Transcription
Riot at Dumfries! Hares Arrival. A Full and Particular Account of the Reception of WILLIAM HARE, one of the West Port Murderers, at Dumfries, on Friday morning last, on his way to Ireland ! This atrocious character was liberated on Thurs- day evening, the 5th February, from the Calton Jail, and took his seat, disguised, in the mail for Portpatrick ; but having been recognized at Dum- fries, a terrible riot took place in consequence. The Mob having attacked the Jail wherein he had taken shelter.....We copy the following paragraph from the Courant of this day : '? THE MURDERER HARE.?We mentioned in our last publication, that this wretch had been ob- liged to seek refuge from the fury of the populace in the King's Arms Inn, Dumfries. It appears he was recognised in the following manner: He was entered from Edinburgh for Portpatrick as an out- side passenger in the mail by the name of Black ; and after travelling a stage or two, the guard, without knowing him, consented to allow him to get inside the coach, as the night was damp and cold, but he had only got up one or two of the steps'at the coach door, when a highly respectable legal gentleman, who was an outside passenger, and who knew him, having been professionally employed in the late case against the ruffian, call- ed out, '. Would you put a murderer inside ?" This led to the discovery, and the coach had not long arrived at Dumfries when the news of his in- famons arrival became generally known. A crowd instantly assembled, evincing the most determin- edly hostile intentions. For protection, the wretch was locked up in the tap-room of the Inn until the Porcpatrick mail should start, which is usually about nine o'clock Until that hour the mob though it continued to increase, many coming no doubt to get a glimpse of such a notorious'charac- ter, was tolerably quiet, under an expectation that he would take his departure by the Portpatrick mail. By nine o clock, for half a mile on the road, the crowd became immense " The coach drew up to the inn door, but for Hare to have ventured out would have been cer- tain destruction, and, consequently, the coach drove off without him. It had not proceeded far when it was stopped by the populace, and a most strict search was made in case he was concealed, even the boot was examined. Being disappointed, the people became more enraged, and, in consequence, the magistrates were seriouly alarmed for the peace of the town. As a russe, they caused a post-chaise to draw up at the front of the inn, into which, it was stated, Hare would proceed on his journey. They, at the same time, however, got another chaise to the bottom of the yard of the inn, from whence he contrived to escape unobserved from a back window and to walk along to the vehicle, which was driven rapidly to the jail, followed by the mob, who soon found out the trick. The jail was then assailed with stones, the most of the windows of the Court Room were broken, and one of the doors forced. The police and constables, however, suc- ceeded, with some difficulty, in restoring order, but the crowd remained in the street till after dark. During the night, the wretch was taken out of jail and privately conveyed on foot out of town, on the Carlisle road, under an escort of police officers," Edinburgh Evening Courant, Feb. 9, 1829, PRICE ONE PENNY.
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1829 shelfmark: F.3.a.13(63)
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