William Burke, Edinburgh, 3d January 1829
An old pensioner, named Donald, lived in the house about Christmas 1827; he was in bad health, and died a short time before his quarter's pension as due; he owed Hare L4; and a day or so after the pensioner's death, Hare proposed that his body should be sold to the doctors, and that the declarant should get a share of the price. Declarant said it would be impossible to do it, because the man would be coming in with the coffin immediately; but after the body was put into the coffin, and the lid was nailed down, Hare started the lid with a chisel, and he and the declarant took out the corpse and concealed it in the bed, and put tanners bark from behind the house into the coffin, and covered it with a sheet, and nailed down the lid of the coffin, and the coffin was then carried away for interment. Hare did not appear to have been concerned in any thing of the kind before, and seemed to be at a loss how to get the body disposed of...
Burke and Hare Anatomy Murders
