Circuit court: cases of William Law, George & John Downie and Joseph MacHardy

On Monday last, the Circuit Court of Justiciary was opened here by the Right Honourable Lord PITMILLY.

There were only two cases before his Lordship.  The first of which was that of William Law.  The libel against him was of a very formidable nature - not less than two separate charges of housebreaking and theft, aggravated by prison breaking.  The pannel pleaded guilty of the crime of prison breaking, but denied the rest of the libel.  Owing to the panel having acknowledged his guilt of one of the charges, by petitioning the Sheriff of Kincardineshire for voluntary banishment on a prior occasion, the Public Prosecutor departed from that charge, and confined himself to the charge against the pannel of breaking in to the house of Isabella Smith, in the neighbourhood of Stonehaven, and carrying off various articles narrated in the indictment.

It appeared that Isabella Smith had, about the end of the year 1812, left her house, and gone on a visit to a daughter in Arbroath; and during her absence, her dwelling house had been forcibly entered, and completely ransacked of every article of value.  Sometime after, a bed and bed-tick, the property of Smith, was traced to the house of John Duncan, broker in Montrose, and was clearly proved to have been purchased from the pannel; but none of the other articles were ever heard of.  The Public Prosecutor attempted to bring the housebreaking home to the pannel; but the evidence on this part of the libel, though strongly presumptive, was by no means conclusive on the point.  The Jury were enclosed, and returned a verdict yesterday morning, when they unanimously found the pannel, upon his own confession, guilty of prison-breaking, and of stealing a bed and bed-tick, the property of the said Isabella Smith; but found the other parts of the libel not proven.

His Lordship then pronounced sentence of transportation against the pannel for 14 years.

Thereafter came on the trial of George and John Downie, and of Joseph Machardy, accused of assaulting and deforcing Malcolm Gillespie, excise officer, to the effusion of his blood and danger of his life.  The Public Prosecutor passed from the charge in so far as related to Machardy; and the pannels, George and John Downie, pleaded "guilty in part" which was afterwards explained by their Counsel to import a denial of the deforecement, and a denial of having assaulted or beat the exciseman to the danger of his life; but they admitted, that they had been engaged in a scuffle with the said exciseman, and had struct him so as (they were since informed) to draw blood from his body.  The Advocate-Depute acquiesced in the accuracy of this qualified confession; and thereafter an appeal to the clemency of the Court and Jury was made on behalf of the pannels, in respect of their candid confession, - their submissive and voluntary appearance to meet the justice of their country, - and their previous good characters, of which a proof was offered by respectable witnesses then attending.  The Court judged it unnecessary to go into any proof on the matter of previous character, of which no impeachment had been made; and a Jury having been enclosed, they unanimously, and without leaving the box, found the pannels guilty in terms of their confession; but recommended them to the clemency of the Court.

Sentence of imprisonment in Bridewell for the period of nine months was pronounced upon them, after a suitable admonition from the Bench, and at the end of the period of their confinement, to find bail for their good behaviour for three years.

Counsel for the Crown, Mr Home Drummond; for the Pannels, Mr Gordon.

Published in the Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday 28th September 1814.

William Law, outlaw and fugitive

BROKE PRISON,

AND REWARD OFFERED.

WHEREAS WILLIAM LAW, incarcerated in the Tollbooth of Stonehaven, accused of a capital crime, BROKE the PRISON of that place, and escaped, upon the night betwixt the 25th and 26th days of August, and was outlawed at least Autumn Circuit Court of Justiciary, held at Aberdeen, for not appearing - 

A REWARD OF TWENTY GUINEAS

is hereby offered to any Person or Persons, who will apprehend and secure the person of the said William Law, and deliver him over at Stonehaven, to the Keeper of the Tollbooth there.

The said William Law worked as a Labourer and Ditcher, for some short time, on Deeside, near Upper Banchory.  He is about five feet seven inches high, middling stout made; dark complexion; black eyes; black hair; has a flat broken nose; and has been wounded in one of his hands.  He had upon him when he made his escapee, Corduroy Trowsers, a Brown striped Vest, and a Light-Brown short Coat. - the Reward to be paid by John Low, writer in Stonehaven, Procurator-Fiscal of the Sheriff Court of Kincardineshire.

Published in the Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday 5th January 1814.

Court cases of William Law, John Brebner & John Henderson

The Circuit Court of Justiciary was opened here on Wednesday last, by the Right Hon. Lord Gilles.

William Law, sometime residing in Links of Arduthie, in the County of Kincardine, charged with house-breaking and theft, was outlawed for not appearing.

John Brebner, accused of Forging or Counterfeiting Notes of the Bank of Scotland, and of using and uttering the same, knowing them to be forged and counterfeited.  The prisoner denied the forging and counterfeiting, but pleaded guilty to the uttering and vending as libelled; and the Advocate Depute having restricted the libel to an arbitrary punishment, he was sentenced to seven years transportation.

John Henderson, late servant at the Printfield, Woodside, near this city, accused of one act of theft and house-breaking, and two other acts of theft, denied the first charge, and admitted the two last.  The Advocate Depute having also in this case restricted the libel to an arbitrary punishment, and no proof being led, the prisoner was accordingly found guilty upon his own confession, and sentenced to fourteen years transportation.

Published in the Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday 29th September 1813.

Broke Prison and Reward Offered

WHEREAS WILLIAM LAW, incarcerated in the tolbooth of Stonehaven, accused of a capital crime, broke the prison of that place, and escaped upon the night betwixt the 25th and 26th days of August;

A REWARD of TWENTY GUINEAS

is hereby offered to any person or persons who will apprehend and secure the person of the said William Law, and deliver him over at Stonehaven to the keeper of the tolbooth there.

The said William Law worked as a labourer and ditcher, for some short time, on Dee side, near Upper Banchory.  He is about 5 feet 7 inches high, middling stout made, dark complexion, black eyes, black hair, has a flat broken nose, and has been wounded in one of his hands.  He had upon him, when he made his escape, corduroy trowsers, a brown striped vest, and a light brown short coat.

The reward to be paid by John Low, writer in Stonehaven, procurator fiscal of the sheriff court of Kincardineshire.

Published in the Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday 1st September 1813.

William Law jailed for theft

Friday last, the 20th current, a man of the name of William Law, was committed to the jail at Stonehaven, under suspicion of having committed the crime of theft.  On an investigation having taken place, the crime was partly proven against him, and he, on Wednesday evening last, about midnight, made his escape, by burning as much of the door (it being the debtor's room, and of course, wood) as allowed him to get out into the large apartment that is presently occupied as a public kitchen, and then, by forcing out the glass and wood of one of the windows, he got out at a stanchion that had been cut on a former occasion of the like nature.  It is reported that he was seen on the Slugg road, which leads from Stonehaven to Deeside, about nine miles on the road; the constables are in pursuit of him; and a reward of 20 guineas is offered for his apprehension.

Published in the Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday 1st September 1813.

Deer Ploughing Match

The Ploughing Match by the Farmer Society of Deer, was held at Yokieshill, December 24th.  Nineteen Ploughs started, of which eighteen were drawn by pairs of horses, and the other by a pair of oxen.  The work being finished, the Judges proceeded to determine the Premiums; and adjudged the 1st to James Coynach, servant to Robert Scott, Yokieshill; the 2d to William Jaffery, servant to Alexander Bruce, Millhill of Kinmundy; and 3d to Wm. Law, servant to James Rickart, Knock, the 4th to Geo. Loggan, servant to the above Alexander Bruce; and the 5th to James May, servant to John Mackie, Coynach.

JAMES FERGUSON, Esq. of Pitfour, one of the members of the society attended, while the work was performing, and with his usual generosity, made a present of Two Guineas to the Ploughmen, which was equally divided among the unsuccessful candidates.  The judges, and all present, were highly gratified to see the work done in so superior a style, being on the whole the best they had seen on any similar occasion; which shews the effect of frequent ploughing matches.

Published in the Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday 6th January 1813.