Crime & punishment > Whinny Park murder

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were two wounds he must necessarily have done so. Millie, he
says, did not after the blows make any motion that he recollects ob¬
serving : soon after, he heard some person'at the iron gate of the
garden, and ran to prevent any one entering. The person proved
to be Widow Brebner, with some bobbins on which she had been
winding yarn for .Millie. Henderson took the bobbins, saying (as
he recollects) “ James is not in,” or some sucji words.* He then
returned, not going to the shop, but to the kitchen, where he laid
down the bobbins beneath a window. On going back to the shop,
he locked the door, without entering. He then returned to the
kitchen, took some money which he found there (about £6), and
went off to Auchtermuchty. He staid in that place all night drink¬
ing with some companions, and purchasing a suit of clothes. He
was only back at Whinny Park about six o’clock next morning.
He did not then immediately go into the shop, but went to the
kitchen, where he stopped till about eight o’clock, and received the
usual milk there from the little girl Blyth. Went then to Collessie,
and remaining there but a short time, went from thence to Lethara,
passing Whinny Park : (he does not recollect whether he went in
or not). When at Letham in the morning, he was in Mr Beve¬
ridge's shop ; ard in some other houses there. He then went either
to Collessie or Whinny Park, and returned a second time to Letham
about 3 o’clock, at which time he went in to Mr Wallace’s, vint¬
ner, and had there some whisky and some tea. He returned to
Whinny Park about 4 o’clock,..smd went into the shop, but had not
courage to walk up to the spot where the body was lying. He
then took a pick and dug a hole in the floor of the shop, near the
back wall, intending to bury the body there ; but found that the
* Widow Brebner has been questioned as to this circumstance, and
recollects being met by Henderson as he states: she does not precisely
remember the day, but this may be fixed by another circumstance ;
for she thought, when he met her, that he had come to carry in some
coals which were lying at the gate ; now it is known that these coals
were brought thither on Friday (25th).
•f* In the paper formerly mentioned, which Henderson wrote with
his own hand, he says, in reference to this day, “I opened the shop
door, and saw the unfortunate Millie lying besmeared wirh his
blood : I then took a pick and spade, and digged, at the back of the
shop, a hole, with the intention of interring the body there ; but was
soon disappointed by striking against the solid rock : I filled up the
hole again, and went about the place the whole of that day in a
miserable condition, not knowing what I should do, or whether I
should take my own life or leave the country. I then went to Mr
Wallace’s in Lelham, called for some drink, but after I got it, I could
not drink it, for my hand shook like a bush.”