Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-06-27
ORIGIN OF "BURKING."
What the Recent Insurance Conspiracy
 Case Recalls.
TSpecial Corresrlendence. 1

lSpeCl3l SorreSponuence.I
 PHLADELFHIA, Juno 1S.-Nothing sinco the days of the original "burking' case has so stirred this community as the trial of II. H. HolmeS-known in other cities as Howe, Howard and Howcll-for an in- surancc conspiracy by the use of a corpse in tho attempt to defraud.
 The term ''burking'' originated some 70 years ago when two flends-William Burke and William Hare-entcred into a partnership to deooy persons to their houses, murder them and soil their bodies | to Dr. Knox, lecturer on anatomy at tho University of Edinburgh.
 The first idoa of this carnival of blood appears to havc arisen when one of Harc's | lodgcrs died n natural death. The man was pensioner, and his drhauchcd habits | accounted for his sudden dClMisc. Haro and Burke managed to abstract tho corpse from tho coffin, and filling tho empty cas- kct with bricks packed in tan bark the box was horne to the grave at tho appointed | timc with ail due Solcmnity.
 That night IIaro went to tho College of Surgeons and offered the body for sale | Ho was referred to a Dr. Knox. Hero ho saw some young students, by whosc dircc- tions he carried the pcnSionrr's corpse to the diSSccting room of the college having l.
 Tho death of tho pcnsioncr and the | profitable disposition of his remains np- | pear to hay" suf.sSCstCd to tho two miscrc- | ants the carrying out of the villainOuS | business in which they forthwith engaged | Burke used to frequent tho low public houses of tho ncighhurhood, and when he | fluud so,ne vnyfarcr without q home or the mems of obtaining shelter he would | offer them a lodging at Harcs house or | his own. Tho victim was industriously | piled with liquor till he or she became un- conscious. Then tho two partners in mur- | der would f0u upon their prCy, and Hare usually chokcd tho poor wretch to death. Burke MAS a man of S5, rather below the middIr height, but stnutly built and of determined cast of countcnancc. His faco was round, check bones high, with | gray eyes dcCp!y sunk in tho head, short | Snub nose nEd round chin.
 Hare was about 31 and Is said to have been one of tho most sQualid looking wrrtChcS ever seen in dock, with a sinis- ter expression that rendered his appear anco rrculiarly rrVolting.
 Harc appears to Lavc been tho moro deeply designing man of tho two and to | kuvo uvrrre,A'hcd his associate, whom he succeeded In always thrusting forward, | probably with tho view of disposiug of l | the EallowS, and thereby saving his own wrrtchrd neck. Burke managed the out door business of the Hartucrship, for he it was who nlways went on the prowl after l victims. In lis outward manners he was | cutirrly tku reverse uf llarr. Quiet in his l uvnranur, hV IrNrr iuGul,.rd in Cursing | and Syvvtv;nr, even when iutVX!tIte,l. He was Awning in his uddg,~s amt was a | general fAvNritr among tkc children of the rrighhnrhood, any one of whom would | rhrIr|ully run on his crrlud.
 Thr first ut the series of l6 murders was Cnr'u'ittyl in January, l>3N, ard tho last, that of an oll woman, Mary Dochrrty. in | O,tuhcruf the san3r yrar. This last crime lrd to the LvtrrtiuN rt the ulUylrrvrS, their a"r>'>t and The trial, cnnNi,;iun %rd rXrcu- tjrn vf Hurhr X woman accomllict nalncd MrNuuSal wHS acquitted. lIart | saved his neck hy turning qurrn's cvi | u,,l.rr, uMd hie wife a'.n N,as used :,S wit | nc, (nr the l,r,,@,, -utinu in the case. The murder If Alg> Nurhcrly was dlscovcrrd | by n Mc ard NrS Gray. who lodged ir | Uarv'S Iyu~I They heard n noise ;S Ct ql.lry, lir,s and fighting after they had rr | tir,rI ,'.r ni:,lt. ur,d thu rrxt day Mrs | Gr,y found Mr. N,e'!.vsty ~M M'Ur voncralrd under H heap of straw in thu flares bed | F., III. -\f',r BU:Lv'~ ruu\ i';irn q u!%tlr 2 | fullruut, ~5juN, in W Whjrh, however, he sought 10 sh,>v thnt in each ease llarr was thu | actual n4urIr"rr, uS hr Ead been inc first ! one r.sI;!; r.~t the tN, ruti"n uf the crimes | A,u.rd!r tu Burl,'~ statement, the first Victim w;,.,rr Ali ,.ll -imp~,n, a middh | asgd N,nrslU, I.l..,'l tu the house hI | lIArv'~ NiA :|l..' N;I~ Cirri,d tu llIrr's | Qul"t> = ;;l ui'hi. WA~ iElu,rd to drink | WruI uU in aI!,.,l ,lrp Nnd W.'I sutT"CAt cd in thv early rt'r"!us' Then followed an FrEli~hulAn, r.'ur unknown. Tn, hudy. Nkr Ihc lryrruiHE one. WIS sold {, | Dr. knuN fir Elo. Next CviIur a namClrS, old woman w.!n took a nights lodging bN chance in thr mUrdvrrrs' den. Sho WI, Sn.utLr~,l In the cHr!y morning in tn, usual wAy, with a heavy feather pillow
 and that l.i .li thr h,.d% was taken to Dr
 kuox, who l@ljd the y1'.;ular sum for it.
