“I’m so sorry for the victim,” Joshua said as we moved back and lingered in front of the masks. “Rosie found the body?”
“She and Hamlet.”
“That’s going to bother her even more. I’m sorry about that too.”
“She’s tough, but yes, it will,” I said.
“I’ll take her some cookies, though that sounds a bit jovial.”
“She’d like that.”
Joshua had fallen in love with the bookshop, and then with Rosie—in a grandmotherly way. They’d hit it off the second they’d met, and I’d begun to think that when he stopped by he was there more to talk to Rosie than to me. I was happy for their friendship, something they’d both seemed to need, even if neither of them had realized it.
“You know,” he continued, “though I don’t agree with the ways Dr. Eban does it, there’s something to what he says about the killers contributing to medical science in important ways. The murders probably would never have happened if the doctors and students had had enough cadavers. Dr. Knox was probably desperate enough to learn what only cadavers could teach him that he didn’t ask any questions when Burke and Hare brought him bodies.”
“Were there not enough people dying?” I asked.
“No, no, that wasn’t it. Mostly it was because before the Anatomy Act was passed in 1832, only condemned prisoners’ bodies could be used for scientific study. As more students filled the university’s halls, fewer and fewer prisoners were condemned to death. There was a definite want for bodies.” He cleared his throat.
I pointed at a plaque that was titled “Body Snatchers.” I said, “Grave robbers?”
“Yes, Burke and Hare killed, but others simply stole bodies from graves. That was illegal too, but supply and demand, you know. The money was good. Back then I’m afraid it was a short leap from grave robbing to murder.” He fell into thought and shook his head.
“You wish you could have seen that time in person, don’t you?” I said.
“Just briefly. Then I could travel on to the time of the dinosaurs for a week or two, and then, of course, I’m sure I could figure out the true identity of Jack the Ripper given a day or two in London.”
“I have no doubt.”
One of our favorite topics of conversation was about what time period we wish we could visit. Neither of us wanted to live in a different time, just vacation there, for day or weekend trips.
“Imagine the excitement with the deluge of medical discoveries,” Joshua said.
“And how particularly awful it was when they didn’t know how to save people from what’s now considered easily treatable illness.”
We looked at each other and, in tandem, said, “Appendicitis.”
“So many people died,” he said sadly.
“So many,” I agreed.
We’d had this conversation more than a few times over the almost-year we’d known each other. Appendicitis had killed many, until it was discovered that the offending organ wasn’t of much use anyway and just needed to be removed.
“How did Burke and Hare know each other?” I asked as I looked at the masks again.
“Ah. Burke, a vile man, moved to Edinburgh with his mistress. He had to get out of Ireland because he viciously murdered one of his master’s horses. He brought his mistress along and left his wife in Ireland. Ask me, the wife got the better end of the deal. Anyway, Burke had known Hare’s wife beforehand. She’d married Hare after her first husband died, and ran a lodging house on Tanner’s Close in West Port. Apparently, she insisted that Burke and his mistress move in. Though they both worked on the canal, from what I’ve read I don’t think the men met until they lived in the same lodging house.
“They hit it off. They must have both been horrible men. It was after one of the lodging house customers died that Burke and Hare made the money that was owed to Hare’s wife by selling the corpse to pay the bill. From there they decided that robbing graves was too much work; they’d just … manufacture the corpses themselves.”
“Ugh. Gruesome.”
“Yes. They said all their actions came from too much drink. There even came a time when they’d only be able to fall asleep after drinking too much, and they had to sleep with a light on. Their crimes haunted them, or so they said. That’s some good news.”
We lingered at the display a bit longer, but I didn’t learn much more. I didn’t take the time to read all the articles propped upon the shelves, but this wasn’t a normal museum visit. I’d shown up unannounced, and I knew Joshua hadn’t carved out the time to be my tour guide all morning.
As we were walking toward the museum doors, though, I had one more question for Joshua.
“How did Burke and Hare kill their victims? What was their method?”
“Ah, well, mostly by smothering them, or at least that was the conclusion. It was a good way to kill someone back then, because that method of murder couldn’t be easily determined. Many times, after Burke and Hare gave their victims too much to drink, Burke would lay atop their chests as Hare put his hands over their nose and mouth. A couple of terms were even invented for suffocation—‘burking,’ or ‘anatomy murder.’ I believe they killed in other ways too, but mostly suffocation. Do you know how Ms. Clacher was killed?”
“Strangled, I think. I’m going to find out for sure. Hamlet said there were bruises on her neck.”
“That would do it,” he said sadly. “Feel free to call and ask me anything, or share whatever you learn.” He pushed open the door for me.
“I will let you know. Thank you for allowing me to interrupt your day. And, Joshua, don’t leave Edinburgh if you don’t have to. I know I’m being completely selfish, but I would miss you.”
“I would miss you too. I’ll keep you up to date.”
I hurried down the outside stairs and
