West Port Murders Author:William Burke Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: peared in the newspapers about her mother being a housekeeper in the west country, Brown alleges to be unfounded. She was a native of Edinburgh, and her mother i... more »s dead. MURDER OF " DAFT JAMIE." 1 ' .'..'' ./; The second murder charged in the indictment-.'was; that of James Wilson, commonly known by the name of " Daft Jamie;" and the circumstances attending it were even more revolting chan those of the women Paterson and Campbell. None of their misdeeds has excited a greater feeling of indignation in the public mind. Jamie was very generally known, and was a universal favourite. His appearance marked the imbecility of his mind, and was such as to make every one regard him with a feeling of tenderness and sympathy. He was perfectly harmless and inoffensive, and possessed apparently great kindliness of heart. To all who had occasion to be on the streets of Edinburgh, whether at an early or "late hour, Jamie's appearance: was perfectly familiar—wandering about, in every sort of weather, bareheaded, and without stockings or shoes, and his good-humoured laugh and salutation, by an awkward bow and twitch of the front lock of hair, were readily recognised and replied to. Though roaming almost constantly about in this guise, he was never known as a beggar, but occasionally Visited certain houses, where he was admitted as a familiar guest, and kindly entertained, while even in these he conducted himself in a modest unobtrusive manner. He used to allege that he did not need money, as he had sometimes the " feck o' half-a-croun on him." Jamie was by no means, however, the moping idiot that he hasbeen represented. Though undoubtedly imbecile a incapable of any continuous mental exertion, he possessed some small portion of intellect. To the boys of Edinburgh, his knowledge of the days ...« less