Post by Oldmankrondas on Oct 12, 2010 22:36:00 GMT
Excerpt from the Journals of Professor Martin Doyle:
I had received word from Joseph a day or two ago, such tales! The two men; William Burke and William Hare stalking the streets of Edinburgh, murdering to supply the University with cadavers for dissection. The man Burke was hanged for his crimes, and Hare appears to have disappeared from the city.
Such a macabre and fascinating tale of what men will do for money, and, sadly, the blind eye colleagues in our profession must have turned to such terrible deeds.
However, it was Joseph's second tale that sees me travelling to Edinburgh this night. He told me he was very close to bringing a man back from the dead.
William McLintock, or 'Wullie' to the residents of Edinburgh, was a drunk. Plain and simple. He could always be found down in the Cowgate begging for change to pay for his next drink. Tonight, however, Wullie was venturing a little further up Candlemaker Row. It was a tad steep for Wullie, worse for wear on account of the drink but he made it in the end, before slumping against the gates of Greyfriars Kirkyard. It was getting dark and there didn't appear to be many people around, maybe it was a wasted journey after all.
As he turned to head back down to the Cowgate, something caught his eye. He wasn't sure if it was the drink, but he was sure he saw three tall dark shadows moving across the Kirkyard. He pressed his face up against the bars and peered into the Kirkyard, he couldn't make out the figures any clearer, but they were carrying what could only be a coffin towards an empty graveside. Burying bodies at this time of night, it was unholy, thought Wullie to himself. He turned on his heel, almost fell over, then staggered off to find a polisman.
'There Jimmy! A silver beastie I'm telling ye!'
'Away ye go Kathleen! Ah dinnae ken if ye've noticed but we're living in squalor!' Jimmy replied, shining his lantern around the clammy stone walls of Edinburgh's Vaults. He angled the lamp back down at the ground trying to find the creature that had so startled his wife. 'It's probably just a rat ye daft lassie!'
'James Campbell! I have seen plenty of rats in this hovel you've got me living in and this was no rat!' his wife cried, slapping him hard on the back.
'Alright alright! I'll go find it and make sure it doesnae bother you again. Now will you wheesht and get some rest?' James carried on down the narrow, claustrophobic corridors of the Vaults, once a place of business, now a run down, flooded haven for the destitute. He caught a glimpse of something scuttle off into a corner. One of the unused storage areas it was suggested Burke and Hare had kept their cadavers before selling them on. He took a deep breath, crossed himself and entered. Ahead of him he could see the storage area was no longer unused, four large bulky packages were placed in the shelves. No sign of his silvery menace however, he turned and made to return back to his wife. He could hear something behind him, but before he could turn to see what it was he felt something bite hard into his leg and he dropped like a stone.
'Not a fan of the Dead Parrot sketch myself.' the Doctor replied. 'Maybe it's because I don't like being told to enjoy something.'
Anna sighed. 'Because you're such an independent freethinker who travels the universe fighting fascism?'
The Doctor shrugged. 'Not really, I just find it annoying. “Oh you must see this, I think you'll really enjoy it!”' He stuck his tongue out. 'No thank you.'
Anna laughed. 'I felt that way about the Pirates of the Carribean....' she was cut short by the wheezing groaning sound that signalled the TARDIS had landed at their destination.
'Edinburgh!' the Doctor announced, grabbing his long beige raincoat from the back of a chair. 'Fringe festival 1963, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Cambridge Revue Show.' the Doctor smiled.
Anna clapped her hands together. 'Brilliant! About time we had a laugh!' She pulled on the denim jacket she'd been holding then ran out of the opened doors of the TARDIS. 'DOCTOR!' She yelled furiously. The Doctor sighed, pulled on his raincoat and headed outside.
As the Doctor stepped outside the TARDIS, he did a quick sidestep to avoid the parade of cows being led down towards the Grassmarket. 'Market day...' he muttered, before turning to face a far from impressed Anna. 'What? It's still Edinburgh!' he protested.
'A hundred years too early!' she replied, indignant.
'Hundred and thirty, give or take.' He said, looking around, taking in the sights of Edinburgh's market day, he glanced back at Anna who was standing, arms folded. 'Not helping am I?'
'How long have you been knocking about the universe in this blue box now?'
The Doctor was about to defend himself but was cut short by a deafening scream from behind them. 'Hold that thought!' he said to Anna before darting off to find the origin of the scream.
'Calm down Mrs Campbell, tell me what happened.' Constable John Norrie placed his hands on the woman's shoulders in an attempt to calm her down.
'My James went looking for a beastie down in the Vaults and he's no come back!' She replied, fighting back tears. 'There's some horrible characters down there Constable, he's been murdered!'
'Now come on, you don't know that for certain. He could have got lost, or got up early to look for work.'
'I'm telling you Constable. I've heard stories from other families down there, William Burke may have hanged all they months ago, but William Hare is still oot there, and he's murdered my Jimmy!'
'I'm sorry...' began an unfamiliar voice from behind the two of them. They turned around to see a man in a tweed waistcoat and white shirt underneath a long brown coat made of a material they didn't recognise make his way up the close. '...did someone say William Hare?'
