Knox faced no charges for the murders because Burke's statement to the police exonerated the surgeon.[100] Public awareness of the news grew as newspapers and broadsides began releasing further details. Opinion was against the doctor and, according to Bailey, many in Edinburgh thought he was "a sinister ringmaster who got Burke and Hare dancing to his tune".[101] Several broadsides were published with editorials stating that he should have been in the dock alongside the murderers, which influenced public opinion.[100] A new word was coined from the murders: burking, to smother a victim or to commit an anatomy murder,[1][lower-alpha 13] and a rhyme began circulating around the streets of Edinburgh: