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[Illustration: _John Bishop_ _Thomas Head alias Williams_ _James May_]
THE HISTORY
OF THE
LONDON BURKERS;
CONTAINING A
FAITHFUL AND AUTHENTIC ACCOUNT
OF THE
Horrid Acts of the Noted Resurrectionists,
BISHOP, WILLIAMS, MAY,
_&c._, _&c._
AND THEIR
TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION
At the Old Bailey,
FOR THE WILFUL MURDER OF CARLO FERRARI;
WITH
THE CRIMINALS' CONFESSIONS AFTER TRIAL.
INCLUDING ALSO THE LIFE, CHARACTER,
AND BEHAVIOUR OF THE
ATROCIOUS ELIZA ROSS,
THE MURDERER OF MRS. WALSH,
_&c._, _&c._
_Embellished with appropriate Engravings._
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR THE PROPRIETORS.
SOLD BY T. KELLY, 17, PATERNOSTER ROW,
_And all Booksellers in the British Empire_.
1832.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY W. CLOWES,
Stamford Street.
_Directions to the Binder._
Page
Portraits of Bishop, Williams, and May, to face Title
Bishop, &c. at Entrance of King's College 41
Carlo Ferrari 135
Bishop's Cottage 157
Eliza Ross 279
Elevation of Ross's House 291
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Mutineers, Coiners, Highwaymen, Footpads, House-breakers,
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Fraudulent Bankrupts, Money-droppers, Impostors, and Thieves
of every description; and containing a number of interesting
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Observations on particular cases; Explanations of the Criminal
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HISTORY
OF THE
NOTED RESURRECTIONISTS,
BISHOP, WILLIAMS, MAY,
_&c._ _&c._
Whatever may be said of the great advantages arising to the community
at large from the march of intellect, which has almost become a
bye-word for derision, it cannot be disputed that daily experience
teaches us, that in regard to the atrocity of crime, in its most
appalling nature, instances have of late occurred of the most
unexampled extent and magnitude, and which cover us with confusion
and dismay. It would appear, in fact, that with the growth of the
illumination of the mind, the degeneracy of the heart has increased,
and that fresh sources of guilt have opened themselves, in proportion
as the endeavours of the schoolmaster have been directed to their
extinction. It is true, indeed, that murder is a crime which has
been committed in all ages, and in all countries. It was, in fact,
the first crime by which the human race exhibited their natural
depravity. But the idea of reducing murder to a system was reserved
as the distinguishing feature of the present century; indeed, blots
more deep and foul appear to be attached to this era, than to any
that have preceded it; and although we may boast, with some degree of
justice, that in some instances it has its brighter spots, yet it is
nevertheless a truth too melancholy to be questioned, that it has also
its darker shades and its more appalling obscurations.
It is a trite axiom in politics, that private benefit must yield
to public good; but it is not therefore a natural corollary, that
private feelings are to be outraged, and the entire happiness of the
social circle to be destroyed by the desperate acts of a gang of
miscreants, who make a trade of human life, and murder the defenceless
and unprotected, on the mere ground that it is contributary and
indispensable to the interests and advancement of a particular
science. Weak and imbecile must that government be, which, with the
knowledge of the laws and customs of other countries in regard to the
procuring of an adequate supply of human corpses for the purpose of
instruction to the anatomical student, conjoined with the advice and
experience of native talent, cannot devise some effectual measures
for the remedy of an evil, which has of late years grown to such an
alarming magnitude, as actually to alter the relations of society, and
to establish a system of terror, at once inconsistent with individual
happiness. The meritorious endeavours of Mr. Warburton during the last
session of parliament were directed to this subject; but, with a most
contradictory spirit of opposition, it was urged that the feelings
of the inmates of a work-house, having no relations nor friends
belonging to them, and who, at their death, would be huddled into a
grave like so many dogs, were not to be harassed nor wounded; whilst,
at the same time, the sanctity of the grave was to be violated,--the
unprotected stranger in our land, perambulating our streets to earn his
sorry pittance,--the wretched prostitute, discarded from her parents'
house,--and, finally, the helpless decrepitude of age, were to be
sacrificed by the inhuman butchery of the systematic murderers; and
the legislature of the most enlightened nation of the earth (that is,
which is boasted to be such) was to look dispassionately on, and wink
at the enormity of the crime, on the plea that the interests of science
demanded it. The detection of the atrocities of Burke, confessing, as
he did, to nineteen murders, ought to have been sufficient to arouse
the vigilance of an enlightened legislature to the enactment of those
laws which would have put an effectual stop to a repetition of such
a horrid system of murder, and have rescued the country from the
_onus_ of that disgrace which now lies so heavily upon it. On this
point, however, the supineness of the government has been culpable in
the highest degree; for to question its knowledge of the existence
of the evil, were to suppose that it possesses no information of the
dangerous acts of certain individuals, or that it was utterly bereft
of the means of detecting them, and of bringing them to justice for
the enormity of their crimes. We do not hesitate to declare that an
organised system of murder has been and is still carrying on in the
metropolis, which makes humanity shudder, which cannot be paralleled
in any other civilized country of the globe, and which, unless the
legislature will rouse itself, and inflict _the same punishment upon
the receiver of the stolen property_ as upon the thief, will, in a
short time, go to undermine all the happiness of social life. It has
always appeared to us a strange anomaly in the distribution of the laws
of this country, why the purchaser or receiver of a dead body, which,
from its very nature and character, must be stolen property, should not
be subject to the same punishment as the individual who purchases a
stolen handkerchief or a watch. It is possible, and very probable, that
the purchaser of the latter articles does not know that it is stolen
property; but if a resurrectionist presents himself at the door of the
King's College, or any of the private dissecting rooms, bearing on his
head a hamper containing the corpse of a human being, the purchaser
then knows that the subject must be either murdered or stolen. If,
then, according to the spirit of the laws of England, the receiver
is equally guilty with the thief, where is the law that exempts the
receiver of a stolen body from the full penalty of its infliction? We
acknowledge that a difficulty may be here started, that it would not,
perhaps, be practicable to establish a right of property in a corpse,
and that, of course, it would not be possible for any individual to
prosecute for the felony. But if such difficulty does actually exist,
and we speak advisedly upon the subject, the legislature has it in
its power to obviate it altogether by making the mortal contents of
our cemeteries the property of the crown. Any person, therefore,
abstracting any part of that property might be indictable for felony,
and the receiver or purchaser of such property prosecuted as an
accessory. The anatomical student will then undoubtedly exclaim against
the government, and accuse it of having closed up the sources by which
he is to perfect himself in the knowledge of the science. It will then
become the aim of the legislature to discover other sources, which may
yield to the student the necessary materials for his tuition, without
inflicting so severe and incurable a wound upon the tenderest feelings
of our nature, and giving support and encouragement to the horrid crime
of murder.
It is to the foreign travellers in this country that we are principally
indebted for a true and impartial history of our public and domestic
polity. The proverbial partiality of an Englishman to his own
country naturally renders him blind to its defects; but what must
be the opinion of a foreigner of the civilization of this country,
when he is informed that there are regularly established houses in
this metropolis[1], sanctioned by a licence from the magistrates as
public-houses, which are known as houses of call for the different
gangs of resurrectionists, and where, if a human corpse be wanted
by any of the colleges, hospitals, or private dissecting rooms, an
application is sure to meet with success. The offer of a good price is
held out--the chance is not to be lost--success is dubious, and perhaps
hopeless, by the regular process of exhumation; and then the first
wandering outcast, who appears to have nothing in the world nor on the
world belonging to him, is decoyed away to some obscure habitation,
where, as in the cases of Bishop and Williams, the darkness of night is
expected to cover the horrid crime of murder.
Melancholy, however, and deplorable is the truth, that there is a
set of earthly fiends, bearing the human shape of women, who are
the secret panders of the resurrectionists, and who, for a trifling
share of the booty, will co-operate with them in their murderous
practices. We allude to the female keepers of the low brothels in
the different parts of the town, and especially in the immediate
neighbourhood of Wentworth Street, Spitalfields, the resort of the
lowest class of prostitutes, where, if one of them be suddenly missed
from her accustomed haunts, it is but the gossip of the moment; and,
in certain cases, it is apparently so satisfactorily accounted for,
that no further inquiry is deemed necessary; the practice adopted
by the female wretch is generally upon the following plan:--Having
selected her victim from the wretched horde, who appears to be the
most destitute, or who will not tell that she has, or who, in reality,
perhaps, has not any relations in the world, the information is given
to the resurrectionist, who, under pretence of purchasing her favours,
entices her away to some obscure place, where the work of murder is
accomplished. She is missed by her companions, and the keeper of the
brothel is questioned as to her knowledge of what has become of her.
Ah! replies the wretch, it is a very bad business--she robbed a sailor
of two sovereigns, and hearing that the police-officers were after her,
she has thought it best for her to go out of the neighbourhood. It
appears to all the inquirers that it is a very likely case, that the
theft was committed; and it is equally natural that she should run away
after it. The unfortunate creature is never seen again, and, in a very
short time, it is forgotten that such a being existed upon the earth.
