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name of Marjory McGonegal, but was also known as Mrs Campbell or Duffie. He was asked in cross-examination, ‘Did she ever call herself Docherty?’
    ‘Not that I know of,’ he replied. Both he and Mrs Stewart, however, had identified the body as that of the woman who had lodged with them. William Noble, Rymer’s shop-boy, said that he had seen Burke talking to the woman in the shop, and that Burke had later come in for a tea-chest, which was not yet paid for.
    Hugh Alston was then questioned by Archibald Alison, one of the Crown prosecution team:
    ‘Do you live in the same land in which William Burke’s house is situated?’
    ‘Yes, sir, I live in the first flat upstairs, and Burke lives in the sunk flat below the shop.’
    ‘The shop is between your house and his?’
    ‘Yes, sir, exactly.’
    ‘Now, sir, do you recollect on the night of the 31st October, when you were going home, hearing any noise there?’
    ‘Yes, sir, I did.’
    ‘What hour was it?’
    ‘I could not speak to the exact minute, but it was about half-past eleven.’
    ‘Were you going along the passage at that time which leads up to your house?’
    ‘Yes, sir, I was.’
    ‘You were going along the passage that leads to your house, on the line of the street?’
    ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘What did you hear, sir?’
    ‘I heard, as it were, two men quarrelling and fighting, making a great noise; there was a woman’s voice that attracted my particular attention, the cry of a woman, of murder.’
    ‘What did you do upon that, sir?’
    ‘My wife, who was with me, went up to my house, and I went down and stopped a little upon the stair to see that there was no person upon the stair till I ventured down to the bottom.’
    ‘You know Connoway’s door?’
    ‘Yes, I believe that is the door next to the passage.’
    ‘Did you go as far as it?’
    ‘Near to it, within a yard or so of it.’
    ‘Now, tell us as distinctly as you can, the different sounds you heard when in that situation.’
    ‘I heard these two men making a great noise, as if wrangling or quarrelling. I heard no strokes or blows – I heard a woman crying murder, but not in that way as I could consider her in imminent danger herself.’
    ‘Well, sir, what more did you hear?’
    ‘That continued probably for half a minute, or a minute; she still continued to cry murder – it was a very strong voice for a female voice; standing there a minute or two, there was something gave a cry, as if proceeding from a person, or animal, that had been strangled.’
    ‘That of a person, or animal, that had been strangled?’
    ‘Yes, I could hardly distinguish it from that of a human being.’
    ‘Well, sir, at this time did you hear any noise on the floor?’
    ‘I heard these two men’s voices, but I could not say that I heard anything else.’
    ‘No blows?’
    ‘No, just a great deal of noise they were making by speaking.’
    ‘Very loud?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Now, after this remarkable sound had ceased, did you hear the female voice still crying murder?’
    ‘Yes; she struck upon something, I do not know what she struck with, but slapped the door as if crying for the police, and cried “murder here”.’
    ‘Well, sir, did you remain any length of time there?’
    ‘After this I went for the police; I was often afraid of fire, and I went for a policeman, but could not find one.’
    ‘Did you return to the stair then?’
    ‘Yes. I did not go far down; I went down a little way.’
    ‘Did you hear anything when you returned the second time?’
    ‘I heard the men speaking, and the woman ceased to cry murder; I thought everything was over. They seemed to have removed to a greater distance, and the noise had ceased.’
    ‘Now, in the course of the time you were listening, did you hear any wrangling or struggling at that time?’
    ‘I might hear feet moving on the floor, but I can’t say more.’
    ‘How far might you be from Burke’s door when you heard the sound?’
    ‘It could not exceed