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ABOUT the time of the Burke and Hare
murders, when resurrections throughout the country were becoming very
common, a person of respectability was interred in
the
High Church burying-ground of Glasgow. The relatives, who were persons of
property, hired two hungry weavers, who generally at that time were
atomies ready-made, to watch the grave of their deceased relative. And
as they were one night on the watch duty, they perceived some persons
entering the churchyard: the weavers concealed themselves to watch
operations, and ere long they saw the intruders open a grave, take out a
corpse, and put it in a sack, which they left in the grave and went off to
reconnoitre if the way was clear for their exit.
One of the weavers, who was somewhat
droll, said to his companion:
"Take out the corpse, and I’ll go
into the sack, but do you follow and see what comes of it."
In a little time the
resurrectionists returned, and one of them getting the sack on his back
marched off; but when they got into the street, the sack-bearer inquired:
"Which way will we take ?" upon
which the weaver, putting out his head and gripping him by the hair,
bawled out:
"Down the Rotten Raw, ye scoundrel."
The sack was instantly dropped, and it is said the bearer of it went mad
with fright. |