In the progress of this work we shall be able to expose many
circumstances connected with this horrid traffic in human flesh, at
which the human heart revolts, and which are of so hideous a character,
that, were not our authority incontestable, we should treat them as
fictions almost impossible to be realized in actual life; but when we
state, that we know of the existence of human shambles, where the leg,
or the arm, or the head of a human being, can be purchased with the
same facility as a leg of mutton or a sirloin of beef, we may then
with shame ask ourselves the question--Can this be England--the most
enlightened, the most civilized country of the globe? We wish to speak
with respect of the established authorities of the land, and we will
continue to do so, as long as those authorities act with a due regard
to the interests of the people, and to the preservation of general
and individual happiness; but when we see such alarming evils carried
on under the immediate observation, and, we will go further and say,
with the knowledge and tacit concurrence of an efficient and powerful
magistracy, we consider that we are only performing a part of that duty
which we owe to our country, to excite the legislature, by all the
means in our power, and all the information we possess, to a serious
and solemn investigation of the whole case, and, by the enactment of
some strong and penal laws, bring down the merited degree of punishment
on the heads of the offenders, and thereby rescue the country from the
odium and the disgrace which are at present attached to it.
With this preliminary matter, we shall enter upon the immediate subject
of our history, reserving to ourselves the privilege of interposing our
own comments on those particular parts of it, which appear to us as
possessing the greatest interest and importance.
It was on Saturday night, the 5th of November, that four men were
brought in custody to Bow Street Office, guarded by a strong body of
police, charged upon suspicion with the murder of a boy, whose name was
unknown. From the appearance of the body of the deceased, and from the
fact that two of the prisoners were well known resurrectionists, the
rumour almost instantly spread, that the unfortunate boy was burked by
the prisoners; and the crowds which surrounded the office, and pressed
forward to hear the examination, were far greater than were ever
remembered on any former occasion. Several gentlemen belonging to the
King's College were present.
As soon as the sitting magistrate, Mr. Minshull, had taken his place,
the prisoners were placed at the bar, and answered to their names as
follows:--JAMES MAY, MICHAEL SHIELDS, THOMAS WILLIAMS, and JOHN BISHOP.
Mr. THOMAS, the Superintendent of the Police, then came forward, and
having been sworn, said, that he charged the prisoners at the bar with
the suspicion of having been concerned in the murder of a boy, aged
about fourteen years, whose name he was unable to state. It was not
in his power, at that time, to offer any direct evidence against the
prisoners, but a gentleman, connected with the surgical department
of the King's College, to whom the body had been offered for sale,
was then present, and would state the circumstances which caused his
suspicions, and induced him to cause the apprehension of the prisoners.
Mr. RICHARD PARTRIDGE, of Lancaster Place, was then sworn, and stated,
that he was demonstrator of anatomy at the King's College, and had seen
the body in question, which the prisoners had brought that day to the
College. The body was that of a boy, apparently about fourteen years
of age; and from the suspicious appearances which it presented, he was
induced to believe that death had been produced by violence.
Mr. MINSHULL.--Be good enough to state upon what grounds you came to
that resolution.
Mr. PARTRIDGE.--The body appeared to me to be unusually fresh, much
more so than bodies generally are, that are used for dissection; the
face was much discoloured, and blood appeared to have been forced
through the lips and eyes; the upper part of the breast-bone had the
appearance as if it had been driven in, and there was a wound on the
left temple, about an inch in length. The teeth were all extracted, and
blood was flowing from the mouth.
Mr. MINSHULL.--Had the body, in your opinion, ever been buried?
Mr. PARTRIDGE.--I should say not; and I judge so from the rigidity of
the limbs and muscles.
Mr. MINSHULL.--From all that you have observed, can you undertake to
say, that the several marks of violence on the body, or any one injury
in particular, occasioned death?
Mr. PARTRIDGE.--I have not as yet sufficiently examined the body, and
am, therefore, not prepared to answer that question. The pressure on
the breast-bone might have occasioned death, but I cannot, at present,
say that it did, as I do not know the extent of the injury.
Mr. MINSHULL.--Do I understand you to mean, that, to the best of your
belief, the body of the deceased had never been buried, and that, as
far as you have as yet been able to form a judgment, the boy did not
die a natural death?
Mr. PARTRIDGE replied, that such was his present opinion.
Mr. THOMAS here observed, that a medical gentleman, of the name of
Edwards, who had seen the body, stated his belief that death had taken
place within the last twelve hours. That gentleman was not present, but
he (Mr. Thomas) could send for him.
Mr. MINSHULL said, that he would probably require his attendance,
but it was not necessary at present. The magistrate then asked what
evidence there was to connect the prisoners with the possession of the
body.
Mr. THOMAS replied, that the person was present who received the body
when it was brought to the College.
A person named HILL then came forward, and having been sworn, said,
that he held the situation of porter to the dissecting room at the
King's College. Between two and three o'clock that day (Nov. 5) the
body was brought to the dissecting room, by the four men at the bar;
the prisoner Shields carried the body in a hamper on his head, and he,
witness, observed to him, that he had not seen him lately. Shields then
placed the hamper on the floor, and the prisoners, Bishop and May,
assisted in unpacking it, and the body, which appeared to be that of a
boy between fourteen and sixteen years of age, was then taken out.
We request particular attention to the evidence here given, as it is
our intention to offer some serious comments on it, when comparing
it with the evidence given during the trial. We were in court during
the whole of it, and although the murderer is generally convicted on
circumstantial evidence, yet, if the confessions of the criminals are
to be relied on, which they voluntarily gave after their condemnation;
perhaps, in no case of murder which ever came before a tribunal of this
country, was a more erroneous evidence given as to the causes which
were supposed to lead to the death of the murdered boy. It would be
premature in this early stage of the business, to make any comment on
the high eulogium which the Duke of Sussex was pleased to pass, on the
manner in which the prosecution was conducted, and the consequent pride
which inflated his breast, at the thought that he was a prince of the
country in which such consummate ability was displayed--if his Royal
Highness had been most graciously pleased to add, that he was ashamed
of being the prince of a country, in which such horrid crimes could be
committed, so as to render such a prosecution necessary, we should have
considered it as far more becoming his character, and smacking less
of that fulsome panegyrical flummery, which the great are apt to use
towards the great, in order to make themselves appear still greater in
their own eyes than they really are.
We return to the examination.
Mr. MINSHULL.--Did anything particular strike you on seeing the body?
HILL.--Yes; I thought it looked unusually fresh, and I asked May what
it had died of? He replied, that he neither knew nor cared, that it was
no business of his, or words to that effect. I then made an observation
respecting the cut which I saw upon the forehead, and Bishop accounted
for it by saying that it was done in getting the body out of the hamper.
Mr. MINSHULL.--Was there anything on the floor when the body was taken
from the hamper, which could have caused such a wound?
HILL.--Certainly not.
Mr. THOMAS here observed, that the cut on the forehead had all the
appearance of having been recently inflicted. The blood flowed from it
in streams.
The prisoner MAY here said, Did not that blood proceed from the mouth,
and was it not caused by the teeth having been drawn out?
The witness, HILL, replied, that it certainly might be so.
MAY.--Oh it might, might it!
Mr. MINSHULL asked the witness if he perceived any blood flow from the
wound on the forehead.
HILL replied in the affirmative, but said, that the greater flow of
blood was from the mouth. It streamed from thence on the breast. He
then resumed his statement, and said, that on perceiving the state in
which the body appeared, he observed to the prisoners, that he did not
like the appearance of the subject. It was too fresh. The prisoners did
not appear to pay any attention to this, and May, pointing to the body,
said, Is it not a fresh one? He, (witness,) replied, yes; and then the
prisoners asked him for the money.
Mr. MINSHULL.--Do you mean the price which they were to receive for the
body?
HILL.--Yes; but I wished to see Mr. Partridge before I should pay them,
and I told the prisoners to come outside, as I could not pay them
there. The witness then went on to say, that he went to Mr. Partridge,
who on seeing the body, said he did not like to have anything to do
with it; that it was too fresh, and had a very suspicious appearance;
and he told witness to tell the prisoners to wait until change of a
note was procured, which was done for the purpose of keeping them where
they were until the police should arrive.
Mr. MINSHULL asked what sum had been agreed upon for the purchase of
the body?
The witness said, that the men came to the dissecting-room in the
morning, between eleven and twelve o'clock, saying, that they had a
subject to sell, and to know if one was wanted. Witness communicated
the offer to Mr. Partridge, who came into the room where the prisoners
were. They then told him they had a subject to sell, and described it,
saying that the price was twelve guineas. Mr. Partridge replied, that
he did not particularly want a subject then, and soon after he left
the room; but instructed him (the witness) to offer the prisoners nine
guineas for the body. The prisoners consented to take that sum, and
said, they would go and fetch the body.
Mr. MINSHULL.--Was no inquiry made as to how the prisoners became
possessed of the body, particularly after they had described it as
being so fresh?
HILL.--I did not ask that question--we are not in the habit of doing so.
Mr. MINSHULL.--Was it by direction of the persons in the College under
whom you act, that the prisoners were taken into custody?
HILL.--Certainly; Mr. Partridge, and the gentlemen who belong to his
class, agreed, that the appearance of the body was so suspicious, that
information should be given to the police.
Mr. MINSHULL.--In so doing they acted very properly.
The magistrate then asked whether the prisoners had in any way
accounted for the possession of the body.
Mr. THOMAS replied, that the prisoner Bishop told him he got the body
at Guy's Hospital, and employed the prisoner Shields to carry it from
thence to the King's College. As this declaration on the part of Bishop
appeared to be very important, he (Mr. Thomas) sent a message to Guy's
Hospital, to request to know whether a boy answering the description
of the deceased, had died there lately. He received for answer, a
slip of paper stating that, since the 28th ultimo, three persons had
died there; that one was a woman, and the other two were males, aged
thirty-three and thirty-seven, so that the statement of Bishop as to
where he obtained the body could not be true.
Mr. MINSHULL asked if any person had been to claim the body?
Mr. THOMAS replied, that a gentleman was present, whose son, a boy,
aged fourteen, was missing since Tuesday; he had been to see the body,
but found it was not his son.
Mr. HART, a respectable tradesman, residing at No. 356, Oxford-street,
then came forward, evidently in great distress of mind, and in answer
to questions by the magistrate, said, that his boy left home in the
afternoon of Tuesday last, and was never seen since, although he had
been advertised in the newspapers, and every possible means had been
used for his recovery. The poor man wept bitterly, while he deplored
his loss, and seemed to think that his son had been made away with by
some abominable means, and disposed of to the surgeons; a circumstance
which he considered not at all unlikely, from the facility with which
bodies appeared to be disposed of at dissecting-rooms, as proved by the
evidence of the witness Hill.
Mr. MINSHULL, addressing the prisoners, told them that he was ready
to hear anything which they wished to state, but at the same time he
felt it his duty to caution them as to what they should say, because it
would be taken down in writing by the clerk, and, whether favourable
or otherwise, it would be produced as evidence at their trial, if he
should decide to commit them.
The prisoner BISHOP said, that he had nothing to add to what he had
already stated. He got the body at Guy's Hospital, and employed Shields
to convey it to the King's College.
WILLIAMS and SHIELDS declared their innocence, and the latter said,
that he merely acted in the matter, as porter to Bishop.
The prisoner MAY, who was dressed in a countryman's frock, and who
appeared perfectly careless during the examination, in answer to the
question, if he wished to say anything, replied, that he knew nothing
at all about the matter, and said that he merely came to the College
to get some money that was due to him. It was not my subject, he added,
and I know nothing about it.
Here two or three constables, who were in the body of the office,
exclaimed, that they knew May to be a noted resurrectionist; and one of
them said, he had him in custody at Worship-street Office for stealing
a dead body.
The prisoner turned furiously round to the quarter from which the voice
proceeded, and dared the constable to produce his proof.
Mr. THOMAS said that May's left hand was tied up, and it might be of
importance to know whether it was owing to a cut.
Mr. MINSHULL requested Mr. Partridge to examine the wound; and having
done so, he said that the top of the fore-finger of the left hand was
slightly injured, either from a cut or a bite. It had been poulticed,
and the wound might have been inflicted two or three days ago.
Mr. MINSHULL said that he should remand the prisoners until the
following Tuesday, and in the mean time, he requested Mr. Partridge and
some other professional gentlemen would closely examine the body of the
deceased, so as to be enabled to come to a positive conclusion as to
the cause of his death. He then directed that the prisoners should be
confined in separate cells, and that no communication should be allowed
to take place between them.
Mr. THOMAS said that it would be necessary to watch them very closely,
as they were all desperate characters, and made a violent resistance
before they were secured.
The prisoners were then removed to the cells at the back of the office;
and as they passed from the bar, they were groaned and hissed at by
some persons in the office.
Mr. BERCONI, an Italian image-maker, residing in Great Russell Street,
came to the office just as the prisoners were removed, and said he
had seen the body of the boy, and from what he could judge of its
appearance, he was induced to believe that the deceased was a Genoese
by birth, and had obtained his livelihood by selling images in the
streets.
The sequel will show, that in this opinion Mr. Berconi was decidedly
in an error; but it is very probable that this opinion, expressed
by Mr. Berconi, led to the idea, that the deceased was one of those
itinerant Italians who perambulate our streets with their monkeys; and
as one of them had been lately missing, it was immediately concluded
that the deceased was the missing boy. It is not the least remarkable
part of this extraordinary business, that the body of the deceased
was never fully identified; on the contrary, Berin, the person who
brought the boy from his native country, when called upon to identify
the body as being that of CARLO FERRARI, unequivocally declared, that
he could not positively speak to the identity of it, on account of
the change which the countenance exhibited, arising from the violence
that had been used. Mrs. Paragalli, it is true, swore to the body, as
being that of the Italian boy, whose name she did not know, but whom
she remembered perambulating the streets with a tortoise and some
white mice. It will be proved in the sequel, from the confession of
the murderers themselves, that the deceased was not an Italian at all,
but a boy who had come from Lincolnshire with a drove of cattle; and
thus we have an instance, hitherto unexampled in the annals of our
criminal tribunals, of three persons being indicted for the murder of
a boy of the name of Carlo Ferrari, found guilty, and hanged for the
crime, when the fact subsequently transpires, that the murdered boy
was not Carlo Ferrari at all. We shall reserve any further comments
on this most extraordinary affair, till we come to the confession of
the murderers, when, unless their veracity be impugned, and the facts
as stated by them altogether invalidated, we shall not hesitate to
express our opinion, that, although the criminals have richly deserved
the punishment which has been meted out to them, yet that they were
convicted upon circumstantial evidence only, and that such evidence was
in itself decidedly false.
It was not, however, Mr. Berconi himself who identified the body; but
in the course of the following day (Sunday), several applications were
made at the station-house to see the unfortunate boy, and then it was
that two or three persons recognised him as the poor little fellow who
used to go about the streets, hugging a live tortoise, and soliciting,
with a smiling countenance, in broken English and Italian, a few
coppers for the use of himself and his dumb friend.
Here then lies the origin of the mistake of the identity of the body;
but it excites our surprise in no small degree, that any individuals
should take upon themselves to identify a body, the features of which
were wholly disfigured by a violent death, which features were only
known to them, by a passing glance at the individual when alive, as an
itinerant beggar upon the streets, and the impression of which might be
wholly effaced from their memory a few minutes afterwards. There have
been instances in which the countenance has been so altered, even by a
natural death, as not to be identified by those who have been the daily
associates of the individual whilst in life--how much more liable then
to doubt and suspicion must the identity of a body be, which has come
to its death by violent means, and the acquaintance with which during
life was nothing more than the casual passing glance in the public
streets! The manifest error into which those persons fell, cannot
fail to operate as a salutary warning to others, not to express their
opinion so dogmatically and decisively, unless the fullest conviction
is impressed on their minds of the truth of their depositions.
The deceased appeared to be about four feet six inches high, and had
light hair and grey eyes. The former itself is a very unusual feature
of an Italian boy. He had a scar on his left hand, and it was then
supposed that the teeth had been removed for the double purpose of
selling them to a dentist and preventing the identity of the body.
The appearance of the corpse was that of perfect health. The face
was covered with clotted blood, and the arms, back, and chest had
evidently been rubbed with clay to give the body the appearance of
its having been disinterred. The cut on the forehead, although small
in size, appeared to have been inflicted with some deadly instrument,
which had beaten in about half an inch of the temple, without,
however, fracturing any part of the bone. There were some black spots
on the left wrist, which appeared to have been occasioned by the
death grasp of a powerful hand. The breast-bone, as described by the
witnesses, appeared as if it had been forced in by violent pressure.
The countenance of the boy did not exhibit the least distortion, but,
on the contrary, it wore the repose of sleep, and the same open and
good humoured expression, which must have marked the features in life,
was still discernible. The eyes, however, were bloodshot, and there
was a suffusion on the countenance, which in some degree indicated
strangulation. It was intended to have proceeded immediately to
an examination by the surgeons, but this proceeding was obliged to
be suspended until the arrival of the coroner's warrant, which was
expected on Sunday night, the 26th.
The sensation which the murder of the boy excited in the metropolis may
be said to be almost unprecedented; it was not regarded as one of those
murders which stain our criminal annals; but when the fact transpired,
that it had been committed by a gang of resurrectionists, the alarm
spread into the bosom of every family. The dreadful deeds of Burke and
his associates arose to the memory in all their appalling horrors, and
if a child or a husband was absent a longer time from home than usual,
the maternal fear immediately arose that the burkers had been at work.
Thus, as we have stated in a former page, Mr. Hart, of Oxford-street,
suspected that his son had been burked, but he was found drowned in the
Regent's Canal. The following circumstance will, however, sufficiently
show how much disposed the people were at this time to construe every
act, having the least grounds of suspicion attached to it, as having an
immediate reference to the acts of the burkers.
In the _Times_ newspaper appeared a paragraph from Lambeth street
office, telling a mysterious story of a drunken man having been taken
from the middle of the street, and placed against the door of a house,
which was shortly after opened, and the drunken man dragged in, while,
in a short time afterwards, a cart was seen to drive up to the door,
into which a coffin was put, after which the cart drove off at a
furious rate. It was added, that the inhabitants of the house, although
respectable, were not known in the neighbourhood, and the tenor of the
article went to prove that it was a nest of body-snatchers. On the
Wednesday following, the case was fully explained at Lambeth street,
when Mr. Wyatt, the occupant of the house referred to, stated that
he had remained at home the last two or three days, being unwell,
and while sitting in his parlour had observed persons stop and walk
before the house; some made remarks on a hole in the wall, made to
allow some fowls which he kept to pass in and out of the cellar, and
others looked over the blinds into the room. All this he considered
very singular, but could not account for it, until a neighbour called,
and directed his attention to the statement which had appeared in the
papers. He then went out to inquire into the origin of the rumour;
and during his absence, on Tuesday evening, a mob collected round the
house, making the most discordant yells and noises, and calling out
'Burkers!' and 'Body-snatchers!' to the great terror of his aged mother
and sister, the only persons at home. He knew nothing of the drunken
man having been placed against his door; but with respect to the other
transaction, he explained, that the mother of Mr. Nutt had resided with
his mother, and died in the house last week. The cart was sent by Mr.
Nutt's undertaker to remove the body, she having expressed an earnest
wish to be buried in Bermondsey, where she lived formerly. Mr. Nutt, in
support of this explanation, produced a certificate of the burial of
his mother on the 16th of November, signed by the Rev. J. E. Gibson,
the Rector of St. John's, Bermondsey.
Mr. Hardwicke observed that the whole story was most absurd, and
expressed himself in warm terms at the folly of giving it publicity.
A case of mere suspicion ought, on no account, to be made public; and
if it were not safe to hear such cases in the office, it would be
necessary in future to hear them in a private room.
We do not mention these circumstances to repress proper precautions or
due vigilance, but to show the weakness of giving way too freely to
feelings of alarm groundlessly excited.
It was at three o'clock on Tuesday, the 8th of November, that
the inquest was holden at the Unicorn public-house, corner of
Henrietta-street, Covent-garden, before Mr. Gell, the coroner, with
the view to ascertain the circumstances which led to the death of the
Italian boy, whose name is unknown, and with the murder of whom four
men, namely, Bishop, May, Williams, and Shields then stood charged. The
room in which the inquest took place was crowded almost to suffocation.
The prisoners were conveyed to Bow-street in the afternoon, under a
strong escort of police, but the inquest having been adjourned, their
presence was not required before the coroner.
We solicit particular attention to the evidence here given before the
coroner, as facts are there sworn to, on which the conviction of the
accused parties took place, but which have now been determined to be
totally false.
WILLIAM HILL was the first witness sworn. He resides at No. 7,
Craven-buildings, Drury-lane. His evidence was to the following
effect:--I am dissecting porter at King's College, Strand. The deceased
was brought to the college on Saturday last, the 5th, between two and
three o'clock in the afternoon; my bell was rung by one of the four men
in custody, and, in consequence, I went to the door of the dissecting
room; I there saw the four men, May, Bishop, Shields, and Williams.
I had seen May and Bishop between eleven and twelve that morning,
who asked me if I wanted any thing? I replied, not particularly; but
I asked them what they had got? May replied, that he had got a male
subject. I asked him what age? he replied, fourteen. I then asked
him the price of it? he answered, twelve guineas. I told him we would
not give that price: but that I would speak to Mr. Partridge, the
Demonstrator of Anatomy to the College. I then went to Mr. Partridge,
and we both joined May and Bishop. The former was much in liquor;
after some conversation with the men, Mr. Partridge went away; the
men remained, and I followed Mr. Partridge, who desired me to offer
them nine guineas. May said he would not take less than ten; but
nine guineas were ultimately agreed to. The men then went away, and
returned again between two and three o'clock, accompanied by Shields
and Williams, who brought the body of the deceased in a hamper. I
admitted May and Bishop only, and they deposited the body in a room of
the College, and then they proceeded to unpack the hamper, and took
out a sack containing the body of the deceased, and laid it on the
floor. I observed to them, that the body was particularly fresh, and
said, at the same time, I wonder what it could have died of. I made an
observation respecting a cut in the forehead, when Bishop said, that
cut had been done by May in taking the body out of the sack; adding,
that he (May) was drunk. The body was stiffer than usual; the eyes
appeared very fresh, although blood-shot, and the lips full of blood.
