The World's Most Evil Psychopaths: Horrifying True-Life Cases Read Online Free Page A

experience. One morning, shortly after murdering a beggar-woman named Effie, whom Burke had known through his work as a cobbler, he encountered two policemen escorting a drunken woman they’d found in a stairwell. Boldly, he approached the two men and offered to take the woman to her lodgings. The offer was accepted and before the day was through, her corpse was lying in Dr Knox’s lecture hall.
    The next two victims were an elderly woman and her deaf grandson, after which Burke took a holiday, spending midsummer with Helen’s relatives. Upon his return, he became suspicious that his partner had continued the lucrative business without him. An inquiry at Dr Knox’s school revealed that Hare had indeed sold the body of a woman in his absence. Although Burke and Helen left the lodging house in anger, it wasn’t long before the men resumed their trade.
    The next victim was a Mrs Ostler, whom Burke lured into the lodging house during the celebration of a neighbour’s newborn child. Mrs Ostler’s murder was soon followed by that of Helen’s cousin, Ann McDougal, whom Burke had met earlier that summer and had invited to visit the couple in Edinburgh. Next, Hare picked up an elderly prostitute named Mary Haldane. She was summarily murdered, followed by Peggy, her daughter, who had confronted Hare as to her mother’s whereabouts.
    The decision to murder Mary Haldane was yet another indication of the brazen attitude the two men had developed. Past victims had been loners, most often people whose disappearance would have gone unnoticed, but Mary Haldane had been a well-known character. Her sudden departure from the streets of Edinburgh was the subject of some talk. The fact that her daughter was also missing added greatly to the mystery.
    Burke and Hare’s next victim, a mentally handicapped young man named Jamie Wilson – Daft Jamie – was not only well-known, but well-loved. When his corpse was brought in to Dr Knox’s lecture room, several students recognized it as Jamie. For his part, the professor denied that it was Daft Jamie laid out on the table, yet went to work immediately in dissecting the body laid out before him.
    By Hallowe’en, 1828, Burke and Hare’s luck had all but run out, but they would still manage one final murder. The victim was an Irish woman, Mary Docherty, whom Burke invited to the lodging house by claiming some family connection. Her body was discovered the next evening by Ann Gray, one of Margaret’s tenants. As Gray and her husband ran for the police, Burke and Hare disposed of the body through their usual method. They delivered the corpse to Dr Knox’s premises, where it was discovered the next day by the authorities.
    Avoiding the noose
    Burke, Hare, Helen and Margaret were all arrested. As the evidence was thought to be thin, Hare was offered immunity from prosecution so long as he testified against his business partner. His testimony led to Burke’s death sentence. Helen, his common-law wife, was released – her complicity in the murders could not be proven. Returning to her home, she was almost lynched by an angry mob. She is thought to have fled first to England, then to Australia. Margaret, too, escaped the noose and was rumoured to have settled in Ireland.
    In February 1829, Hare was released. There are various stories concerning his fate – that he became a blind beggar on the streets of London, or that he was thrown into a lime pit – but nothing is certain.
    Dr Knox remained silent about his dealings with Burke and Hare. For several years, he continued his teaching, seemingly unaffected by public suspicion. Gradually, however, the consequences of his association with Burke and Hare became apparent. His student numbers dwindled, he was twice rejected by the University of Edinburgh and a brief stint at the Argyle Square Medical School proved not to be a success. He relocated to nearby Glasgow, then London, where he obtained a secure position with the Cancer Hospital.
    Dr Knox