The Crime Book

23

See also: Jack the Ripper 266–73

BANDITS, ROBBERS, AND ARSONISTS

his unique technique. They loaded

the body into a tea chest and

transported it at night to Dr Knox’s

surgery. They received £7–10

(£550–800 today) for each body.

Burke and Hare got away with

murder for 11 months until the body

of Irishwoman Margaret Docherty

was discovered by two guests at

Hare’s boarding house, Ann and

James Gray. The Grays notified the

police, and an inquiry led them to

Dr Knox. Docherty’s body had since

been moved to the university

lecture hall, which had become

Knox’s dissecting theatre.

After a newspaper report

pointed the finger at Burke and

Hare, there was a public outcry for

their prosecution. William Burke,

William Hare, Helen McDougal, and

Margaret Hare were all arrested by

police shortly afterwards and

charged with murder. Dr Knox was

questioned by police, but was not

arrested as he had not technically

broken the law.

Every man for himself

Requiring more evidence for a

conviction, the court’s Lord

Advocate attempted to extract

a confession from one of the four,

and he chose Hare. He was

offered immunity from prosecution

and testified that Burke had

committed the murders. Burke was

subsequently convicted of three

Robert Knox was a pre-eminent

Scottish anatomist whose career was

overshadowed by his involvement in

the Burke and Hare case.

Diagnosing psychopathy

The Hare Psychopathy Checklist

(named after Canadian

psychologist Robert Hare) is a

diagnostic tool used to identify

a person’s psychopathic

tendencies. Originally designed

to assess people accused of

crimes, it is a 20-item inventory

of personality traits assessed

primarily via an interview.

The subject receives a score for

each trait depending on how

well each one applies to them.

The traits include lack of

remorse; lack of empathy;

inability to accept responsibility

for actions; impulsivity; and

pathological lying.

When psychopaths commit

crimes, it is likely that their acts

are purposeful. The motives

of psychopathic killers often

involve power or sadistic

gratification. Not all violent

offenders are psychopaths,

but FBI investigations found

that psychopathic offenders

have more serious criminal

histories and tend to be more

chronically violent.

murders and, on 28 January, 1829,

hanged in front of a cheering

crowd numbering up to 25,000.

People were said to have paid up

to £1 (about £80 today) for a good

view overlooking the scaffold.

Burke’s body was publicly

dissected by Dr Knox’s rival,

Dr Monro, at the anatomy theatre of

Edinburgh University’s Old College,

attracting so many spectators that

a minor riot occurred. His skeleton

was later donated to Edinburgh

Medical School. Hare, although he

confessed to being an accomplice,

was freed, and fled to England.

With his reputation in tatters, Knox

moved to London to try to revive

his medical career.

In all, Burke and Hare killed 16

victims in what became known

as the West Port Murders. The

murders led to the passing of the

Anatomy Act 1832, which

increased the supply of legal

cadavers by authorizing the

dissection of unclaimed bodies

from workhouses after 48 hours.

This proved effective in reducing

cases of body snatching. ■

I am sure ... that in the whole

history of the country –

nothing has ever been

exhibited that is in any

respect parallel to this case.

Lord Meadowbank

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