I saw a quantity of blood on the chest, part of which seemed as if
recently wiped off. They then asked for the nine guineas; and I went
to Mr. Partridge, and stated to him, that I thought all was not right.
Mr. Partridge then came and viewed the body. May and Bishop were not
then present. Mr. Partridge, after viewing the body, went away; and, in
the mean time, some of our pupils having seen the body, conceived it
was that of a boy who had been advertised: they also said, that there
appeared to be marks of violence on the body; and a communication
having taken place between Mr. Partridge and some of the gentlemen of
his class, the police were sent for, and the four men were given into
custody.
By the CORONER, at the suggestion of Mr. THOMAS.--I did not ask them
how they got the body, because I never ask such a question. It is not
likely they would have answered me truly, if I had.
Mr. GEORGE BEAMAN, of 28, James-street, Covent-garden, examined. I am a
surgeon, and was called upon by Mr. Thomas, Superintendent of Police,
on Saturday last, to inspect the body of the deceased. I did so about
twelve o'clock on the same night; the body appeared to me to have very
recently died, and I should think not more than from twenty-four to
thirty-six hours. The body was stiff, the face appeared swollen, the
eyes full, prominent, and very fresh; the external coat of the eyes was
much bloodshot, and there was a wound in the forehead, over the left
brow, nearly an inch in length, and of the depth of about one-eighth
of an inch; blood was flowing from this wound, and, upon my using
pressure, to detect invisible fracture, a small additional quantity of
blood then oozed out. All the front teeth had been drawn, the tongue
was swollen, but I did not then perceive any more marks of violence on
the body. I examined the neck, throat, and chest, very particularly:
there were no marks of pressure on these parts, and I was induced to
examine them more particularly, the face and tongue, and the eyes
being so full and bloodshot. On the following evening (Sunday), with
the assistance of Mr. Mayo, Mr. Partridge, and others, I commenced the
dissection of the body. I then very particularly observed the external
appearance of the neck, throat, and chest, and I used a sponge and warm
water to cleanse them thoroughly. There were not the slightest marks
of violence. I then examined the head, and, upon turning back the
skin, which covers the upper part of the skull, I detected a patch of
extravasated blood directly beneath the skin. This patch must be the
effect of accident or violence. The bone underneath was not injured.
The skull-cap was then removed. The membrane investing the brain
appeared rather more florid than usual. The substance of the brain was
perfectly healthy throughout. The spine was next examined, and on the
skin being removed from the lower part of the head, extending to the
shoulders below, a good deal of blood was extravasated. This I have no
doubt was the effect of great violence. There was no fracture of the
spine; but on removing the arch, with the view of observing the spinal
marrow, a quantity of coagulated blood was found within the spinal
canal, pressing upon the marrow, and I have no doubt, in the present
instance, that what I have just described was the cause of death,
namely, the extravasation of blood into the upper part of the spinal
canal.
CORONER.--Do you suppose that the death of the deceased would have been
occasioned by the appearance you have described, without producing any
external wound?
WITNESS.--I do. The wound on the forehead could not of itself produce
death.
The witness then proceeded to state that, in his opinion, some blows
must have been given to the deceased with a blunt stick, bludgeon,
or other blunt instrument, or even by the fist of a strong man. It
was impossible that the indigestion could have produced such effects.
The body, in every other respect, was perfectly healthy. A fall, to
occasion death, would have left some more serious external appearances.
The heart and lungs were perfectly healthy, and upon removing the
contents of the stomach, and pouring them into a basin, for the
purpose of being analyzed, he observed that it was of a perfectly
healthy structure; digestion was going on at the time of death. He did
not believe that the body had ever been interred. The stomach contained
a tolerably full meal, and smelt slightly of rum (this circumstance is
accounted for in the confession of Bishop). Unquestionably the deceased
_did not die from suffocation_ or strangulation.
Mr. THOMAS here intimated to the coroner, that the Rev. Mr. Bernasconi
had just seen the body, and recognized the boy as one of his flock, but
could not tell his name.