Broadside giving an account of the trial and sentence of the Bonnymuir prisoners, for High Treason

Transcription

The following is a particular Account of the trial and Sentence .

The Bonnymuir Prisoners,   

FOR HIGH TREASON.

STIRLING, July 13th, 1820.                       thence to Castlecarry, and after taking sol   
                                        refreshment, to Bonnymuir, where he was,

This morning, at nine o'clock, the Court            conspicuously engaged against the military
(consisting of the Lord President, the Lord            Counsel was heard on both sides, in which
Justice Clerk, Lords Hermand and Gillies,           Mr Jeffrey admitted that the prisoner was
Mr   Serjeant   Hullock,    the   Lord   Chief           found in a skirmish with the King's troops,
Commissioner, the Lord Advocate,   and a           but denied this to be High Treason.    The
great number of other Advocates) met, and           Jury were ably addressed by the Lord Pres,
proceeded to the trial of the following per-            dent, who, on this, as on a former occasion,
sons, accused of High Treason:                             explained the law with regard to Treason in.
John Baird, weaver in Condorrat.                        the dearest and most distinct, manner, and
Thomas M'Culloch,   stocking-weaver in           pointed out the dangerous tendency which-
Glasgow.                                                               such a crime would lead to, if the persons,
Andrew Hardie, weaver there.                           employed in it were for a moment tolerated .
John Barr, weaver in Condorrat.                        in their designs.    He was followed by the
William Smith, weaver there.                              other Judges, who gave their opinions in ,
Benjamin Moir, labourer in. Glasgow.                  nearly the same terms. .
Allan Murchie, blacksmith there.                           The Jury were then inclosed, and a pro-
Alexander Latimer, otherwise Lettimer,            found stillness seemed to be visible during
weaver there.                                                         the time the Jury were deciding upon the
Alexander Johnson, weaver there.                       verdict which was to fix the fate of this man,
Andrew White, bookbinder there.                     A little after one o'clock next morning,
David Thomson, weaver there.                           they took their seats,   when they returned
James Wright, tailor there.                                 a verdict of Guilty against Andrew Hardie,
William Clackson or Clarkson, shoemaker            weaver in Glasgow.
there.                                                             July l4th.?John Baird, with the other
Thomas   Pike,   otherwise Piuk, muslin-            Bonnymuir prisoners was charged with be-
singer there.                                                         ing engaged at Bonnymuir; the trial com-
Robert Gray, weaver there.                                menced at ten, and continued to a late hour.
James Clelland, smith there.                                He was likewise found Guilty.    Mr Jeffrey
Alexander Hart, cabinet-maker there.                 then stated-it to be the desire of the rest of
Thomas M'Farlane, weaver at Condorrat.            the Bonnymuir prisoners to retract their for-
The prisoners being arraigned on the 6th           mer plea of Not Guilty.
current, Mr Cullen and Mr Monteith, the                  The Lord Advocate stated, that whatever clemency
prisoners'   Counsel, Started an objection to           theCrown might exercise in this respect, the law was
the indictment, in regard to the situation of         fixed and a capital punishment was the only course left
the indictment,   in      regard to the sitution of    for them to adopt.   They all pled Guilty to their indict-
the villa   at which   the affair took place,              ments.
which was over-ruled by the Court, and the      John Anderson, weaver in St. Ninian's, and William
prisoners were ordered to put in their plea         Crawford, weaver in Balfron, also pled Guilty to their
of Guilty or Not Guilty, which they sever-           indictments; the former for pasting up the Radical Ad-
ally did, pleading Not Guilty.    Upon being         dress, and the latter for being engaged in Treasonable.
asked what way they wished to be tried, all         practices.   The Court adjuurned to a future period.
of them said, " By God and my Country,"
                                                                       Stirling, Aug. 4th, 1820.
and the Court adjourned to the 13th.                  This day, the Court met, when it proceeded to pass
This day,   pursuant to the adjournment            Sentence upon the prisoners found Guilty of High
mentioned   above,   the Court   resumed   its   Treason, which was (after a very impressive admonition
former sittings, and procceded to the trial of        from the Lord President) that the whole of the prisoners
Andrew Harjie, weaver in Glasgow, upon        engaged at Bonnymuir be taken from the place where
an indictment, which contained four counts.        they are confined, drawn to the place of execution upon
The evidence for the prosecution was now        a Hurdle, and be
closed, which went to connect the Bonny-        Hanged, Beheaded and Quartered,
muir business with the proposed Radical in-                              AT STIRLING,
surrection in the West of Scotland, Hardie                                 
having violently resisted a Magistrate in the       On Friday the 8th September next,
act of taking down one of the Radical Pro-    Anderson & Crawford and two others from
clamations of the 1st of April at Glasgow    Farkirk received the same sentence.
The evidence also traced him, with about
24 more armed men on their march from                                       W. CArSE, Printed

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