THE LAST VILE RELIC OF BURKE AND HARE TRAGEDIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1517, 5 October 1868, Page 4

THE LAST VILE RELIC OF BURKE AND HARE TRAGEDIES.

The Singleton Times of Wednesday records the death, of Olaaspo'e, thcgparamjur of the infamoua Burke, of Edinburgh. The above journal reports that—"An inquest was held.on Monday, the 10th instant, before the district coroner, Dr. Qlennie, on, view of the body of an aged woman, known as Ellen G-las-spole, who was burned to death in her hut on. Saturday last; i'he a'ooTe creature was, 'we believe, the last remaining vile relic connected with the infamona Burke and Hare tragedies that, horrified Edinburgh, the scene of thojo villains* wholesale butcheries,' and indeed the civilised world, soma forty years ago. As paramour of Burk-j—who expiated his revolting crimes upon the scaffold—-she participated in. those barbiritaes that had never been heard recited without a shudder. The law however, in dealing mercifully with the " waaker vessel," sentenced Ellen Steward alias M'Dougall to penal servitude for life. In IS-30, she wa3 assigned to the service of the late Mr: M!r. Joseph Singleton, and she has remained in this district since. Daring the early years of her servitude here, she a_pp9ars to have captivated somebody. who bestowed upon her the name of Qlasspole, and whom apparently she has long survived. She had repeatedly been admonished; at our police court on account of her taking a drappio too much, on which occasions she usuully pleaded extenuation, her great age. That generous institution ofours,theßenevolent Asylum, supplied her from time to time with the necessaries of life, and her " medical comforts " were made up by appealing to the 1 coach passengers, who were found about Cullen's corner, relying mostly for suficss in the statement (hat her age was "104 the nest Saturday," but -which, wa believe, was a simple miicdculation of some twenty or thirty years. From tho evidence adduced at the inquest, which was held at the poor wretched woman's hut, near Kix's Cieek, but adjourned to ffeuston's Railway Hotel, it appears that she had beon too fre'o with some favourite bottles she had it- stack, and fell a vietim to them, as appears from the evidence of the witnesses at the inquest, as follows:—John Glo7er,- deposed: I am a labourer, and reside at Singleton; on Saturday morning, the 8;h instant, I was passing the residanca of the deceased, Ellen [Glasspole, •about threo miles from ■Singleton ; I be-ird some one groaning; I went and looked in at tho door, and saw deceased lying by the , side of the fire; her clotheß were nearly burnt off her; she was insensible; the fire was nearly burnt out; I called a man who was with'a team near the place, and ha drew her away from the fire ; I then left, and cams into Singelton; I met the Bev. Mr. Lane on the road,- and informed'him of the circumstance.—George Lane, deposed: I am a .Wesleyan Minister, and reside at Singleton ; on' Saturday afternoon I was out driving,'and met the last witness who told me that the old woman living in the hut besida the road had fallen into the fire ; I went to the place and found deceased Ellen Glasspole lying on the floor, but her. clothes were burnt off her f she was insensible but appnared in pain; I placed a pillow under her head, and threw a blanket over her. 1 observed a stool- which I conclude she had been sitting on, half burnt in the fire ; I went a short distance further to-inform a-neighbour,-and when I returned she was dead; there was a bottle in the hut with some spirits in it, and I found the smell | of spirits in several other bottles. The jury returned the following verdict:—" Ellen' : G-lasspol<j cams to her death by injuries received from falling into the firc.'f. '