 Margaret P"ltvrsuu a young; and OK
 crrGirtly hIut>ul:'r girl. was d,ruyrd {, tho L,mr ot Burkv's brother and thCr, di~putlhvd. Shr WAS carried four hour
 after death to l)r. kuux, who paid { 5 fu'
 the huly. -Nn old wuInan and her grand
 s,,n. a d,Af mute. wrrc the next victims
 They tnuk lodging fur the night at HArr's s
 Were treated Ia liquor and chukcd la dcatl
 shortly after midnight. The Criminal
 stripped the hudirs, laid them sidC by sid
 to c,,l. then pavkrd them in hrrrn. l
 for ll!' two suhjrvtS. As chance customer
 at thi> tinlr b,r.,Ill.r rArc the r,g,ular lodg,
 CTS Were now rrqui>iIiuniz,d, and a maI
 known u~ ,Iu~,ih tho Miller. vhu waS wei | connected al4d E,.d OurT lo'>SvSStI Cnnsid
 Vr;lllr mrail> Was sIuulhrrVd during tn | nj Iht and his h,'dy suld for ElO tu tn
 rmuivurous pr. kuuX. shortly after, liar
 fell in with a WuIu4n, Cnticrd her Ia hi
 house, luUr,lrrrd hyr single handed au,
 carried thr huly round tu tho Luctnr wh l g:Nr hin. ike u~Lul x ThveC ar,' lmCrrl
 SAmplr illu>lrAt i.l~ uf their awful crimes | Th, Cumrl, ,r .trr'lIut uf their work sup
 plies the most l'hrUrunrunl criminal rNur
 uf the nineteenth vcutury. After Burk
 Was hauGvd lltU'. With Errut difficulty ] mAlGItN In uu,kr his way cut of tE l rruutrl. EIua!l!. t,rumpa livd by hi
 Wi!r, hr went tn -\U-t-IliI, bIl in l>Aj h
 returned tr Edinburgh alone. n broke,
 down ulN N'a2, totally blind IL WAS som | Nt..I> hy., rr h. W.., rrvuEu!;rl. Mean
 wl.:lC Er .....,I.'i I'fr streets hv+tiEg, l.
 lN n small d'L and carry ing a tin cup [
 rl,iNv the ,uutrlhuli0 ions Ot the hcncNUlvnt
 When hv found his identity was discover
 Ctl, he luyStcrinu>ly disappeared and ha
 never hv,n hoard uf since. Dr. Knox alS
 gave evidence ill the case, and his protcs
 tatiuns tn the Ctrrct that the idea ncvc
 entered his mind that the subjects ha
 died by violence appears to have been bl
 lirNcd by the authorities, as no suhScQueI
 prncC,Hlings wrrc taken against him.
 WL~o the woman MrDuu.al was rclcas
 ed, shc, with almost incredible audacity
 r,turncd to hcr old haunts in Wcstport
 Shc was at uncc m"hb,d by tho people ,
 tho nrighhorho,d, and but for the faC | that tho police watch office to which sh
 ran for prutcCtiOn was close at hand sl
 would probably have been lynchCd. Sh WAS subsequently hunted out of Edinburg and rcturncd to her native place.
 ALBERT P. SoUTHwICK.