I had received word from Joseph a day or two ago, such tales! The two men; William Burke and William Hare stalking the streets of Edinburgh, murdering to supply the University with cadavers for dissection. The man Burke was hanged for his crimes, and Hare appears to have disappeared from the city.
Such a macabre and fascinating tale of what men will do for money, and, sadly, the blind eye colleagues in our profession must have turned to such terrible deeds.
However, it was Joseph's second tale that sees me travelling to Edinburgh this night. He told me he was very close to bringing a man back from the dead.
*
William McLintock, or 'Wullie' to the residents of Edinburgh, was a drunk. Plain and simple. He could always be found down in the Cowgate begging for change to pay for his next drink. Tonight, however, Wullie was venturing a little further up Candlemaker Row. It was a tad steep for Wullie, worse for wear on account of the drink but he made it in the end, before slumping against the gates of Greyfriars Kirkyard. It was getting dark and there didn't appear to be many people around, maybe it was a wasted journey after all.
As he turned to head back down to the Cowgate, something caught his eye. He wasn't sure if it was the drink, but he was sure he saw three tall dark shadows moving across the Kirkyard. He pressed his face up against the bars and peered into the Kirkyard, he couldn't make out the figures any clearer, but they were carrying what could only be a coffin towards an empty graveside. Burying bodies at this time of night, it was unholy, thought Wullie to himself. He turned on his heel, almost fell over, then staggered off to find a polisman.
*
'There Jimmy! A silver beastie I'm telling ye!'
'Away ye go Kathleen! Ah dinnae ken if ye've noticed but we're living in squalor!' Jimmy replied, shining his lantern around the clammy stone walls of Edinburgh's Vaults. He angled the lamp back down at the ground trying to find the creature that had so startled his wife. 'It's probably just a rat ye daft lassie!'
'James Campbell! I have seen plenty of rats in this hovel you've got me living in and this was no rat!' his wife cried, slapping him hard on the back.
'Alright alright! I'll go find it and make sure it doesnae bother you again. Now will you wheesht and get some rest?' James carried on down the narrow, claustrophobic corridors of the Vaults, once a place of business, now a run down, flooded haven for the destitute. He caught a glimpse of something scuttle off into a corner. One of the unused storage areas it was suggested Burke and Hare had kept their cadavers before selling them on. He took a deep breath, crossed himself and entered. Ahead of him he could see the storage area was no longer unused, four large bulky packages were placed in the shelves. No sign of his silvery menace however, he turned and made to return back to his wife. He could hear something behind him, but before he could turn to see what it was he felt something bite hard into his leg and he dropped like a stone.
*
'Not a fan of the Dead Parrot sketch myself.' the Doctor replied. 'Maybe it's because I don't like being told to enjoy something.'
Anna sighed. 'Because you're such an independent freethinker who travels the universe fighting fascism?'
The Doctor shrugged. 'Not really, I just find it annoying. “Oh you must see this, I think you'll really enjoy it!”' He stuck his tongue out. 'No thank you.'
Anna laughed. 'I felt that way about the Pirates of the Carribean....' she was cut short by the wheezing groaning sound that signalled the TARDIS had landed at their destination.
'Edinburgh!' the Doctor announced, grabbing his long beige raincoat from the back of a chair. 'Fringe festival 1963, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Cambridge Revue Show.' the Doctor smiled.
Anna clapped her hands together. 'Brilliant! About time we had a laugh!' She pulled on the denim jacket she'd been holding then ran out of the opened doors of the TARDIS. 'DOCTOR!' She yelled furiously. The Doctor sighed, pulled on his raincoat and headed outside.
As the Doctor stepped outside the TARDIS, he did a quick sidestep to avoid the parade of cows being led down towards the Grassmarket. 'Market day...' he muttered, before turning to face a far from impressed Anna. 'What? It's still Edinburgh!' he protested.
'A hundred years too early!' she replied, indignant.
'Hundred and thirty, give or take.' He said, looking around, taking in the sights of Edinburgh's market day, he glanced back at Anna who was standing, arms folded. 'Not helping am I?'
'How long have you been knocking about the universe in this blue box now?'
The Doctor was about to defend himself but was cut short by a deafening scream from behind them. 'Hold that thought!' he said to Anna before darting off to find the origin of the scream.
*
'Calm down Mrs Campbell, tell me what happened.' Constable John Norrie placed his hands on the woman's shoulders in an attempt to calm her down.
'My James went looking for a beastie down in the Vaults and he's no come back!' She replied, fighting back tears. 'There's some horrible characters down there Constable, he's been murdered!'
'Now come on, you don't know that for certain. He could have got lost, or got up early to look for work.'
'I'm telling you Constable. I've heard stories from other families down there, William Burke may have hanged all they months ago, but William Hare is still oot there, and he's murdered my Jimmy!'
'I'm sorry...' began an unfamiliar voice from behind the two of them. They turned around to see a man in a tweed waistcoat and white shirt underneath a long brown coat made of a material they didn't recognise make his way up the close. '...did someone say William Hare?'
