Ia tho autumn Of 1921 without very much
business ~ n lucrative character for their
hands to DO. II happened at that time that
Anatomical science was IN a langui6hng coDdi-
ton in The Scotch metropolis, owing to the
somewhat old-fashiDned aversion which the
people had 70 d'ssectmg, IN consequence Of
which tic graves II tho dead were protected by
armed mon, and tho business 81 the resurrec-
tionists was brought to a dead halt. Every
cemetery in The country around Edinburg was
thoroughly guarded. Messrs. Burke and
Hare wee not resurrcCiionists but il
came 10 their cars in some way that
ihe famons medical schools OF Edinburgh were
rapidly falling away and losing their prestige
because the young "sawbones' could not be
Instructed by actual example in the mysteries
OF the human body. Prices OF cadavers rapid
ly advanced in the market, and whereas prior
10 1927 good subject would not bring over
pound or SO to the industrious and hard
working resurrection man. Before snow flew in
that year the price had advanced to Ei5, and
even f20 might be had for something first
eass.
Ii was Hare who first got a glimpse OF this
open field of speculation, bat his genius was
not quite equal to the occasion. lie could do
no more than suggest that here was wealth, or
Of least compe tencc, ready at hand. Burkes
genius solved the difficulty, aud he has thus
given Immortality TO his name and added
new word or two TO the English language. Al
are not particularly familiar to tho present
generation, fifty years ago they were Yery well
understood and very frightful terms. For the
Information of some Of tho Her
aid readers II must be ex-
planned that when Mes7rs, Burke and Hare
had seemed @ victim, after reducing her Git
was generally womanl to inSenaibility by
means of drugged liquor, Burke would lie
Rcross her With his breast over her face, and,
by hO.dug her mouth and nose shut, very soon
BffiprNtgN m n
iaborng man or IDIOT would be lured into thor
toils, but rs a general fulo tho victims were
low and abandoned women. In their various
operations tho two men were assisted by their
wives, aud after having obtained u proper in
PRODUCTION g. the medical gentlemen interested
IN anatomical science business with them
prospercd nightly. Some Of the learned sur
geons would sometimes view with suspicion
the rattle. too fresh bodies Of the subjects, and
yet when science was demanding so much why
should hot her votarcs be a little blind? At
all events, the industrious and seryiccable
Burke aud Hare were net cross-cXam-
ined too severely and business aud science
rot along together ON very good terms. AS
Tor the business mon Of the enterprise there
seemed no reason why they should not con-
tnuo 10 prosper jnst as long as there were
poor and unfortunate persons at hand to be
"burked' Thus for two years things went on
smoothly and at least thirty and perhaps many
more, victims we're sent on their road to the
dissectug table through these manipuations.
Furke aud Hare and their wives occupied
cottage convenient for thor purpose and
they inyeigled those whom they had marked
out a. proper subjects.
1t cimnced, however that one afternoon in
October, lo2a, Mr. Burke concluded he would
do a stroke Of business ON his own account
dnrng temporary absence Of h's friend. lie
kocoldingy induced an old beggar woman
named Margcry Campbell 20 come 60 his cot
tage aud p8tiAke OF such hospitality as he
rould Afford. u proved the most disastrous OPP
grafton Of his business career Mistre9
Mafgery accepted the invitation, INDUCED
several pu,ati7ns, and was ncyor again seen
alive. Now, beggar woman more or less
seems not mach 10 amy community, and that
any particular cry should have been raised
about tins enc greatly aStCuiShed Mr. Burke.
And yet such proved 90 lac the fact. The last
seen OF tAe old woman was when entering the
Burke residence, aud when size was missed
lhis was the place. where inquiry was made
The consequence was she was found living
dead and urder circumstances thai ut once
aroused l,o suspicion eho had been made away
with, MI Burke, oYefratug his own power
and not sufficiently giving his partner credit
for snch assistance aa he lad given. had really
bunelod tho job, and then had not been able
60 send the hody speedily away. 1t WAS
accordingly found 10y tho friends Oi the victim,
and Burke aud Hare, with their wives,
were at once arrested. II is not at All unlikely
that they might have pot over this trouble IL
theY could have kept their mouths shut, but
this WAS lot done. MIR. Hare. perhaps consid-
Pring that the acc like the last straw on the
Camel's back, was the really deciding one aud
Ae having no part nor lot in il, turned kings
evidence and lold the whole dreadful story
MIR and Mrs. Burke were indicted for the muir
der OF Tie beggar woman, the result being that
hirs. Burke was acquitted for want OF evidence.
while Mr., Burke was found guilty and SON
fenced TO be hanged, which sentence was duly
carried out and he himself thus made sub
feet FOR the disscctng table, Prior TO his being
taken of lac told The most of his story. but net
In every detail liN his untimoly death the
partnership existing between Burke and Hare
and their wives were dissolved, and tho busi-
ness appears never 20 have been resumed
Rgan. WaW became OF the other three mis-
cTeants history has not diTulgcd
What arc known as the Lacenaire murders
In France produced great sensation In their
day, and they We're also founded On business
principles lake all distinguished mnrderors,
lacenairo became the hero Of the hour when
placed on trial fer his crimes, and women Of
fashion as well as curiosity mongerS, hocked
20 see him daily, His crimes were committed
between 1880 ard 1875. He was well educa-
ted and accomplished man, who adopted rob
berry as his profession and homicide as an oc-
casional adjunct. His victims were usually
bankers clerks. whom, under various pretextS.
he would iuyciglo 60 his rooms whcrehe would
murder and rob theln lie was passionately